Plunkett & Macleane
UK 1999
Reviewed by Philip Strick
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
London, 1748. Bankrupt James Macleane encounters Will Plunkett, who proposes a partnership: financed by Plunkett, Macleane will mingle with high society and identify its wealthiest and most vulnerable members, whom they will rob. The scheme ideally suits both men: Macleane is an ardent party-goer and womaniser with a passion for gambling, while Plunkett is amassing funds for a passage to America. Befriended by the dissolute Lord Rochester, Macleane is soon among the idle rich, selecting Lord Gibson as the first target. Gibson's niece Lady Rebecca is with him when the two masked horsemen stop his coach, and is impressed by their courtesy. Overnight they become known as "the Gentlemen Highwaymen".
Gibson's deputy Chance makes it his personal vendetta to track down the robbers. Although upset when Macleane squanders most of their booty, Plunkett still loyally rescues his partner when he's wounded in an ambush. Eager to claim Gibson's job as well as his niece, Chance sets up a trap with the unwilling assistance of Rebecca, who by now has guessed the miscreants' identity. Plunkett and Macleane intercept Gibson's coach but evade Chance's horsemen; Chance shoots Gibson himself. Challenging Rebecca for her supposed betrayal, Macleane is captured and sentenced to hang for Gibson's murder. As Macleane is hauled aloft on the gallows, Plunkett rescues him with Rebecca and Rochester's help, galloping off pursued by Chance and his men. Plunkett turns back to confront Chance and shoots him before heading for freedom with Rebecca and Macleane.
Review
Like the movie versions of Butch and Sundance, Plunkett & Macleane's two bandits and a girl make their final exit in a blaze of glory, severed from the tedious weight of historical accuracy. One might generously suppose that their story's concluding scenes are in Incident at Owl Creek (1961) territory, a representation of the condemned captive's fevered imaginings. This would excuse the implausible nature of the rescue operation and its aftermath. Viewed less generously, its peculiar climactic twists serve mainly to confirm the structure of Plunkett & Macleane as an opportunistic patchwork designed more to please or titillate than persuade. Quite why the film's protagonists elect to blunder through storm-drain tunnels, or why Plunkett puts himself at such risk from Chance, or where the exuberant Lord Rochester is galloping off to at the end, are evidently of minor concern - like the fact that the original Macleane died unrescued at Tyburn prison in 1750. Genetically modified for today's tastes, the Gentlemen Highwaymen have been packaged as iconic superheroes, flawed (of course) but immortal and irresistible in an anti-authoritarian kind of way.
Fortunately, despite a certain amount of posturing for the sake of felony, they are played for grime as much as glamour. In fact their objectives appear tolerably rational against the lurid background. Relishing exaggeration and absurdity, the film offers four distinct contexts: a resplendently untouched countryside, a terrain exploitable not for its Englishness or its reminders of the hills of various Gainsboroughs but for its seclusion as a shooting range. At the opposite extreme, all artifice and old lace, is London society, powdered and plastered beyond reason, ripe with potential plunder. Meanwhile, the braying club-crowd, weaving haughtily from one party to the next, is parodied on the London streets (actually filmed in Prague) where Pythonesque assemblies of gap-toothed extras celebrate a riotous programme of hangings and other indignities.
Underlying these deliberately dubious reconstructions is another vision entirely - that of the seasoned film fan. Described by its producer as a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for the 90s, Plunkett & Macleane is an anthology of echoes, not just of Westerns, but of cinema as a whole. Opening with a mist-shrouded graveyard to suit any Corman classic and a macabre bloodletting to match Terence Fisher (The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957) at his most clinical, the film proceeds to steal gleefully from numerous precedents: Tom Jones, The Draughtsman's Contract, The Company of Wolves and so on. When it gets around to paying due tribute to Scott père, the only surprise is that the duellists favour pistols instead of swords. And if some of the allusions may be unintentional - a masked nod to Batman, say, or a hint of A Clockwork Orange in the brothel sequence - there's little doubt that the stagecoach riddled with bullets is a lift from The Gauntlet, with Robert Carlyle trying on the Eastwood role for size and finding it a capable fit.
Well primed by a string of music videos, Jake Scott achieves a flashy if noncommittal feature debut. His soundtrack, sure enough, is militantly anachronistic, a terrorzone of back-beats and electronics. But he has a connoisseur's eye for costume and decor, and his widescreen vistas, when he remembers to use them (economical close-ups dominate the film), are elegantly enjoyable. Probably his best shot is of a ballroom's patterned floor, although he studies Liv Tyler with a similar symmetry, his experience in commercials evidently continuing to inspire a preference for form over content. While he can be accused of having subverted the account of an intriguing partnership into little better than a noisy romp, an opportunity for Ken Stott to pop an eyeball or two and for Alan Cumming to dress up as Boy George, he does so with enough energy and style to suggest that, like the other film-makers in his family (father Ridley and uncle Tony), he has excellent prospects.
