McCann as the alpha male, loud braggart whose one decision destroys the mens lives (for his own selfish ends) with an edge and cocaine fuelled paranoia that sets the screen alight. The former plays the role of passivity but strong-heartedness, caught in a web of deadly lies brilliantly. I’m not usually one to question how realistic a film is, I always suspend my disbelief, but Calibre looks, feels, and is acted like it could really happen. The unobtrusive filmmaking and minimalist approach frames the narrative beautifully, and not a second is wasted. Calibre succeeds in this unbelievably well I was gripped from start to finish, and all of the aspects combine to take you on a tense and anguished journey. The best thrillers (such as Deliverance, to which Calibre owes a massive debt) make the viewer feel as of they are right there with the characters. The two are in deep water, and so begins a deadly game between the two and the locals, led by Logan (Tony Curran, Underworld: Evolution). Everything is going well until they accidentally murder a pair of hill walkers, and Marcus makes the decision to hide the bodies. Vaughn (Jack Lowden, Dunkirk) and Marcus (Martin McCann, The Frankenstein Chronicles) are two old friends who go on a hunting trip to the Scottish Highlands, a last hurrah for their friendship as Vaughn will soon have a newborn. Calibre is nothing new as a thriller, but its execution is near flawless. I went in to the screening knowing nothing about the film, and not realising I knew the director, who I will always be grateful to for putting on a Japanese cult film season many years ago, introducing me to two of my favourite films House and Sword of Doom. What’s great, and gives me hope for the future of Scottish film making, is that most of the cast and crew are Scottish.

Matt Palmer’s directorial debut Calibre is one of that kind, with the ubiquitous Netflix producing the film. Securing financing for a feature film in Scotland is difficult most have to look elsewhere for a company big enough to do the job. The humble genre of the thriller is not one you would associate that’s where Calibre comes in.

There are two films everyone remembers when discussing my homeland, Scotland Mel Gibson’s historically inaccurate but entertaining Braveheart, and Danny Boyle’s masterful junkie odyssey Trainspotting – two films that could not be more oppositional in their approach. Cast: Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Tony Curran, Ian Pirie, George Anton, Kate Bracken, Therese Bradley, Joe Cassidy, Cameron Jack, Kitty Lovett, Cal MacAninch

Calibre 2018 movie review