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:

Interrupted hanging

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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

James Macleane (1711-1750) was the son of Scottish parson, and became known as 'Gentleman Highwayman' in partnership with his good friend Plunkett (also a Scotsman). Plunkett really was an apothecary, although it was Macleane's wife who had died. Macleane was an inveterate dandy, and this caused to make the fatal mistake of wearing a set of stolen waistcoats into the shop of the tailor who made them, leading to his arrest and subsequent hanging in November 1750.

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Goofs

When Plunkett is teaching Macleane how to shoot, Macleane accidentally fires his pistol and kills a pheasant. If they had just been discharging firearms (at least twelve times, according to the score), there would most likely not be any pheasants within half a mile, nevermind pistol range.

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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

References Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

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Soundtracks

No 9
Written by Craig Armstrong, Marius De Vries
Performed by Craig Armstrong

User Reviews

Big frocks, big choons, big laughs and edge of seat stuff

Ah, how refreshing to see a vision of 18th century England complete with mud, the pox and gibbets... and accompanied by a delightful techno soundtrack to boot. This is the story of downtrodden highwayman Plunkett (Robert Carlisle) and Gentleman-fallen-on-hard-times Captain Macleane (Jonny Lee Miller), and how they get together and rob the aristo pigs. Plunkett is a hard nut, but MaCleane is far too polite for that, and thus becomes 'the gentleman highwayman'. He falls in love with Lady Rebecca (Liv Tyler), (who to be frank is the only weak part of the whole shebang) and wants to impress her.

The costumes are fantastic. Big, colourful, historically innacurate beautiful togs. Alan Cummings gets all the best threads, and the best lines as Lord Rochester, sporting a very non-18th century eyebrow piercing. The music shifts between swooping glorious choirs and thumping bass-laden techno, which doesn't jarr as you think it should do in a historical film. The script is fast-moving and peppered with modern-day colloquialisms; Merchant Ivory, this is not. There are hilarious parts, disgusting parts, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-and-nibble-your-fingernails parts, but the whole thing chugs along and is wonderfully entertaining throughout. This is cheer-in-the-cinema stuff. Unmissable.