Restless Natives

Restless Natives



Ah, Scottish film. Shite isn’t it ? Without the occasional exceptions to the rule like Trainspotting and Local Hero, we don’t have a lot going for us. It’s like looking for a Jewel in a big pile of steaming, stinking manure. Patriotic I may not be, but I’ve not given up hope. There are Jewels in there, you just have to dig deep.

‘Natives’ is a story about two young lads, Ronnie(Joe Mullaney) and Will(Vincent Friell), who are bored with their mundane existence in an Edinburgh council estate. They crave excitement away from their dead end jobs and eventless trawl through life. That’s why they rob buses.
Buses full of unsuspecting American tourists taking a tour of our beautiful Scottish Highlands. Early on we’re assured there is no malice in the robberies just thrill-seeking.

Soon, as the Neo-highwaymen become famous, both lads have different ideas about where their criminal careers are headed. Ronnie tries to gain the respect of professional criminals while Will falls in love with a tour guide on one of the buses.

Trying to outwit the police and the CIA (Ned Beatty), they’re friendship is put to the test as the net closes in on the Clown and the Wolfman.

Like any British film, especially Scottish ones, it fuses a fairy tale with gritty realism perfectly. The characters aren’t bold criminal masterminds planning their next great heist, they’re just a couple of geeky boys on a motorbike wearing joke-shop masks. Mullaney and Friell play the parts like the awkward post-teens they are. Even later on when Ronnie starts taking himself seriously, he still comes across as a kid pretending to be a man.

Bernard Hill deserves a credit too, for his convincing Scottish accent. It’s easy to forget that the actor’s actually Liverpudlian when he’s despairing over his son Will’s lack of direction.

The ending to this film arrives a bit too conveniently, but you have to remember that this is a fairy-tale in social-realist’s clothing. It’s uplifting and gratifying to see our heroes succeed, so it’s easy to forgive.

Verdict: 9/10
A real Gem of a film. Shame we don’t make more like this.