In one scene, Marcus reveals he’s a financial planner and even offers to make some inquiries to help some of the townspeople. They’ll stop into this small town to spend some money, have fun, and then leave. In contrast, Marcus and Vaughn are young, educated, and successful. It’s an economically stagnant town struggling to find some hope. The small village of Calibre looks like a lot of small towns in England and North America. One of other the major reasons Calibre never descends into cliched filmmaking is that Palmer wraps the familiar rural backwoods narrative with more contemporary and prescient themes. One of the major reasons Calibre never descends into cliched filmmaking is that Palmer wraps the familiar rural backwoods narrative with more contemporary and prescient themes. The choices Marcus and Vaughn make never feel contrived they feel like the inescapable results of desperate situations. There’s nothing that happens in Calibre that doesn’t feel like it couldn’t happen in the real world. Fortunately, Palmer always swerves away from these tired tropes by grounding his characters and story in reality.

Its basic story of urban characters venturing into a small community and provoking conflict is fertile ground for a variety of cliches. Palmer Approaches But Always Steers Clear of Tired Horror TropesĪt several points in Calibre, Palmer appears to be verging into the familiar territory of rural backwoods horror. While the conclusion of another recent thriller, Kaleidoscope, was frustrating and even unsatisfying, Calibre’s final moments achieve the effect of leaving you haunted. All of the suspense arises from its characters and the choices with which they are faced. The climax is not the end result of well-staged, convoluted scares and stunts. It’s a small film, not because it lacks cinematic grandeur, but because it grounds its suspenseful story in a brutal reality.Īs Calibre descends into its third act, all of the poor decisions of its main character culminate into a suspenseful climax and harrowing closing moments. I enjoy traditional jump scares, but it was impressive to find myself on the edge of my seat for much of the movie based simply on an investment in the characters and story. In this regard, Calibre is very much a human thriller that weaves its story around guilt and paranoia. The atmosphere and tension – of which there is an abundance – is entirely driven by one horrible accident and the choices that follow. It’s a small film, not because it lacks cinematic grandeur, but because it grounds its suspenseful story in a brutal reality. Written and directed by Matt Palmer, Calibre is an excellent example of smart, lean storytelling. Now Vaughn and Marcus find themselves strangers in a small community that is growing increasingly suspicious of them. The next morning, while hunting, the friends are then involved in a horrific tragedy made worse by their panicked choices. On their first night in the small Scottish village, Marcus’ taste for partying, drugs, and women angers a few locals. Vaughn is married and expecting a child, while Marcus hasn’t quite grown up yet. Old friends Vaughn and Marcus take a trip into the Scottish Highlands for a hunting weekend together. SPOILER ALERT: I was very wrong about this absolute gem of a thriller. With no instantly recognizable actors, a first-time director, and a familiar storyline, I had guarded expectations for Calibre. Among this new batch of suspense films, Scottish film Calibre popped up on my ‘Recommended List’. Over the last week, Netflix (the Canadian version) has added several thrillers to its streaming platform.

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