Tommy's Honour

If you're not mad about plaid shorts, Tommy's Honour is unlikely to grab your attention, at first. But if you give it chance, there's an affable movie about an inspiring young pioneer.

Peter Mullan is always an actor worth watching, even if you can't always comprehend what he's saying thanks to that thick Scots accent.

Golf buffs might appreciate its recreation of the sport in the late 19th century, but to love the film unreservedly, you'll need an appetite for the cinematic equivalent of treacle-topped porridge.

Mullan is never less than compelling, but the editing is abrupt, the story is formulaic and the sparky dialogue is submerged under a clubhouse of dour Scots clichs.

Ultimately this is stuffy, old man's cinema, narrow in scope and ambition and of little interest to anyone except golf movie completists.

Endearing but too safe.

Yes, this film is very much more for avid fans of golf and those who adore its long and varied history, but Tommy's Honour certainly has enough heart in it to engage with those who have little time for golf.

Tommy's Honour is that rare sports film that fully captures the passion and emotional connection that some players have to their chosen pursuit.

Historical sports drama has some mature themes.

With by-the-numbers plot and structure, Tommy's Honour is a nice and untaxing way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, but is unlikely to linger in the mind afterwards.