Brian Cox's career as an actor is vast and worth exploring, playing characters that range from an unpredictable billionaire-father to morally complex villains. He's always been an intimidating actor to watch on-screen, so it's a genuine surprise to see him take a stab at directing a feature film with "Glenrothan."

"Glenrothan" is a Scotland-set film about two brothers who reunite after thirty-five years apart. Sandy (played by Cox) wrote a letter to his brother Donal (Alan Cumming), inviting him to return home to make amends due to the possibility of passing. It's a classic, small-scale story of two brothers who hate each other to the brim and slowly rekindle a brotherly love that was long broken.

It's not entirely clear why Brian Cox decided to make this his directorial debut. We've already seen this story numerous times across different media, and the film has nothing new to say, other than that Cox and Cumming are still fantastic actors. But at seventy-nine (as of the film's production), "Glenrothan" is also exactly the kind of film that would attract Cox at this stage of his life, and that context gives it a quiet sincerity that's hard to dismiss entirely.

The film's direction tends to be uneven, and tonal shifts arrive unannounced — but this is foolproof for a weekend morning viewing. "Glenrothan" is satisfactory and harmless.