The more elemental, philosophical arguments for a fully independent Scotland have been blurred of late by the presence of a Scottish Prime Minister and a Scottish Chancellor in Downing Street. With a devolved parliament at home and a dominant presence in the London cabinet, the impression is one of over-representation, even as the nationalist government is still bedding in and the long-term practical and political future of a devolved nation is still being sketched out. Campaigners for an English parliament have gained not-inconsiderable publicity mileage of late out of perceived Scottish advantages in the arenas of tax and voting. In this time of transition, the upbeat myth-making of Charles Martin Smith’s Stone of Destiny is a rousing reminder of the simple convictions behind devolution machinations.

Like Braveheart, this film was made by an outsider – Martin Smith is American – and feasibly this element of distance permits a more romantic take on the Scottish character and landscape than might be essayed by a resident. Cynicism is kept cheerfully at bay, as the film emphasises not the legal ins-and-outs of what it is to be independent, but the sheer headrush of enthusiasm and determination that drove a group of Nationalist students to kidnap the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey in 1950.

Stone of Destiny is a caper movie, rather than a political tract, and operates admirably as such: suffused by warm light, generous performances and playful energy, it evokes that moment of youthful vigour when it truly seems as if a grand symbolic gesture might alter everything. Charlie Cox from Stardust (EIFF 2007) is suitably dashing as the plot’s firebrand mastermind Ian Hamilton – and the fact that an actor from London has been cast in this role might be read as another gentle exhortation to Nationalist purists not to take the whole anti-English vibe too seriously.