Credits
- Producers
- Tim Bevan
- Eric Fellner
- Rupert Harvey
- Screenplay
- Robert Wade
- Neal Purvis
- Charles McKeown
- Based on a screenplay by
- Selwyn Roberts
- Director of Photography
- John Mathieson
- Editor
- Oral Norrie Ottey
- Production Designer
- Norris Spencer
- Music
- Craig Armstrong
- ©PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Inc.
- Production Companies
- PolyGram Filmed Entertainment presents
- in association with The Arts Council of England a Working Title production
- Supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England
- Executive Producers
- Gary Oldman
- Douglas Urbanski
- Selwyn Roberts
- Matthew Stillman
- Line Producers
- Donna Grey
- UK Unit:
- Nick O'Hagan
- Additional Photography:
- Mark Huffam
- Co-producers
- Jonathan Finn
- Natascha Wharton
- Head of Development
- Debra Hayward
- Company Co-ordinator
- Nina Khoshaba
- Production Co-ordinators
- Lisa Parker
- Lída Ordnungová
- UK Unit:
- Fiona Weir
- Additional Photography:
- Lil Heyman
- Production Services
- Spanish Unit:
- Voodoo Productions
- Czech Republic:
- Stillking Productions
- Production Managers
- Michal Skop
- 2nd Unit:
- Jasmina Torbati
- Spanish Unit:
- Rosa Romero
- Location Managers
- Jaroslav Vaculik
- Pavel Mrkous
- UK Unit:
- Amanda Stevens
- David Boardman
- Additional Photography:
- Chris Brock
- Spanish Unit:
- Txell Sabartés
- Post-production
- Supervisor:
- Jeanette Haley
- Consultant:
- Steve Harrow
- 2nd Unit Director
- Norris Spencer
- Assistant Directors
- Euan Keddie
- Mirek Lux
- Andi Brown
- Olda Mach
- Lucie Minaríková
- Mark Fenn
- 2nd Unit:
- David Rauch
- Additional Photography:
- Nick Heckstall-Smith
- George Walker
- Fiona Richards
- Continuity
- Laura Goulding
- Additional Photography:
- Annie Wotton
- Casting
- Jina Jay
- US:
- Mike Fenton
- Allison Cowitt
- Prague:
- Cine Jessy
- Czech Actors:
- Jessica Horváthová
- ADR Crowd:
- Louis Elman
- 2nd Unit Director of Photography
- Additional Photography:
- Angus Hudson
- 2nd Unit Lighting Cameraman
- Martin Grosup
- Camera Operator
- Rodrigo Gutierrez
- Steadicam Operator
- Klemens Becker
- Wescam Operator
- Graham Berry
- Digital Visual Effects
- Mill Film Ltd
- Digital Effects Supervisor:
- Karl Mooney
- Digital Effects Producer:
- Nikki Penny
- Lead 2D Compositor:
- Steve Murgatroyd
- Digital Effects Co-ordinator:
- Paul Edwards
- Digital Visual Effects
- The Magic Camera Company
- Producer:
- Angie Wills
- Digital Effects Supervisor:
- Angus Cameron
- Digital Artist:
- Robin Huffer
- Digital Film Controller:
- Andrew Jeffery
- Digital Film Scanner:
- John Grant
- Special Effects
- Flash Barrandov Special Effects Ltd
- Supervisor:
- Jaroslav Stolba
- Senior Technicians:
- Jaroslav Kolman
- Roman Tudzaroff Jr
- Jirí Väter
- Floor Technician:
- Martin Kulhánek
- UK Unit Supervisor:
- Joss Williams
- UK Unit Technicians:
- Andy Williams
- Jon Holmes
- Additional Photography Supervisor:
- Clive Beard
- Additional Photography Technicians:
- Steve Warner
- Matthew Horton
- Art Directors
- Petr Kunc
- Jindrich Koci
- Spanish Unit:
- Jordi Yrla
- Set Decorator
- Jenny Dyer
- Costume Designer
- Janty Yates
- Costume Supervisors
- Gianni Casalnuovo
- Barbara Rutter
- UK Unit:
- Jane Lewis
- Wardrobe Supervisor
- Hanka Kucerová
- Make-up/Hair Designer
- Graham Johnston
- Key Make-up
- Jirí Farkas
- Make-up/Hair Artists
- Marese Langan
- UK Unit:
- Carmel Jackson
- Lorna McGowan
- Additional Photography:
- Anita Burger
- Prosthetics
- Image Animation
- Additional Photography Designer:
- Conor O'Sullivan
- Key Hair
- Eva Vyplelová
