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Not since Kevin Costner straddled a mule in 1997 epic The Postman has delivering the mail been so bizarre an undertaking. Stranger still is the fact that The Rocket Post is based on a true story. Set on the eve of World War II, Danish thesp Ulrich Thomsen stars as German scientist Gerhard Zucher who aims to establish a newfangled rocket-propelled postal service in the Scottish isles. Although it doesn't fire on all cylinders, this account is quietly intriguing.

With its windswept Hebridean backdrop and stolen glances between the diffident Zucher and fiery local girl Catherine (Shauna MacDonald), the stage appears set for a quaint romantic yarn. For a while this is how it plays out, with Catherine's disapproving father (Clive Russell) and childhood pal-turned-suitor (an underused Kevin McKidd) providing the obstacles.

Disappointingly the business of building the rocket (to transport mail between islands) often feels incidental. The stakes only get upped once Hitler issues the order for Zucher to return to the motherland with his research. But for director Stephen Whittaker that also means taking a sharp left turn into melodrama.

"LOVE AFFAIR DOESN'T PACK AN EMOTIONAL PUNCH"

While MacDonald and Thomsen make an endearing couple, their love affair doesn't have the weight to pack any emotional punch in the end. Instead, it's the rift that develops between Zucher and his staunch Nazi friend (Eddie Marsan) that makes a lingering impact, along with his gradual acceptance by the islanders. Thomsen remains stoic throughout for what is, ultimately, a touching and inspirational portrait of a man who dared to reach for high ideals.