But Calibre is a great calling card for Palmer, who’s proved that he’s a talent and one to watch. The pace is relentless in kind, which isn’t always to the benefit of the story, as some of the more psychological elements of the film aren’t given the required time to mature. In fact, all of the film’s characters are well-rounded and three-dimensional.

This is a taut film, with a simple plot that doesn’t try to overcomplicate matters, and which more than makes up for its predictability with stunning lead performances, and a refusal to turn the locals into hillbillies. It’s as if the twosome are trapped in the spaces they inhabit, whether in the car, the pub or the woods. Despite the vast expanse of the Highlands, the world portrayed in Calibre is strikingly claustrophobic. Hungarian cinematographer Márk Györi does as sterling a job here as he did on Peter Strickland’s wilderness-set, revenge thriller Katalin Varga. This split-second decision will change the dynamic of his relationship with Marcus forever, as well as sparking huge ire among the local Highlanders. There are huge parallels between the Agamemnon tale and what comes to pass in Calibre, where Vaughn, despite a moment of doubt, ultimately proceeds to shoot the deer he spots in the wood. Deer are as sacred to filmmakers as they were to Artemis in the famous Greek myth that has spawned a thousand copycats. The last thing you should do is kill a deer, as proved by Japanese horror trilogy, Ring, or in last year’s smash hit, Get Out. There is a Bambi syndrome of sorts in movies. Inevitably, Marcus will rub the locals up the wrong way with his antics, though it’s not the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last. Vaughn just about manages to stay true to his beloved partner, despite the efforts of Iona ( Kate Bracken). He still snorts cocaine to stay sober and loses no time at all chatting up girls in the first pub they come to. Marcus has never really moved on from their boarding school antics, eternally lost in his own laddish world. Marcus, his best friend, cajoles him into going on one last pre-baby boys’ trip: a hunting weekend in the Scottish Highlands. When we first meet our leading men, Vaughn is living in an apprehensive kind of bliss in Edinburgh, with his girlfriend who is pregnant with their first child.

Reviews for calibre woods