Plunkett & Macleane (1999)

Two robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.

Director:

Jake Scott

Writers:

Selwyn Roberts (earlier screenplay), Robert Wade (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Iain Robertson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonny Lee Miller	...	Macleane
Iain Robertson	...	Highwayman Rob
Robert Carlyle	...	Plunkett
Ken Stott	...	Chance
Tommy Flanagan	...	Eddie
Stephen Walters	...	Dennis
James Thornton	...	Catchpole
Terence Rigby	...	Harrison
Christian Camargo	...	Lord Pelham
Karel Polisenský	...	Newgate Priest
Neve McIntosh	...	Liz
Matt Lucas	...	Sir Oswald
David Walliams	...	Viscount Bilston
David Foxxe	...	Lord Ketch
Jake Gavin	...	Newgate Gent

Storyline

Will Plunkett and Captain James Macleane, two men from different ends of the social spectrum in 18th-century England, enter a gentlemen's agreement: They decide to rid the aristocrats of their belongings. With Plunkett's criminal know-how and Macleane's social connections, they team up to be soon known as "The Gentlemen Highwaymen". But when one day these gentlemen hold up Lord Chief Justice Gibson's coach, Macleane instantly falls in love with his beautiful and cunning niece, Lady Rebecca Gibson. Unfortunately, Thief Taker General Chance, who also is quite fond of Rebecca, is getting closer and closer to getting both: The Gentlemen Highwaymen and Rebecca, who, needless to say, don't want to get any closer to him. But Plunkett still has a thing to sort out with Chance, and his impulsiveness gets all of them in a little trouble.

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Plot Keywords:

18th century | social satire | robber | highwayman | georgian era | 

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Taglines:

They rob from the rich ... and just keep it. [USA DVD Cover]

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence, sexuality and language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

Rob the Rich

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£760,281 (United Kingdom), 4 April 1999, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$244,765, 3 October 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$474,900, 31 October 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two aristocrats introduced to Plunkett and Macleane by Rochester are called Dixon and Winterburn. These are the names of two players - Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn - for the English football team Arsenal during the late 1980's / early 1990's and part of Arsenal's famous "back four."

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Goofs

1-4 days after having sex with Lady D'Arcy, Macleane complains of having "the pox" (syphilis) and that his genitals are a "disaster area". This is impossible - syphilis symptoms take at least a week to develop and are initially (for the first few weeks) painless and very minor. However, given that medical science and knowledge were fairly rudimentary in the 18th century, it could be that Macleane had picked up a different STD and was getting it confused with syphilis. But even then, STDs do not generally show noticeable symptoms within such a short time of exposure.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Judge Beresteade: Captain James Macleane, for drunkenness, unruly behavior, causing an affray and disturbing the King's, I hereby sentence you to be placed in the Knightsbridge debtors' jail and to be held there until you are sober. Take him away.

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Crazy Credits

The person in charge of overseeing the duel between Chance and Plunkett is listed as the "Dual Referee".

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Connections

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

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Soundtracks

Houses in Motion
Written by David Byrne, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz (as Christopher Frantz),
Tina Weymouth (as Martina Weymouth), Jerry Harrison
Performed by Lewis Parker, Helen White, Craig Armstrong, Stephen Hilton

User Reviews

Plunkett and Macleane:History doesn't always matter

Far from being historically naive, Plunkett and Macleane is a very cheeky comedy which uses modern touches to bring humour and vibrance to the story. In one hilarious scene modern music is used to turn a ball into a kind of rave. This picture probably conveys more of the spirit of England at that time than any of the tightly corseted period dramas that we see on our small screens. In those days London would no doubt have been (not much different than today) a hive of grime, guts, violence and sex. The best thing to do is to sit back and enjoy the energy,comedy and damn fine performances in this great little britflick. It's not exactly accurate but then this is not what was intended. Give it a go!