Best movie of this year hands down!

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Sorry, this movie sucks

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

As a fairly enthusiastic bird watcher I had to watch this when I saw it advertised in the TV guide if only to see just how inaccurate the portrayal of the hobby would be. When we are shown bird watcher Roy entering the hide, arranging his equipment, sitting down then talking to himself referring to birds by there Linnaean names it looks as if he will exhibit every cliché in the book. Soon he is joined by Dave; a suspicious looking Liverpudlian who clearly has no interest in the bird life. They soon get talking though and Roy explains that he is hoping to find a sociable plover as it will be the last bird he needs to see to have seen every bird on the British list. As they chat Roy shares his sandwiches and the two of them exchange stories about their lives and how neither of them is with the women they loved. When Dave pops out to relieve himself it looks as if things are going to get bad for Roy… Roy hears on his radio that the police are looking for a killer and Dave is shown to have a pistol! When Dave returns the tension rises to a point where some shocking secrets are revealed and we learn that neither man is quite what he appeared to be.As the film opened I was sure I would not like it, as the film seemed to misrepresent a hobby I enjoy, however as it progressed I got caught up with the story. This was almost largely down to Alex MacQueen who played Roy and Phil Campbell who played Dave. Director Marek Losey did a fine job keeping things very tense and claustrophobic. I was expecting a twist at the end but thankfully when that twist arrived it wasn't quite what I expected; it was much darker. It was a pity Roy's birding target wasn't more plausible; although with what we learn about him later on it could have been a clever sign that something was very wrong with him! Over all I enjoyed this more than I expected and would recommend it to people wanting an atmospheric film which doesn't need CGI and a huge cast to get things exciting.

I enjoyed this film a great deal. It was beautifully shot and on an obviously low budget, but the makers wrung out every ounce of value out of every penny. The two principles were excellent. Alex McQueen is already well known, but I hope to see more of the impressive Phil Campbell in future outings. Make no mistake this film is dark and slow and if you like noisy boring muscle-bound cgi stuff this film isn't for you, but if you like films that take their time and treat the audience as adults then it just might be. In my opinion we need more of the latter and far fewer of the former, but then again I'm old-fashioned and the story and character development come before flash, bang, wallop for me every time.

It's not my scene to write reviews of films and such though I couldn't help but leave a comment here.In my opinion this film is a refreshing slap round the face for directors, actors, and viewers alike. The actors' screen presence is terrific, and accentuated by a fantastic script which is punctuated by a perfect amount of sub-script to let the viewer form their own opinion of where the film is going to go.Perfectly paced and beautifully shot in its own macabre way I recommend this film to anyone who wants to see how a film should be made, showing that you don't need to have a lot to give a lot.

I was not sure what to expect but I really enjoyed it, and it kept my attention throughout, despite the late hour. The writing was excellent, both actors were terrific and the film was beautifully shot. The film is full of tension without descending into cheap shocks. I would say it is less 'Pinteresque' (as one reviewer said) than Sam Shepherdesque... as you carry on thinking about the characters and the things you learn about them long after the film is over. The scenes of the lonely marshland and the distant birds are very atmospheric, too. I hope it gets the success it deserves! It's great to see a British film, and I presume a low-budget one, with such promise.