Moustroll
Good movie but grossly overrated
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
brentadsley-717-3657
When this film was released in 1999 I remember thinking that I wouldn't mind seeing it. I never got around to it at the time and I'd forgotten about it until I saw that it was available on Netflix a couple of days ago. My wife was away so I gave it a go, thinking it was a bit of a lads' shoot 'em up adventure, which on one level it is, but it's so much more than that and it's gone straight into my all-time top 5 films. I enjoyed it so much that I watched it again the next day when my wife had returned as I thought she'd also love it, which she did (though not quite as much as me). I've never watched a film twice in two days before but I could watch it again right now as there are details that I missed each time (e.g. Armstrong & Miller's characters, Winterburn and Dixon, being named after two of Arsenal's defenders in the 1980s/90s). The attention to detail in the film added so much for me, such as in the scene where Gibson (Michael Gambon) has a chat with Mr Chance (Ken Stott) in a circular, domed room. The dialogue is wonderful, with Gibson witheringly cutting Chance down to size by reminding him of his rise to power from a lowly start in life - "What's it feel like to look down on your humble origins from the dizzy heights? Does it make you giddy?" The location, music, lighting and camera angles make the scene highly atmospheric but what struck me in particular was the sight of the three dogs that ran through the room and then back again during the conversation. There was no apparent reason for them to be in the scene but it was a lovely addition to it. The big set pieces, such as the ball and the wedding party, again beautifully shot and lit, were sumptuous visual extravaganzas that also contained wonderful witty dialogue. The use of the contemporary techno music during the Baroque dance scene worked fabulously well, as did the stylised dancing itself. Craig Armstrong's score in general was superb and the Tiger Lillies' falsetto-voiced music hall songs suited the era perfectly. The film is also a celebration of British acting talent, with character actors, both dramatic and comic, from the main leads to the briefest, blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo role, reveling in the opportunity to camp it up and mug the camera. Robert Carlyle and Johnny Lee Miller play off each other to hilarious and touching effect in the title roles. Liv Tyler plays the sparky love interest nicely and, unlike some reviewers, I didn't have any problem with her British accent. Michael Gambon is peerless as always - that man could make a Tesco shopping list seem profound - and Ken Stott creates one of cinema's most memorable villains. Of the lesser roles, Terence Rigby's humane gaoler is a lovely touch and Claire Rushbrook is great as the pox- ridden Lady Estelle. The comedy pairings of Armstrong & Miller and Lucas & Walliams (in a precursor of his 'I'm a lady' Little Britain shtick) bring short but welcome bursts of pantomime to the proceedings. Have I forgotten anyone? Ah yes, Alan Cumming. Rochester is the role of a lifetime for him and, as many other reviewers have pointed out, he steals the film from the moment he appears in his purple hat. All of the other actors are also excellent but a special mention must go to Nichola McAuliffe as Lady Crombie. I'm amazed that no-one else has mentioned her as what she delivers in the three or four lines that she's given is pure perfection - "When a brave new gentleman comes upon the scene…we ladies are quite aflutter". She hardly moves a facial muscle and her voice is almost a monotone but the effect is extraordinary. Her brief appearance really jumped out at me and I had to replay her scene a few times just to wallow in her skill. So, all in all, a fun, dark, atmospheric, anachronistic historical romp in which the bad guys get their comeuppance and the 'good' guys live to fight another day. Terrific and highly recommended.
slightlymad22
Will Plunkett (Robert Carlyle) And Captain James Macleane (Johnny lee Miller) are two thieves in eighteenth century Britain. The characters are based on two genuine highwaymen of the eighteenth century."Plunkett And Macleane" was filmed at the height of the early popularity of Carlyle he'd made an impression as Begbie in "Trainspotting" and followed that with the hit movie "The Full Monty". Lee Miller hadn't followed up his role as Sick Boy in "Trainspotting" with such roles, but for some reason he was still popular. So re teaming probably seemed like a good idea. Sadly some parts of "Plunkett And Macleane" are so ludicrous I wondered whether it was originally conceived as a spoof comedy, much like the Carry On movie "Don't Lose Your Head" staring Sid James. Alan Cummings certainly seems like he stepped straight out of that movie. Of the two lead actors Carlyle is by far the best actor of the two, and his roguish character Plunkett is the more likable of the two. He gets the best lines and scenes (including a duel) As for Lee Miller's Macleane I'm not sure his character is meant to be as funny as he seems. What makes it more amazing is the dapper dan thief, who fancied himself as a gentleman is based on a real life person. Liv Tyler turns up as a love interest for Lee Miller and to put it bluntly she is a waste of a corset! She is dull bland and lifeless. There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes, but I doubt I'll ever feel the need to revisit this.
trimmerb1234
This is in a sense a buddy-movie. Two ill-matched young men, one a cash-strapped aristo, the other a street-wise low-life thief. Their meeting is surreal in its oddity where-after their common quest to avoid a gruesome fate and become rich, creates at first a bond of extreme necessity, mired in almost unimaginable filth which later, mirroring their improving luck, lightens up as necessity gives way to the pursuit of stylish pleasures - and stylish crime. The noose as always awaits but far far better to be hanged dressed in the best finery, to the tears of young women of class and to be ready and able to exit with a memorable quip. In short to die, if it absolutely could not be avoided, stylishly and like gentlemen, not common felons.The extreme harshness of the law, the filth and squalor, the highest of fashion, shopping and vaunting ambition to enjoy the high life is a combination which existed in the 18th Century but disappeared in the Victorian era as legal reforms blunted the harshness and worthiness replaced swagger. Life became safer, fairer - and duller.
Lee Eisenberg
Usually, I like silly movies. "Plunkett & Macleane", however, is beyond silly; it falls into the range of absurd. The movie portrays two rogues (Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle) stealing from the rich and keeping the spoils until one falls for an aristocrat woman (Liv Tyler), throwing their plans into flux. I guess that maybe I'm not being fair to Carlyle (and to the UK film industry in general): after a film as great as "The Full Monty", I expect very high quality from Carlyle, and we can't always guarantee the best.Still, I will say that if you seek a purely entertaining flick, you might want to check this one out. While never reaching a laugh-out-loud level, it does elicit some humor. The main issue is that I've seen much better movies (especially from England), and so I would never recommend this one above most others. OK in a pinch, if there's nothing else to see.
