Premise: Two friends on a weekend hunting trip make a series of bad decisions after an accident.
It's good to have a friend who thinks fast on his feet, but it's a problem when it turns out that he doesn't think well on his feet. Calibre is a movie about two friends: one passive and the other prone to some really poor choices. That's a dangerous cocktail for a crime thriller. So, unsurprisingly, this is a pretty decent movie. The perpetual overcast of Scotland makes it easy to create a dreary atmosphere. The small town feels remote but not otherworldly, like a Midsommar. I could see these murders making the news in a way that's inconceivable in Midsommar. The screenplay back the men into corner after corner to prevent them from escaping. I particularly loved how early they were discovered. The town found out about what they'd done with 30 minutes still left in the movie, so I didn't expect most of what happened after that.
Here's where I will suck the fun out of things. I got a little annoyed by how often the script created complications. Obviously, some of them are needed for the plot. Vaughn has to forget his bullets for him to use one of Marcus' guns (which he's not legally allowed to use). It even needs Marcus to freak out and kill the dead boy's father. It feels excessive later though. Vaughn and Marcus are the only two people hunting in that area that day. Marcus' tires are stabbed the morning they decide to leave. The only cab driver in town is drunk. As they are driving away from the angry mob, one of the gunshots happens to puncture the gas tank. Individually, these are small gripes, but together, it feels contrived. Look, I'm as tired of my plot-driven vs. character-driven story complaint as you are. And I realize that it's a lot easier to make the critique than to write a screenplay. It's what it is though. Anyway, fun movie as long as you don't pick at the story too much. I certainly appreciated the bleak ending.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
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