rjm-geo
A well-researched, carefully made period film which tells of the struggle of a good, honest man (Rob Roy, Liam Neeson) against powerful, evil rogues (Cunningham, Tim Roth and Montrose, John Hurt) who have unjustly wronged him. It is set in early 18th Century Scotland.The problem is that Montrose and Cunningham are far more interesting, witty, fun, and entertaining to watch than Rob Roy, who is portrayed here as a bland, unrealistically perfect hero gifted with the beautiful, loving wife and two adoring children.If we were ever shown Rob Roy getting angry at his wife, yelling at his kids, or indeed demonstrating any kind of human failing - greed, malice, selfishness, anger - there might have been a chance to feel sympathy towards him. Instead he basically walks though the film as the empty "good guy" avatar.So it's a very unbalanced movie, with memorable, exciting and deeply human villains that you long to see more of, and a boring hero with no discernible human personality you don't care about.Watch this for the duels, especially the final one, and Tim Roth's captivating performance as Cunningham. If only Rob Roy had been written and played to the same caliber as Cunningham - the battle presented as between two equals, both flawed and both resourceful - this movie would have been catapulted into 10/10, classic for the ages territory but alas it was not to be.
ElMaruecan82
What a year for highlanders! Nothing but a coincidence, but it's still intriguing that "Rob Roy", a movie about a Scottish hero, was released the same year than another movie about another Scottish hero, William Wallace aka the titular "Braveheart", directed by Mel Gibson, and winner of the Best Picture Oscar (that's for the trivia).Yet it would be unfair to compare the two films on the simple basis of their similar settings. "Rob Roy" is not only set four centuries after the epic battles lead by William Wallace, but the film's scope is totally different, it's more a historical biopic than an epic, more about a man, about two men actually and their imminent confrontation. The two men are Liam Neeson, as Robert Roy, cattle drover and leader of the MacGregor Clan, and Tim Roth as Archibald Cunningham, the sneaky henchman of the Marquis of Montrose, played by John Hurt, and both Neeson and Roth couldn't have played more opposite characters, each one is the other's perfect nemesis and that's what make their antagonism so thrilling. Indeed, a good movie can only depend on the quality of its villain; in that case, Tim Roth creates one hell of a performance, rightfully Oscar-nominated as the evil Cunningham.Archibald Cunningham reveals the hideous face of his personality when, after having heard from Montrose's factor Killearn (Brian Cox) that Rob Roy was getting a loan of £1000, steals the money from Roy's best friend, Alan McDonald (Eric Stoltz), kills him in the process, and makes Roy an official outlaw. However, Roy is given a chance to redeem himself by bearing false witness for Montrose against his main political rival the Duke of Argyl (Andrew Keir). Less than a plot device, Roy's expected refusal comes at the illustration of the definition he gave of honor in his previous scene with his children, "honor is something no one gives to you and no one can take from you". Roy is not just a skillful sword-fighter, and noble in a sort of Robin-Hood way, but he's a man of word and honor, as good as Cunningham is evil, treacherous and irredeemable. The film finds the right balance between a noble hero and a detestable villain, and it powerfully engages us in each of their story lines as they're not just one-dimensional characters. Liam Neeson towers everyone in the film, he t reminded me of the Scottish people who thought that William Wallace was 7ft tall, I wondered how good Neeson would have probably been in "Braveheart" (not that it diminish the merit of Mel Gibson) yet despite his commanding presence, there is a sort of stubbornness and relative naivety betrayed by his eyes, which compensate his huge height. On his side, Cunningman is shorter, less attractive with this sort of crisped grin and effeminate manners that fool everyone, until he uses his sword and proves to be a worthy fighter. He's got style, flamboyance while Roy is mostly seen stabbing sword on people. A lot is said about Cunningham's past as a bastard, and there's much more to know about him, not to forgive him, but to give him a certain level of depth. Yet the characterization that doesn't only rely on the performances of Neeson and Roth. Take Roy's wife, Mary, played by Jessica Lange, while she could have been your typical hero's woman, loving, caring and worrying, Mary has passion, honor, questions her husband and would be the victim of the ultimate abuse from Cunningham, in a very gut-wrenching scene. By the way, the film features much more sexual material than other historical dramas, but it's never gratuitous, each intimate moment, rape, or sexual reference serves the story and gives it a touch of authenticity a few film had the guts to portray. Would you really expect a scene where the wife would wake up and got to the beach to relieve her bladder, she could have been there for any reason, but "Rob Roy" also goes for the realistic touch, another urination is featured in the film, when Archibald wakes up, yes it's a detail, but sometimes we do remember them more than the rest of the plot. "Rob Roy" has a special attention to characters, avoiding the usual archetypes like sidekicks, romantic or comic reliefs, although Brian Cox has very funny one-liners in the film. But let's get back to Mary, and Jessica Lange gives justice to the character by not getting shadowed by her husband, she ends up playing an important part to the plot, by persuading Argyl to propose the final duel between her husband and Archibald, and this is another important touch. While the film could have used as a climax a chase sequence ending in a violent confrontation or a sort of battle between the clan members and the British soldiers, it goes straight to the point with the final duel. As if it was conscious that the viewers only care for Roy and Cunningham after having spent so much time watching them. And speaking of the climax, the film features one of the greatest and most surprising sword fights ever featured in a film, you could feel the exhaustion, the tension, the hatred between the two characters, and the conclusion is absolutely unpredictable even in its predictability. The sword fight is the determinant element of the film, without which it would have been passably good instead of great."Rob Roy" is a magnificent looking, and thrilling historical drama, signed by Michael Caton- Jones, it doesn't have the epic scope of "Braveheart", or the gruesome battles, but it has some characters that immediately stick in your mind, and features some spectacular action sequences. "Rob Roy" is great entertainment that deserves more recognition.
tonyface2007
Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I watched this film cuddled up with my wife, I had no idea of the plot, although I had heard vaguely about Rob Roy the great Scottish hero.The film never pretends to be an epic, and there are some beautiful performances by the actors. Liam Neeson in the lead and Jessica Lange, who looked stunning despite her bedraggled attire. Also Tim Roth is a thoroughly believable nasty piece of work.I don't know how true the story line keeps to the historical context, films like Braveheart where the French Princess was actually only 4 years old when Wallace invaded England, had plenty of made up stuff in it.However as a film this is really enjoyable, one for a romantic night in, with some excellent acting.
