Description: |
An aggressive Edinburgh businessman, Marcus, takes his boarding-school friend, Vaughn, whose fiancée is newly pregnant, on a weekend hunting in the Scottish Highlands. Vaughn has never hunted before. They stay at a village pub, where they meet Logan, a community leader who bemoans the village's weak economy; and two young women, Kara and Iona. After dancing and drinking, Marcus leaves with Kara, despite being warned to stay away. Vaughn and Iona nearly kiss but Vaughn mentions his pregnant fiancée, so they have another drink instead.Early next morning, Marcus rouses a hungover Vaughn for their hunt. On the way, Vaughn deduces Marcus has used cocaine and chastises him. Vaughn realises he has forgotten ammunition for his rifle, so Marcus lets him borrow one of his guns, despite this violating the strict firearm laws. On the hunt, the pair happen upon a deer in a clearing, and Vaughn aims at a doe's head; but it suddenly turns, causing Vaughn to shoot and kill a boy, unseen behind the deer. The boy's father arrives and, in a fit of grief, picks up Vaughn's gun and points it at him; but Marcus shoots the man. Vaughn wants to tell the police about the incident but Marcus convinces him they will be arrested as murderers. Marcus hides the bodies and they drive off, hoping to claim that they were hunting in another area. However, Marcus is told by a petrol station owner that Logan said no other hunters are around and convinces a traumatised Vaughn they can only protect themselves by returning after nightfall and burying the bodies.They return to the village and are invited to dinner by Logan and his brother Al; Logan asks if Marcus can help him find investors who might revitalise the community. At night, they bury the bodies. Marcus recovers the bullets, using a knife to dig Vaughn's bullet out of the boy's skull, over Vaughn's objections. They return just before dawn but are spotted by the B&B owner's young son. The next day, their departure is thwarted when Brian, another of Logan's brothers, slashes their tires and attacks Marcus for sleeping with Kara and giving her cocaine. At the garage, the mechanic tells Marcus the repairs will take a day. They return to the pub to hire a taxi, but find the driver drunk. On Logan's orders, Brian offers an aggressive and insincere apology, while complaining that the locals are beholden to "city twats" because they might bring in money. While Marcus is in the toilet, Vaughn speaks to Al and Iona and realises the deceased were Logan's nephew and brother-in-law. Al's suspicions are raised when Marcus, upon returning, asks about "them" despite having only heard that Logan's nephew was missing.Logan asks them to help with the search, which they accept for fear of arousing suspicion. A dog leads the party to the bodies. While the group dig them up, Marcus and Vaughn attempt to flee, but their fuel tank is ruptured by a bullet from Brian. Fleeing on foot, Vaughn stumbles and is injured by the dog, which Marcus stabs to death. As the group closes in, Marcus leaves Vaughn. Brian savagely beats Vaughn before being pulled off by Logan; the rest pursue Marcus.Logan and Brian take Vaughn to a farm, where he confesses. Brian wants to kill them but Logan, realising their deaths would be punished, insists on involving the police instead. Brian objects, claiming there is insufficient evidence and Vaughn will change his story to protect himself. As Brian moves to kill Vaughn, they hear the group has caught Marcus. Vaughn is locked in a guarded barn.The next morning, Logan gives Vaughn an ultimatum: he must kill Marcus, or Brian will kill them both. Vaughn refuses, even after being reminded of his fiancée and unborn child, and breaks down in tears. Eventually, at gunpoint, he kills Marcus. The locals hide Marcus's jeep and, before Vaughn's fiancée arrives, Logan instructs him to tell the police that Marcus drove north.Months later, an unnerved Vaughn wakes up to his crying child. He cradles him, but has a haunted look. |