Product: Plunkett & Macleane
Rating: 3.0
Ye Olde Trainspotters
The only time you'll see tracks on anyone's arms here is when they are unceremoniously run over by a mid-18th century horse cart. First time director Jake Scott (read: Kelly Lynch, Sofia Coppola) borrows the keys to the studio and produces a fairly rollicking debut with "Plunkett & MacLeane". Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller take thier "Trainspotting" schtick to 1750's England as a pair of rogueish and rascally highwaymen, stealing valuables from silly foppish aristocrats. Miller finds time along the way to fall head over heels (who wouldn't?) for lucious Liv Tyler, as the daughter of a bigwig Chief Justice. That's about as complicated as the cartoonish plot gets, but Scott directs with infectious energy and a bit of a wink at the audience, so you may find yourself entertained in spite of a rather thin narrative. If you are the scholarly type who likes to nitpick at historical inaccuracies-you'd best steer clear of this one...if the 18th century characters spouting Tarantino style dialogue doesn't make you crazy, the incongruous music soundtrack is sure to put you over the edge (no harpsichords or minuets were harmed in the making of this film). An honorable mention goes to the ever engaging Alan Cumming,sporting a spooky physical resemblance to Pee Wee Herman and attacking his role as a decadent dandy with much aplomb.