This is a Netflix original film, and it's a damn good one!

Written and directed by Matt Palmer, and expertly shot by Mark Gyori.

The only actor I recognized is the always excellent Tony Curran, but everyone here does a great job.

The less you know going in, the better.  This is just a great movie watching experience all the way around.  It's beautiful, it's tense, and it's intense.  I can't say i loved how it wrapped up, but it's not a letdown, either.

Turn off the lights, turn off your cell phone, get comfy on your sofa, and spend an hour and 40 minutes in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands.

Grade - A-

Absolutely concur with everything said.

Wish there were more like this!

Quoted from Dreamscale This is a Netflix original film, and it's a damn good one!

This phrase gets thrown out a lot - A Netflix original. Netflix doesn't really make these things. They just buy them. Then they brand them as Netflix Originals because that's the only place you can see them. Since they premiere them as well. Instance, the series Orange is The New Black is made by Lionsgate. It's only shown on Netflix because the show was pitched to them by Lionsgate, Netflix decided to order the show and buy it, then Lionsgate went out and made it. House of Cards is also not made by Netflix.

I think Netflix has co-produced some of their bigger films like Bright. But again, that's a joint venture where the production is handled by a few companies. I think I read that they are building their own soundstages now and will begin to produce stuff on their own.

This movie, however, wasn't made by Netflix, it was just distributed by them. To clarify so that people don't get confused.

As far as the quality of the movie is concerned, in my opinion, it was just Okay. The first 25 mins were good, then it kinda drifted off. It reminded me of the movie Eden Lake.

I suppose you mean the style and the UK cast. Otherwise, Eden Lake is quite different plot wise. A harrowing film with a very memorable ending.

Quoted from LC I suppose you mean the style and the UK cast. Otherwise, Eden Lake is quite different plot wise. A harrowing film with a very memorable ending.

Local justice. That's why it came to mind.

Quoted from Demento Local justice. That's why it came to mind.

Yep, you're right. Well put.
And, creepy as hell.

Eden Lake is 1 of the very best horror films of all times and the shock value is...well...it's shocking!!

Eden Lake DESTROYED me when I was younger. Great horror film.

Zack

This was an excellent exercise in craft. Everything is set up in advance, then the film takes its time to unfold, waiting for the most precise, opportune moments to make good on its setups, resulting in an endless tension that feels almost unbearable by the end. The characters are also really well-drawn in the sense that you know what everyone's about and understand their actions, which enhances the drama in that no one situation can be written off with a simple solution. Every element has purpose and leans on each other for maximum dramatic impact. Unfortunately, few of them were particularly original and were somewhat lacking a personal stamp on the part of the filmmakers for my taste, but I was consistently engaged by and invested in everything that was happening.

Watched this with my dad with very little prior knowledge of what it was about. We were both pleased. A solid watch for a quiet evening at home.

Great film, thanks for the rec. For me, it's a simple revenge thriller with a slight twist. That is all.

Oh, yes. Like I said, wish there were more like it.

Anyone watching Ozark?
Or, Taboo with Tom Hardy?

Be interested to know what you think of Taboo, Dustin... Written by Tom Hardy, and his father Chips, and Steven Knight.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3647998/

Very dark and gritty. Season two and three in the works apparently.

Yes, I really enjoyed watching Taboo and was disappointed when it just ended with so much story left to tell. Hardy's mysteriousness got a little grating toward the end, but easily forgivable because of the high production quality, great story and equally great acting.

Haven't seen Ozark yet. But I will take a look now.

Excellent film.

Stellar writing, so well set up and great acting from all the main cast.

I found the very last shot of the film a bit jarring, but that's a minor bum now in an otherwise impeccable bit of filmmaking.

Some people go to the cinema for escapism - for a diversion; a well-deserved break from real life. Then there are those who go for the je ne sais quoi of the big screen 'cause the experience is “an event”, a celebration of the release of an anticipated film.  I know, it’s cliché, but the “magic of the movies.”

A while back I read a review for 'Don't Breathe' where the reviewer stated, "I wasn't sure what to expect when I plucked this movie at Walmart from their five dollar bin."

Go digging in Shakespeare and you will find a line that says “he who would make a pun would pick a pocket...”

Admittedly, I only watched it 'cause a friend recommended it. And really, that alone was enough to get the curiosity piqued. The only thing I'd known about "Calibre" while flicking through a list of films on Netflix - was the hype.  After a slow night, and nothing good on TV,  gave it a go.  

Without further ado, in a claustrophobic-looking community in the Scottish Highlands, two urban young men go from bad to worse. The hunter becomes the hunted. To say too much about the plot of Calibre would be to spoil it, so I won't. What I will say is that this is an effective slow burn up and spare film that keeps you gripped throughout, including in the moments where not much happens.  Why?  In laywoman's terms... one of the most redeemable qualities of  the film is how its suspense comes from slow, quiet inexorable tension punctuated with a few acts of violence that seem authentic, bearing none of the sensationalism or tired clichés one gets in garbage like some other films.  Jack Lowden (Vaughn) was great, he’s one that most people can understand.  He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and isn't "macho" in any sense of the word.  Rather, he is as timid, maybe a bit awkward, even, and emotionally driven as anyone would expect in a real-world scenario.

I for one, can tell you, I can't imagine being in that situation I don't even like hunting, to begin with. <<< Not sure where that gets me, I just felt compelled to mention it.  

While I found this 'Ham Of A Sandwich' thriller to have all the Hallmarks of a great, gritty Brit flick, I wasn’t blown away.  We've already seen this kind of story in other films, so the originality prize is not included.  However, despite its obvious nods to the backwoods terror movie & Shallow Grave... one can look at it like cooking. There's only so many ingredients, but you can combine them and use them in new and interesting ways.  God, what a suck a$$ analogy.  Even though Matt Palmer trudges over familiar ground, he did manage to grace us with something a little different.  Well - that's quite some trick isn't it?

Perhaps where the movie falls short is in the decision making of its lead characters.  After the earlier vicissitude befalls our hapless duo, you’ve got to believe their actions. If you do not then this film will be a hard slog.  Methinks If you do, then you’re in for one heck of a ride.  But that's just my perspective.  Dare I say, Ghost found the climax a bit weak. I'll stop short of referring to Matt Palmer's 'Calibre' as a masterpiece, but, needless to say, it is a very good film, no doubt.   You should check it out!//End Rant.//

To our Aussie friend,  ;) ya done good this time to! Thanks. -A