SCHEMERS

Dave Mclean

Conor Berry, Tara Lee, Sean Connor

Davie (Conor Berry) is a late ’70s Dundee kid with the gift of the gab who can’t stay out of trouble. With a broken leg shattering his footballing dreams, he develops an ambition to promote gigs, which brings him into perilous contact with the local gangsters. Director Dave Mclean is also Schemers’ producer, co-writer and director, as well as being a successful rock promoter — the parallels are clear. Davie’s tale is told with a sense of humour, but that doesn’t excuse Mclean borrowing heavily from other, better filmmakers (Danny Boyle mainly) and employing hoary editing tricks to paper over cracks created by an inexperienced cast and an ultralow budget. Mclean fails to make any of his characters convincing, interesting or likeable — least of all his hero: himself.