But first, the setup. Vaughn, played by Jack Lowden (Dunkirk, Slow Horses), is the more passive of the two men. He has a pregnant fiancée at home, who has agreed to this trip away with his old friend Marcus, played by Martin McCann (The Survivalist). Marcus is single and more inclined towards a hedonistic lifestyle: drinking, picking up women and impulsively seeking a good time. Vaughn plays along and tries to keep up, but it's clear that Marcus is frequently pushing him beyond his comfort zone.
The pair arrive at the hotel where they're booked in; all is going well and they head down to the local village pub for drinks in the evening. It's clearly a pub mostly frequented by locals, mainly farmers, most of whom appear suspicious of incomers - especially at this time, as there doesn't appear to be anyone else around doing what our pair are doing - the town is struggling with falling tourism and investment. So it's a bit of a Slaughtered Lamb moment (ref: An American Werewolf in London), but during the course of the evening, some of the locals turn out to be welcoming.
They both get very drunk and Marcus ends up sleeping with one of the local girls, who has been flirting with him all evening and with whom he shares drugs. Some of the locals had warned him away from her, but he ignored them. Vaughn chats with the girl's friend and, although they leave the pub together as well, he tells her about his fiancée and they spend the rest of the evening just talking, rather than leaping into bed!
The next morning, then - the pair of them are horribly hungover, but drive off deep into the woods to hunt. Vaughn realises when they get to their parking spot that he has forgotten his ammunition, so Marcus lends him a high-calibre rifle - thus violating strict gun safety laws. Marcus is the experienced hunter, so he takes the lead and coaches Vaughn as they go. When they spot a deer, Marcus encourages the hesitant Vaughn to take the shot. Just as Vaughn pulls the trigger, the deer moves - and this is the point at which the film takes a dark and nasty turn, which I won't spoil for you!
We then enter a stage of the film where the two men, given the nature of what has happened, have differing opinions on what they should do about the incident. Marcus overpowers Vaughn in terms of decision-making and ultimately, by his actions, makes matters worse. It all gets very dark from here on in as the pair return to the hotel and are even invited to dinner with a couple of the local men as they talk about what they do for a living and their hunting backgrounds. However, later in the night, they incur the wrath of the locals - partly because it is discovered that Marcus had given drugs to and slept with one of their sisters, but more so because the details of the event come out, leaving them to deal with the fallout on multiple fronts! It's very difficult to say any more here without giving away spoilers, so I'll leave it there!
The film ends up being a story about escalating events, moral dilemmas, survival, self-preservation and people faced with unthinkable choices. It shows how fear can transform an ordinary, decent, passive person into someone who acts completely out of character in order to make the best of an impossible situation. The film turns violent, ruthless and brutal as the tale unfolds while everyone tries to find their own way out.
It's very nicely shot - a lot of it is dark, menacing, rainy and under the cover of night. The atmosphere uses that to build tension as we're right alongside the two friends, sharing their plight. The pair act their parts superbly well, and the rest of the cast are not far behind. It's a really good little thriller - fairly low-budget in terms of feel, but they have made the most of it, focusing on taut, claustrophobic chills. It's currently available via various streaming services. Recommended.
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