Calibre: Ending Explained by Deffinition
Calibre is a 2018 Scottish Thriller starring Jack Lowden, Tony Curran and Martin McCann. The film follows two friends named Marcus and Vaughn as they embark on a hunting trip in the Scottish Highlands. After an initial mishap during the trip, the duo find themselves in increasing danger as natives to the village slowly begin to attack and threaten them.
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Throughout this article I will be discussing the film’s plot and ending so there will be heavy spoilers. I definitely think that this film is worth seeing with no prior knowledge and highly recommend that you go into it as blind as possible.
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With that out the way, I’m Deffinition and this is my ending explanation for Calibre.
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Hunting Trip Gone Wrong
During a hunting trip, Vaughn accidentally shoots a child, wounding them fatally. When rushing to the body, Vaughn is met by the child’s father who, angry at what has happened, aims a gun at the protagonist. Vaughn’s friend Marcus, saves his life, shooting the father. We can conclude that he came to this decision due to the fact that his previous interactions with the villagers had been almost violent and there was definitely an uneasy tension to every interaction with them.
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Deciding that they have to cover up the crime, the duo return at night and under the cover of darkness, bury the bodies. Back in the village the group bump into Logan, who is one of the Village’s head citizens. I loved their tense interaction in the restaurant and we see that Vaughn struggles to eat Venison. This Venison reminds him of the hunting trip and it was a nice callback that sets of the character being guilty to the point of vomiting.
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Returning at night they bury the bodies, however, their plan soon unfurls and the villagers discover the corpses and due to the strange actions of Vaughn and Marcus, realise what has happened.
The Shooting
The majority of the villagers want to kill the pair, however, Logan dissuades them, knowing that the already financially unstable village will come under more stress should the majority of it’s keynote figures be reprimanded by Police. Debating with the rest of the villagers through the night, Logan comes up with a plan to make them even and this results in Vaughn being forced to shoot Marcus. Logan’s brother, one of the main antagonists that wanted both to pay stated earlier in the standoff that it should be ‘an eye for an eye’ and it’s clear that Logan used this to find a way for Vaughn to make it out of the village alive.
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In his hotel room, Vaughn agrees with Logan that they will lie about what happened and make it look like Marcus went off into the woods by himself.
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Sometime later we return to see Vaughn in his home, unable to sleep and doting on his baby, something that was used to push him to kill Marcus. We see that even though all he wanted to do was return home and get to be with his child, the choice that he made has left a huge impact and he realises that the life he has taken has also destroyed his own. Vaughn never wanted to kill, we could even see that he stumbled when firing upon the Deer, however, this decision lead him down a dark path that never would have happened had he not found joy in taking another’s life. Now the wicked desire that he possessed has come back in a karmic way to strip him of his soul and the film definitely leaves audiences to think about how all life is precious and in murdering one thing we kill ourselves in other ways.
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The True Villains
When watching Calibre I was hit with the realisation that Vaughn and Marcus were in fact the villains of the piece. They show up to a rather peaceful village and cause havoc, changing it in irreversible ways. Marcus is a drug addict that puts his addiction on other and Vaughn comes close to cheating on his heavily pregnant fiance. After killing the child and his father, both would rather cover it up and flee from the scene, leaving the victim’s families unaware of the fate that befell them.
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They are completely beset on escaping and prepared to kill one another in order to get their goals. A true friend of Marcus would have refused to murder him but Vaughn participates in the killing due to his selfish desires. The true hero of the piece is Logan. Throughout he does his best to be as humane as possible and treats the two with kindness and compassion, even after learning of their wicked deeds.
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Whilst it might be bitter to contemplate, put yourselves in the villager’s shoes, you would be as angry and probably want to kill them too. This is what elevates the film and makes it so relatable. It was easy to put myself in their shoes and see why they made the decisions they did. In the end, the villagers win because they get away with the murder of Marcus and Vaughn’s life is shattered. So in a way the film has a happy endi…..no I can’t even say that, it left me clinically depressed and I just need a hug.
Your Thoughts
So, what did you think of Calibre? Do you agree with my thoughts on the film or do you think that Vaughn didn’t deserve what he got? Comment below and let me know.
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If you liked this video please like it and subscribe to my channel as I create Ending Explained Videos weekly and there will definitely be something on the channel you’ll love if you’re a fan of film!
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Make sure you check out my breakdown of Netflix’ other film released this week Tau which will be linked at the end.
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Again, thanks very much for taking the time to watch this and I’ll see you next time. Take care, PEACE!
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