Product: Plunkett & Macleane
Rating: 4.0
Eclectic and dangerous fun
Macleane huddles, singing snatches of drunken song, in the debtor's prison. Hearing a noise, he stands up and peers out the window, just in time to see a wagon wheel hurtling out of the mist with surreal speed towards him. Thus begins "Plunkett and Macleane", a wild, adventurous romp through the 18th century. This movie surprises and treats over and over again. Don't be put off by the grisly disinterment that takes place within the first ten minutes of the film. Stick with it.I've been a fan of Robert Carlyle since I saw "The Full Monty". In fact, I neglected to mention him as one of the perks of the movie when I reviewed "Ravenous". The part of Will Plunkett is one that he plays with relish and realism. He and Jonny Lee Miller's Macleane have a love/hate relationship from the start, but somewhere along the way a real friendship develops. They form a partnership in which Macleane, an upper-class clergyman's son fallen on hard times, finds out where the rich pickings are. Then, as the "Gentleman Highwayman", he and Plunkett "rob the rich...and that's it."The supporting cast features: Ken Stott, as an absolutely despicable adversary; Liv Tyler (one of the few weak spots in the film, in my opinion; she's pretty but her character lacks depth); and a thoroughly delicious Alan Cumming. Perhaps Cumming is getting a bit typecast (he played the same sort of role in "Titus"), but he's just so good at it!Several reviewers have already mentioned the ball scene with the techno-electronica music. It's surprising, but it works. Think of "Orlando", another movie that took an unorthodox approach to score music. At times this movie is like a long version of the Adam Ant video "Stand and Deliver", and parts of it are anachronistic, but it's a LOT of fun.