Rob Roy

Rob Roy (1995)

Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Cast: Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, John Hurt, Eric Stoltz, Brian Cox, Andrew Keir, Brian McCardie

Writers: Alan Sharp

Synopsis:

In the early 18th century, the Scottish cattle farmer Rob Roy MacGregor (Neeson) seeks to improve the fortunes of his town by borrowing a large sum of money from the local noble, the Marquis of Montrose (Hurt). When the Marquis' treacherous ward, Archibald Cunningham (Roth) and factor, Killearn (Cox), steal the money and murder his friend Alan (Stoltz), Rob must find a way to settle his debt with the nobleman. Montrose offers to lift the debt if MacGregor will speak out against another noble, the Duke of Argyll (Keir), Rob refuses and is made an outlaw. 

First Impressions:

I saw this movie in the theaters when I was about 19 years old. I remember seeing a TV spot for the movie and was immediately interested because at the time I was very interested in historical epics, particularly ones that took place during this time period. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie upon first viewing and found it to be a gritty, realistic take on what an outlaw's life might be like in the 1700s. On its release, the film was overshadowed a bit by the other Scottish film of that year, Braveheart but for me, the movie has always been one of my hidden gems.

Story/Direction:

"All men with honor are kings. But not all kings have honor."

Someone once said that "Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching" and that's basically what this movie is about. It's a theme that runs throughout the entire movie, along with the theme that there is sometimes a high price to pay for being an honorable person. Throughout the movie, a lot of bad things happen to Rob - his house gets burned down, his livestock killed, his wife assaulted - and none of it would have happened had he told one little lie. I think a lot of modern movie-goers would look at this decision as stupid since Rob didn't know the man he was asked to lie about and the falsehood would have had no negative impact on him personally. But Rob was an honorable man and while he knew the lie would save him a lot of trouble, he also knew that it would also put a stain on his soul. Through most of the movie, Rob is sure in his convictions, he knows he made the right call. Instead, it's the audience that questions whether all of this was worth the tiny white lie. 

From what I understand,  Rob Roy was a real person and I'm not overly familiar with the historical figure, save that he was known as the Scottish Robin Hood and that a popular cocktail was named after him. Suffice to say, I have no idea how true to life the film's portrayal of the character, or the events of his life, were but I'm not such a stickler on that as long as it tells a good story, which this movie does. Michael Caton-Jones is the director and he does a good job of quickly introducing all the notable players, with a minimal amount of background needed. It's another example of how good movies give the audience just enough information and trusts them to figure the rest out on their own without bogging everything down with exposition. 

One final note about the story and some of the events that take place within it. As I mentioned earlier a lot of terrible things happen in this movie and some of them may be a little much for some modern movie-goers. First of all, women in this movie are not treated particularly well and while it's certainly fitting with the time period that it takes place in, some of the scenes could cause discomfort in this era of heightened awareness. Speaking of uncomfortable, it should also be noted that there is also a fairly intense rape scene in the film. I struggled with whether or not it was appropriate to even mention it at all because it's clearly a sensitive issue that needs to be handled with great care. All I know is that the scene was most definitely designed to make the viewer uncomfortable, which it does, so if you do choose to watch the movie be forewarned.

Acting:

This film's cast is top-notch and there's not a poor performance to be found anywhere. Neeson is terrific as the titular character and easily shifts between hearty warrior of the highlands and loving father and devoted husband. Jessica Lange is also a major highlight as she plays Rob's fiercely strong wife Mary, who is in every way Rob's equal and acts somewhat as the audience's surrogate in the film as she asks many of the same questions they do throughout the film. 

The villains of the film also have a strong showing, with the late, great John Hurt playing the duplicitous Marquis of Montrose perfectly. Hurt plays the enigmatic nobleman as a man who knows far more than he lets on and is truly one of his better performances. Brian Cox portrays Montrose's factor Killearn, with the right amount of slime and you just want to hate him.

The highlight of the cast, though, is most definitely Tim Roth's Archie Cunningham. Roth plays the movie's primary antagonist as almost two separate individuals. Around Montrose, he is urbane, sophisticated and very tractable but when he on his own or with his men he's a thuggish brute. It's a truly wonderful performance, one which Roth earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Visual/Special Effects:

Once again, not much to speak of as far as special effects and there weren't even explosions in this one. That's alright though because it gives me plenty of time to talk about the cinematography of this film. As is often the case in historical films, the country in which it's set  is almost a character and this movie is no exception. The fact that this film was actually shot in Scotland didn't hurt as the audience is treated to the misty, rugged beauty of the country, which lends an almost mythic quality to the whole affair.

There are also some pretty great practical make-up effects in this movie. There is one particular scene - and I won't spoil it - that involves a dead cow, which is equal parts stomach-churning and fascinating and also is a bit of a call back to the Empire Strikes Back. The whole look of the movie seems authentic, with most of the commoners being dirty and unwashed for the most part. A lot of historical movies tend to pretty up their cast to make them more appealing to the audience, a trap that this movie, I'm glad to say, avoids. 

Score/Music:
The score in this movie, done by Carter Burwell, is pretty great. After viewing, I found myself whistling parts of it absently as I went about my daily routine, so it definitely hits my first criteria of a good score. It also fits the setting of the film perfectly and doesn't take one out of the movie when hearing it. Of course, being a movie set in Scotland the bagpipes are prominent in the music, which is great for me because I love the pipes (who wouldn't?).

Action:

While I wouldn't consider Rob Roy an action movie, it does have a lot of great action in it. The film is chock-full of great fights and chases, as well as some pretty great tense moments. Best of all the action feels as if it's a natural part of the story, rather than just being stuffed in to break up all the talking. In particular, there is a fantastic duel between Rob and Cunningham at the end of the film, which stands out to me as one of the greatest in movie history. Like the one I talked about in Ladyhawke, this sword fight doesn't look choreographed and is just raw and filled with emotion. The distinct fighting styles of both combatants really makes the duel interesting. Additionally, the manner in which the duel ends was quite original at the time and has since been copied by a number of movies and television shows.

Final Verdict:

After my disappointing turn through Gotham City, I was quite pleased that Rob Roy still holds up for me. despite a few uncomfortable scenes, it's still a great movie with a classic story. I still consider it a hidden gem and I'm very glad I own it.