Two robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.Two robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.Two robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJames Macleane (1711-1750) was the son of a Scottish parson, and became known as "Gentleman Highwayman" in partnership with his good friend Will Plunkett (also a Scotsman). Plunkett really was an apothecary, although it was Macleane's wife who had died. Macleane was an inveterate dandy, and this caused him to make the fatal mistake of wearing a set of stolen waistcoats into the shop of the tailor who made them, leading to his arrest and subsequent hanging in November 1750.
- GoofsWhile there was an Earl of Rochester extant in 1748, he would have been 76 years old, and was certainly not known as a bisexual profligate. The character seems to be based upon John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester who lived during the reign of Charles II and died in 1680.
- Quotes
Lord Rochester: No, the new world is too far. Too big. Too primitive. No, no, my place is here... corrupting the young.
- Crazy creditsThe person in charge of overseeing the duel between Chance and Plunkett is listed as the "Dual Referee".
- ConnectionsReferenced in Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000)
Featured review
Ah, how refreshing to see a vision of 18th century England complete with mud, the pox and gibbets... and accompanied by a delightful techno soundtrack to boot. This is the story of downtrodden highwayman Plunkett (Robert Carlisle) and Gentleman-fallen-on-hard-times Captain Macleane (Jonny Lee Miller), and how they get together and rob the aristo pigs. Plunkett is a hard nut, but MaCleane is far too polite for that, and thus becomes 'the gentleman highwayman'. He falls in love with Lady Rebecca (Liv Tyler), (who to be frank is the only weak part of the whole shebang) and wants to impress her.
The costumes are fantastic. Big, colourful, historically innacurate beautiful togs. Alan Cummings gets all the best threads, and the best lines as Lord Rochester, sporting a very non-18th century eyebrow piercing. The music shifts between swooping glorious choirs and thumping bass-laden techno, which doesn't jarr as you think it should do in a historical film. The script is fast-moving and peppered with modern-day colloquialisms; Merchant Ivory, this is not. There are hilarious parts, disgusting parts, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-and-nibble-your-fingernails parts, but the whole thing chugs along and is wonderfully entertaining throughout. This is cheer-in-the-cinema stuff. Unmissable.
The costumes are fantastic. Big, colourful, historically innacurate beautiful togs. Alan Cummings gets all the best threads, and the best lines as Lord Rochester, sporting a very non-18th century eyebrow piercing. The music shifts between swooping glorious choirs and thumping bass-laden techno, which doesn't jarr as you think it should do in a historical film. The script is fast-moving and peppered with modern-day colloquialisms; Merchant Ivory, this is not. There are hilarious parts, disgusting parts, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-and-nibble-your-fingernails parts, but the whole thing chugs along and is wonderfully entertaining throughout. This is cheer-in-the-cinema stuff. Unmissable.
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $474,900
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $244,765
- Oct 3, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $474,900
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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