Holed

I've been trying to track down this sharp and well made short film for a while after seeing it on the BBC a couple of years ago. Tony Robinson (of Blackadder fame) plays Hugh, a frail and bitter golf fanatic who is off on the links in a annual golf match with two 'friends' - the unpleasant and ultra-competitive Henry and Slim Jim - which Hugh has never yet won. Accompanied by Nick whose father died in a rather murky golfing accident the race is on to find out which pair will triumph. It's a dark, quite twisted, black comedy the outcome of which I won't reveal but suffice to say that not all four players make it back to the clubhouse for a martini afterwards. The parts are all excellently played - though Duncan Preston has perhaps played one too many amiable roles to be totally convincing as the slimy Slim Jim. Tony Robinson's performance as Hugh is a particular highlight. This biting little take on middle England is worth your time and is certainly the only golf film I have ever bothered to watch.