''Plunkett & Macleane'' is a 1999 British

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

action comedy Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of actio ...

film directed by

Jake Scott Jacob E. Scott III (July 20, 1945 – November 19, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a free safety and punt returner from 1970 to 1978 for the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NF ...

, and starring

Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), ''The Full Monty'' (1997), ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), ''Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' (20 ...

Jonny Lee Miller Jonathan Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama film ''Trainspotting'' (1996) and as Dade Murphy in ...

and

Liv Tyler Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress, producer, singer and former model. She began a modeling career at age 14. She later decided to focus on acting and made her film debut in ''Silent Fall'' (1994); she ...

Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...

was executive producer. The story was co-written by

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade Neal Purvis (born 9 September 1961) and Robert Wade (born 1962) are screenwriters who co-wrote the seven ''James Bond'' films from 1999's ''The World Is Not Enough'' to 2021's ''No Time to Die'', as well as other works. Early lives Purvis's ...

. It follows the story of Captain James Macleane (Miller) and Will Plunkett (Carlyle), two men in eighteenth century

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

who are both struggling to survive. The characters are loosely based on two genuine

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

of the eighteenth century,

James MacLaine "Captain" James Maclaine (occasionally "Maclean", "MacLean", or "Maclane") (1724 – 3 October 1750) was an Irish man of a respectable presbyterian family who had a brief but notorious career as a mounted highwayman in London with his accompli ...

and William Plunkett, although the story bears little relation to their actual lives.

Plot

1748 England is infested with highwaymen — men such as Will Plunkett (Robert Carlyle), a London-based criminal working with his partner Rob (

Iain Robertson Iain Robertson (born 27 May 1981) is a BAFTA award winning Scottish actor. He portrayed Lex in cult Glasgow gang film, ''Small Faces'', though Robertson is also known for his work in the long-running children's drama, ''Grange Hill'' and '' T ...

). When Rob is killed by Thief Taker General Chance (

Ken Stott Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play '' Broken Glass'' at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed th ...

) after a botched heist outside

debtor's prison A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe.Cory, Lucinda"A Historic ...

, Plunkett must find a way to retrieve a large

ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...

that his partner had swallowed. What he doesn't know is that the incident was witnessed by James Macleane (

), a socialite from the upper echelons of society, who had found himself in

. Macleane sees the same ruby as his ticket out of debtors' prison and decides to steal it. Plunkett ambushes Macleane and forces him to give up the ruby, but when they are discovered by Chance's men, Plunkett swallows it. While in

Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, t ...

, the two form a partnership that utilizes Plunkett's criminal know-how and Macleane's social status to bribe their way out of prison. This tentative partnership leads to an unlikely alliance, deemed "The Gentlemen Highwaymen", where they gladly relieve the gentry of their possessions. When Macleane falls for the beautiful Lady Rebecca (

), the niece of the powerful Lord Gibson (

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...

), their plans to escape to America go awry. The pair part ways after a disastrous attempt to rescue Lady Rebecca from forced exodus, which leads to the death of Lord Gibson, and the discovery that Macleane has gambled away all of their funds. Macleane is eventually captured and tried for Lord Gibson's murder, earning him a date with the

gallows A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...

. Plunkett orchestrates a daring escape, aided by Lady Rebecca and the flamboyant Lord Rochester (

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

). After a tense chase through the city sewers that sees Plunkett exact revenge upon Chance, the three escape to freedom.

Cast

Release and reception

''Plunkett & Macleane'' underperformed at the US box office. The film opened on 1 October 1999 in 475 U.S. theaters, taking in $244,765 during its first three days; total US earnings stand at $474,900. The film received mainly negative reviews;

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

lists a 24% critic rating from 29 critics, while

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

's Metascore is 44 from 27 reviews (indicating "mixed or average reviews"). Derek Elley of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, " e script and dialogue are nowhere near well-tooled enough, and the film's generally dark, cold look and baroque design play against the lighter touch required. Though he certainly puts the reported $15 million budget up on the screen, helmer Jake Scott (son of

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

) seems happiest when pushing ahead to his next montage sequence, each of which has the brio that should have informed the whole movie."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

said, "Here is a film overgrown with so many directorial flourishes that the heroes need machetes to hack their way to within view of the audience." Despite being panned by the critics, it was acclaimed by worldwide audiences and has gained a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plunkett and Macleane 1999 films 1990s action adventure films 1990s crime comedy films 1990s black comedy films 1990s historical comedy films British action adventure films British crime comedy films British historical comedy films Czech historical films Czech action films Czech adventure films Czech comedy films Czech crime films 1990s English-language films Working Title Films films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films set in the 1740s Films set in the 1750s Films with screenplays by Charles McKeown Films shot in the Czech Republic Films scored by Craig Armstrong (composer) Films produced by Eric Fellner Films produced by Tim Bevan PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films Films directed by Jake Scott (director) Films with screenplays by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade British black comedy films 1999 directorial debut films USA Films films Films about highwaymen 1990s British films