Behind the enormous, expletive-riddled persona presented by Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, lies a man plagued with issues that stem from deteriorating mental and physical heath.
For writer-director Baird, who made his name with his acclaimed directorial debut Cass, it was the decline in Bruce's mental wellbeing that resonated most of all. "I scripted Bruce in a particular way because I grew up with someone who had bipolar disorder," Baird explains. "Bruce's psychological condition is one of the main reasons I had such a genuine connection to the material." The filmmaker's knowledge and understanding of mental illness ensured that he was careful not to stigmatise it in any way. "It was important to explain why Bruce is the way he is, rather than just presenting him as this really nasty person. I felt it was vital for the audience to understand that. Bruce couldn't just be this one-dimensional bad guy. What would be the point?"
As with the majority of readers of Welsh's novel, Baird was also struck by the book's outrageous humour. Bruce Robertson is as mean as hell but hilarious to boot, a wisecracking, fizzing, sparking generator of violent invective - God help those who suffer a personal taste of his unsavoury words and deeds.
