| Plunkett & Macleane | |
|---|---|
 American theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jake Scott |
| Screenplay by | |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Mathieson |
| Edited by | Oral Norrie Ottey |
| Music by | Craig Armstrong |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | PolyGram Film Distribution[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £8.4 million[2] |
| Box office | £3 million[2] |
Plunkett & Macleane is a 1999 Britishhistoricalaction comedy film directed byJake Scott. It starsRobert Carlyle,Jonny Lee Miller andLiv Tyler.[3][4] The film follows the story of Captain James Macleane (Miller) and Will Plunkett (Carlyle), two men in eighteenth centuryBritain who are both struggling to survive. The characters are loosely based on two genuinehighwaymen of the eighteenth century,James MacLaine andWilliam Plunkett, although the story bears little relation to their actual lives.[5]
Plunkett & Macleane was released in the United Kingdom on 2 April 1999, byPolyGram Film Distribution. The film received generally negative reviews from critics.
1748 England is infested with highwaymen — men such as Will Plunkett, a London-based criminal working with his partner Rob. When Rob is killed by the sadisticThief Taker General Chance after a botched heist outsidedebtor's prison, Plunkett must find a way to retrieve a largeruby 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 indebtor's prison. 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 Chance's men discover them, Plunkett swallows it. While inNewgate Prison, 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. Soon enough, they are the most wanted men in England, much to the growing frustration of Chance.
When Macleane falls for the beautiful Lady Rebecca Gibson, the niece of the powerful Lord Gibson, theLord Chief Justice, their plans to escape toBritish North America go awry. The pair part ways after a disastrous attempt to rescue Lady Rebecca from a forced marriage, which leads to Lord Gibson's death at the hands of Chance and the discovery that Macleane has recklessly gambled away all of their profits.
Macleane is eventually captured and tried for Lord Gibson's murder. He denies the charge of murder but confesses to cheating his fellow highwayman and expressing remorse, and is sentenced to death by hanging. As Macleane is brought to and hanged on theTyburngallows, Plunkett arrives at the last minute and rescues Macleane, aided by Lady Rebecca and the flamboyant Lord Rochester. After a tense chase through the London sewers that sees Plunkett killing Chance, avenging his old partner, the three escape to freedom.
Plunkett & Macleane grossed £2,757,485 ($4.6 million) in the United Kingdom.[2][6] It underperformed at the US box office.[7] 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.[8]
The film received mainly negative reviews;Rotten Tomatoes lists a 24% rating based on reviews from 29 critics.[9]Metacritic gives it a score of 44 out of 100 from 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]
Derek Elley ofVariety wrote, "[T]he 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 ofRidley Scott) seems happiest when pushing ahead to his next montage sequence, each of which has the brio that should have informed the whole movie."[11]Roger Ebert 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."[12]
Despite being panned by the critics, it was acclaimed by worldwide audiences and has gained acult following.[dubious –discuss][7][13][dubious –discuss]