- Main Title Sequence Design/Direction
- Nick Livesey
- Titles/Opticals
- General Screen Enterprises
- Musicians
- Piano:
- Craig Armstrong
- Keyboards/
Programming: - Stephen Hilton
- Cimbalom:
- Heather Corbett
- Soloist
- Catherine Bott
- Orchestras Conductor
- Cecilia Weston
- Orchestral Leader
- Gavyn Wright
- Orchestrations
- Craig Armstrong
- Additional:
- Matt Dunkley
- Choir Co-ordinator
- Jenny O'Grady
- Music Production Supervisor
- Sandy Dworniak
- Executive in Charge of Music for PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
- Dawn Solér
- Music Editor
- Tom Sayers
- Music Recorder/Mixer
- Geoff Foster
- Soundtrack
- "No 9" by Craig Armstrong, Marius De Vries, performed by Craig Armstrong; "Hell", "Whore", "Sailors" by Martin Jacques, performed by The Tiger Lillies; "Childhood", "Hypnotic" by/performed by Craig Armstrong; "Houses in Motion" by David Byrne, Brian Eno, Christopher Frantz, Martina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, performed by Lewis Parker, Helen White, Craig Armstrong, Stephen Hilton
- Special Tyburn Poetry
- Murray Lachlan-Young
- Choreography
- Blanca Li
- Sound Mixer
- Mark Holding
- Re-recording Mixers
- Ray Merrin
- Graham Daniel
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Glenn Freemantle
- Supervising Dialogue Editor
- Max Hoskins
- ADR
- Mixer:
- Kevin Taylor
- Foley
- Artists:
- Jack Stew
- Lionel Selwyn
- Felicity Cotterell
- Stan Fiferman
- Mixer:
- Kevin Taylor
- Editor:
- Christopher Ackland
- Historical Consultant
- Lucy Moore
- Stunt Co-ordinators
- Steve Dent
- Pavel Voukoun
- Additional Photography:
- Marc Boyle
- Spanish Unit:
- Juan Cruz Mesa
- Armourers
- Tony O'Connor
- Frantisek Mesícek
- Helicopter Pilot
- Spanish Unit:
- Juan Nicolás García
- Cast
- Robert Carlyle
- Will Plunkett
- Jonny Lee Miller
- James Macleane
- Liv Tyler
- Lady Rebecca
- Ken Stott
- Chance
- Michael Gambon
- Lord Gibson
- Alan Cumming
- Lord Rochester
- Iain Robertson
- Rob, highwayman
- Tommy Flanagan
- Eddie
- Stephen Walters
- Dennis
- James Thornton
- Catchpole
- Terence Rigby
- Harrison
- Christian Camargo
- Lord Pelham
- Karel Polisensky
- Newgate priest
- Neve McIntosh
- Liz
- Matt Lucas
- Sir Oswald
- David Walliams
- Viscount Bilston
- David Foxxe
- Lord Ketch
- Jake Gavin
- Newgate gent
- Alexander Armstrong
- Winterburn
- Ben Miller
- Dixon
- Jan Kuzelka
- Peruquier
- Vladimír Javorsky
- headbutted tailor
- Milena Sajdková
- horse dealer
- Karel Dobry
- lewd young man
- Daniel de la Falaise
- member of parliament
- Tom Ward
- backbench heckler
- Nicholas Farrell
- prime minister's secretary
- Gordon Lovitt
- Ranelagh MC
- Claire Rushbrook
- Lady Estelle
- Tim McMullan
- bridegroom
- Jeff Nuttall
- Lord Morris
- Dana Jurzova
- Duchess of Stoke
- Martin Serene
- Josh
- Dean Cook
- older highwayman kid
- Jacob Yentob
- younger highwayman kid
- Annabel Brooks
- widow with garter
- Tony Maudsley
- older clergyman
- Alex Palmer
- younger clergyman
- Victoria Harrison
- Maria
- Emma Faulkner
- young girl prostitute
- Noel Fielding
- brothel gent
- Jack Waters
- duel referee
- Pavel Gregr
- surgeon
- Susan Porrett
- Lady Newbold
- Nichola McAuliffe
- Lady Crombie
- Anna Keaveney
- Lady Marchant
- Jacques Mathou
- French count
- Michael Culkin
- Judge Beresteade
- Murray Lachlan-Young
- gallows poet
- Dave Atkins
- landlord
- Karel Augusta
- hangman
- Drahomír Mráz
- hangman's assistant
- Certificate
- tbc
- Distributor
- PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
- tbc feet
- tbc minutes
- Dolby digital
- Colour by
- Technicolor