TimeLock

Whirled into a situation they are forced to wait out, TimeLock's key characters start to lose stability and stutter on their axes.

And just as a spinning top gets more fascinating the closer it gets to toppling, so the film grows more mesmerising as the gravity of waiting takes hold.

Mixing direct POVs, deliberately awkward visuals and depersonalising footage, David Griffiths excellently achieves an increasing sense of instability as his characters careen.

This is a taught, careful film from a director with an ice-cold eye for how things can push a man off balance.

Veteran screenwriter David Griffiths directorial debut is a taut, slow burn crime drama that is pregnant with incident. Reminiscent of many of the American thrillers of the Seventies, Timelock is a film less about the crime itself than a character study of the participants; and as such, the films success hinges on its performances.

Lead actor John C Gilmour refreshingly underplays his part as Mark Kerr, an emotionally repressed man whose ennui is punctuated by bouts of gambling whilst Alton Milne as the antagonist Callum Coyne wisely avoids the histrionics which usually accompany playing a villain.

They're ably supported by Leo Horsefield, Danielle Stewart, Lauren Lamarr and Natalie Clarke amongst others.

Griffith carefully establishes the environs of the hotel where the bulk of the of the film takes place before ratcheting up the tension in scenes that don't overstay their welcome, ending on an ambiguous note which leaves the door open for a possible sequel. Timelock won't be to everyones taste though; especially those reared on a diet of multiplex fare who might find it too slow.

This micro-budget gem uses an urban Scotland of the night as the perfect backdrop for a moody psychological thriller; for this is a shadow world of isolated gamblers, economic migrants and desperate criminals.

We follow Mark, a hotel manager with a gambling problem whose alienation from his family is compounded by night shifts and petty theft. Obliquely, through a parallel point of view, we are introduced to the antagonist (Cal) as he too follows Mark before making his move and attempting to rob the hotel. The film becomes an intense two-hander as Mark and Cal await the safe's time-lock mechanism. A long night's journey into day ensues with violence, personal revelation and a great scene involving a set of safety deposit boxes. The blue light on their tense faces is inter cut with a split screen which depicts the hotel's surveillance system and serves to crank up the tension as the law makes its presence felt and Mark is brought out of his isolation.

A common problem with many self-financed films is that they can lose their way in artistic self-indulgence but Timelock's ambition is simple: to succeed as an intense, character-based thriller. This ambition is fulfilled thanks to an ever- increasing tension which is generated by a tight script, an unsettling sound-scape and the film's committed cast. Furthermore, a film that sustains a Noirish atmosphere for its entirety on such a small budget surely marks out its creator as film maker to watch in the future.

To summarise watching this film succinctly, prepare for a lot of head-shaking and sighing.

That's nothing to do with the production- in fact, it's remarkably stylish on such a small budget- but everything our characters do simply fall into the frustrating category of 'I wish I'd done that differently...'

But that's what makes the film achieve so much with so little resources. Understated credit where understated credit is due. Timelock, the directorial debut of Bafta-nominated producer David Griffith, proves that you don't need a big budget to create a tense world. If anything, the intimacy adds to the danger our hero (heroes?) are in.

The lead cast are a pleasant surprise as well. John C. Gilmour's subtle approach to Mark is a nice touch and it's no surprise Alton Milne is drawing comparisons to Ewan McGregor with a hint of James McAvoy.

Perhaps the favourite part of the feature for me was the set-up of the CCTV cameras around the hotel building. The attention to temporal-spatial awareness adds to the realistic feel of the dark drama, traversing through often empty corridors and opening doors that, for our characters, would be best untouched.

Although, it must be admitted, Timelock isn't for everyone. If you're used to quirky CGI and special effects, this really isn't for you. But for those with ambitions to enter the industry this is a lesson on what's important to successful film-making.

This movie should be called Time Waste, because that's a better description.