Rob Roy

source: Rob Roy

A 1995 film about Scottish history, but not Braveheart. Probably that's why the film went a little under the radar. The actors were really great, absolutely everyone did their part of the job. Liam Neeson is a great role model for many, who never puts small interests ahead of his word and honor and therefore even suffers great injustices. You just have to hate Tim Roth as a villain who is the complete opposite of the main protagonist, and that only means that the actor did a top job, in support of which is the Oscar nomination for this role, Roth's only nomination in his career. The film is not at all easy to watch because it is sometimes cruel, but it goes in favor of the time. The whole film was shot in Scotland, so there is a big plus for authenticity, but also for the beautiful landscape. Braveheart is one of my favorite films, but this one is also great so it shouldn't be skipped. I must definitely mention that the film features one of the best sword fights in history.

This might have been a good story. We picked it on Netflix because the cast was good and it had five stars. The landscapes are beautiful, and the settings and costumes are rich and detailed. They went to the trouble of casting heirloom cows for the cattle drive. Unfortunately the sound is recorded in a style that makes the dialog nearly impossible to hear. Everyone mumbles in an accent, and the voices are mixed much lower than the music or the sound effects. We gave up straining to hear what was going on after 20 minutes or so. Too bad, could have been a good movie. Four stars for Liam Neeson, zero stars for bad sound mixing.

I am a huge fan of Tim Roth, and have loved everything that he has done in the past, but he doesn't really fit in here. Both him and John Hurt don't hold up well as the bad guys. Their lines aren't written at all well, and Roth himself admits that he overacted the part. Liam Neeson, on the other hand is quite good. Although it the part that he favours to play, he does a decent job. Jessica Lange, too, is very believable as Neeson's wife. The person I think put in a touching performance was a young Brian McCardie as Neeson's relative who knows a dirty secret about Lange that could destroy her. However, he is under used, like most of the great possiblities. For instance, Jason Flemyng of Lock Stock fame might go un noticed. However, Rob Roy delivers a fine story with some great scenes, and should not be dismissed as a bad film. Rating=3/5

I enjoyed Rob Roy far more than I had anticipated. It's a stirring movie with, for a switch, an uplifting theme and "message." My only demurral is that I wish the (for lack of a better word) adult elements had been toned down enough for the whole family to see the movie. It wouldn't have taken that much, given the "adult" elements that are present but skillfully backstaged in classics such as Gone with the Wind and Quiet Man. But when they're older, I mean to recommend it to my kids.

As a native of Scotland, but now an American citizen, I first would like to comment on the ignorance of too many reviewers when they comment on how the "British" were hated by the Scots. "British" is a collective name for ALL the people of Great Britain ( including the Scots ) What they actually mean is "English" That being said, I have to say that I was absolutely delighted with the movie Rob Roy, immediately from the opening scene where Eric Stoltz ( Rob's friend Macdonald ) bit into a cow patty in order to determine how long it had been since the stolen cattle had passed that way " A day, maybe two " ROB ROY as a movie had everything, great acting, beautiful scenery, skullduggery, a great plot and the best dialogue I have ever heard in a Hollywood movie. I mean, where else can you hear lines like "Were you kin tae Tam ?" (Rob to Guthrie) "Near enough. I shagged his sister" ( Guthrie to Rob ) "Like as not, Tam did too" ( interjection from Killearn )

Although it's hard to understand with the accents the actors use, it makes it more real. Tim Roth deserved the best supporting actor. Liam was great as usual. A MUST SEE!!!!!!!!

I'm still flabbergasted that the competent, but unspectacular "Braveheart" won an Academy Award and "Rob Roy" for some inexplicable reason went generally unappreciated. Rob Roy is far superior to Braveheart in every respect, from direction to writing to acting to cinematography. Jessica Lange and Liam Neeson are wonderful and Tim Roth's turn as Archibald Cunningham was one of the most provocative and inspired supporting performances in recent memory. Roth was nominated for but didn't win the Academy Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor. This was the film's only nomination, yet the clunky, unnuanced Braveheart wins Best Picture, Best Director, etc? Go figure.

This film does have some well-done scenes, a few solid performances, beautiful cinematography of the Scottish Highlands, and a screenwriter that knows how to write a memorable bit of dialogue, but it displays all of these qualities incredibly unevenly throughout the film, and in the end, the movie fails to rise above anything beyond a middling score.