Plunkett & Macleane - Gegen Tod und Teufel

Jake Scott's bizarre late nineties historical folly was much derided and ignored at the time and despite some elements of it dating quite fiercely it maintains a characterful tenacity that I really took to. The biggest draw is the cast, Lee Miller and Carlyle are a great double act and brimming with post-Trainspotting intensity. The magnificent Ken Stott in fantastically creepy form as the odious General Chance and even Liv Tyler's love interest gets a chunk of things to do. Alan Cumming's glorious Rochester is the absolute core of the film for me. There's a lot of grotty historical detail (mashed in with the Ibiza-tinged soundtrack) and a weirdly large amount of British comedians hiding in the background. A very young Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas and even Armstrong & Miller as strangely anachronistic dandies. There's a lot to like here, the very definition of a cult film.

England in the 1700's, (1745 to be exact) was not a nice place. The rich were all made up to the eyeballs with ludicrous hair and cuffs you could hide a poodle in. They did, however smell a little better than the poor, who were lucky if they made it through the day without a vital appendage falling off in the street.

It is to this world that the audience watching Plunkett and Macleane are introduced. It's not pretty, but it's very believable and prepares you to accept the lengths to which people will go to clamber from the muck to a better life.

Thrown together through circumstance, Macleane, a semi-respectable gentleman who spends too much on women and gambling and Plunkett, a common criminal with more than a few tricks up his sleeve, find that they can rob together successfully as partners. So they do. A lot.

There's a lot of good ideas in the film, primarily the concept of turning the idea of 18th Century English nobility on its head and making it seem little more than an excuse to wear wigs and lipstick. A refreshing change in these days of Merchant Ivory productions and hey-nonny snooze.

Then there's the obligatory love interest, Lady Rebecca (Liv Tyler) and the vicious baddie, in the form of the Thief Taker General Chance, played with sadistic relish by Ken Stott. Both perform well, but it's up to the two leads, and the chemistry that worked well in Trainspotting to steal the show. Being Highwaymen, they steal it with ease, commanding each scene with humour and grit in equal proportions. Some moments of the film are laugh out loud funny, while others border on the disgusting. Always funny and compelling as an action movie, (the love story is left firmly in second place) Plunkett & Macleane is great fun. Though the efforts of the excellent cast and director Jake Scott, we have another British hit on our hands.

All in all, to blatantly rip off a line from the film:

"It was fantastic and I had a bloody good laugh!"

I had to watch this twice before I could make up my mind about it. The first viewing - 21st century dialog and disco music laid over reasonably authentic looking old world visuals - comes as such a surprise, it forces you to abandon everything that you were expecting. Once you have gotten into the open frame of mind that the movie asks for, it's a riot: action by the bucketload and alternately funny and oddly moving as Plunkett and Macleane's partnership changes from a wary 'marriage of convenience' to true friendship. The acting is excellent all round, and Liv Tyler's luscious Rebecca is fun and interesting in herself. One of my very few disappointments was that the last ten or fifteen minutes seemed to be rushed, giving me a slight feeling of, "Huh? Is it finished?" when the titles rolled. Overall, excellent. Probably gives a more filthy, revolting and accurate impression of the 18th century than any official period drama. 8/10

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!

I loved this movie - it had the kind of understated and subtle, intelligent humour that is all too rare these days. Witty, acerbic and thoroughly scurrulous. A titled brat with no brains and a very canny artisan who are both wanted by the law reluctantly join forces as highwaymen. Historically only as accurate as it suits the story at the time, it has a surreal quality that is enchanting. If you like intelligent, funny movies with a twist, this one's worth a look. A bit graphic in places, both sexually and in terms of violence, but what's a bit of the clap between friends!? I don't understand how this movie made so little impact on the movie going public but it deserves cult status as far as I am concerned.