Hulu Dark R-Rated Crime Comedy Gives Marvel Star Most Offensive Police Officer Ever

Screenwriter and director Jon Baird adapted the black comedy psychological crime movie from the 1998 novel with the same title written by author Irvine Welsh. Lionsgate distributed the movie that premiered in Scotland in September 2013 with actor James McAvoy in the lead role as one of the most offensive movie cops ever.

Fans of Marvel movies will recognize McAvoy as the younger version of Charles Xavier, who would become Professor X. McAvoy played Professor X in several X-Men films as well as in a famous Deadpool 2 cameo.

In Filth, he plays Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, who is investigating a murder in Edinburgh, Scotland. Robertson recently completed a divorce, has bipolar disorder, and an enduring guilt over his brother’s death. He also has a newly found desire to dress like his former wife and entertains notions of committing suicide.

Detective Sergeant Robertson is a classic misanthrope who generally avoids contact with other people until he has to interact with someone over something more than paying for something at a store or restaurant.

The Filth cast includes Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Imogen Poots, and David Soul in a cameo role that became his final appearance in a film before his death. It’s a talented cast that enables Baird to produce a convincing dark comedy that has many unexpectedly shocking moments.

McAvoy’s Robertson character in the dark comedy and psychological thriller Filth might be a cop, but he enjoys abusing drugs, alcohol, and his romantic partners.

He also has a penchant for “the games,” which are the various schemes he concocts and acts out to create trouble for those he least likes in the world. Considering he doesn’t much like anyone, that’s a wide group of people, many of whom are his fellow Edinburgh police officers.

The only people for whom Robertson shows any kindness are the widow and son of a man whose life he couldn’t save after finding him suffering a heart attack in the middle of a local street.

He may empathize with her, because his ex-wife Carole, won’t let him near their daughter, Stacey. So he’s suffered a double loss due to his divorce. Dressing in drag makes him feel closer to his wife, at least in his mind, which becomes less stable throughout Filth.

Robertson’s up for a promotion to detective inspector, but his substance abuse and mental health issues are making it hard to rise in rank.

One night while roaming the streets during his off hours and while dressed like his ex-wife, Robertson runs afoul of a local gang, which kidnaps him and gives him a thorough beating. Turns out the gang is the same one responsible for a murder Robertson is investigating.

Does Robertson get his promotion? Will he solve the murder he is investigating? Might there be a happy ending in the darkly comedic psychological thriller?

The only way to find out is to stream Filth on Hulu. It earned matching 67 percent scores from audiences and critics alike on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans of dark comedies and psychological thrillers are those who are most likely to find it especially appealing.