Rob Roy
There is always a market in the USA for films depicting Highland or Irish rebels fighting the foppish/effeminate English or their friends – no stereotyping as there equally isn’t in Braveheart of course - in Rob Roy epitomised by the rapist-thief-blackguard-dandy Cunningham (along with the sword-fighting one of the better bits of Rob Roy – Tim Roth Oscar-nominated for his performance). Normally the actors get a relatively comfortable ride in studios or some sunny clime passed off as Celtic country: not so in this case, where Liam Neeson , John Hurt , Jason Flemyng et al were intermittently soaked to the skin or bitten to distraction by midges in the remote Highlands . Director Michael Caton-Jones (whose credits run from the sublime Scandal and Memphis Belle to the ridiculous Basic Instinct 2) squeezes atmosphere from the fabulous locations – Drummond Castle , Loch Leven, Castle Tioram among them – but maybe the desire to dwell on such subjects slows the action. It’s a romp with a chip on its shoulder, Neeson’s undoubted power and physicality giving his character credibility that the story, either hugely historically inaccurate or cleverly moulded for dramatic effect depending on your standpoint - perhaps doesn’t deserve.
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