Rating: 
Summary: worth a second and third look
Review: Rob Roy, based loosely on the real life Highlander Rob Roy Macgregor, had the bad mistake of Hollywood timing. There must be a lot spy vs spy in Hollywood, industrial secrets being passed around for a price! Ever notice how if one movie company does some genre, then suddenly they all are? Well, someone whispered Mel as doing in man in a skirt drama (Kilt to you Sasunnach!) and suddenly they rushes to do another. With Rob Roy coming out at the same time, it hurt by comparison. Braveheart was a powerhouse tale of one man's fight for Scottish Freedom. Off the bat, you have a difference. Rob Roy was the story of one man's personal fight against wrongs done to him and his family. So the personal tale automatically feels "smaller". Not big battle scenes for Rob Roy. No King for an enemy, just a Scottish Noble, John Graham, Marquis of Montrose (brilliantly played by John Hurt, Ian McShane old RADA roommate!).Still, despite the automatic comparisons between the two films (both with problems of historical inaccuracies), Rob Roy should be given a stronger look. The acting is without fault. Neeson as Rob is great (who da thunk an Irisher could do such a good Scot!). Eric Stolz, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth (so utterly despicable!) Andrew Keir (5 Million Years to Earth) and Brian Cox (the first Hannibal Lector in Manhunter, a REAL Scot mind you! He did double duty by playing Mel's Uncle in Bravenheart), gives performances that are flawless. The Highland's are filmed in breathtaking beauty, the writing is gritty, sharp with a good idea for detail. Frankly, any film that has Liam "Calling down the Gregor" commends itself to my Scot heart!
Rating:
Summary: Great Scot! (pun intended)
Review: I had seen the first half hour of Rob Roy a couple of years ago, but for some reason -- I can't imagine why -- I didn't stick with it. I had always wanted to pick it up again and, finally, got around to it last night. What a fabulous movie! It is so refreshing to see a hero who does the right thing in spite of the obvious consequences. I'm aware that this may seem simple or simple-minded, but it's important; righteousness is not easy. I was embarrassed that found myself so often saying "Come on MacGregor, take the easy way out. It's not worth it." It was also interesting to see the no-so-buried anti-abortion pitch as well. Liam Nesson is his usual wonderful self, and Tim Roth was phenomenal as perhaps the most despicable of despicable villains (Even his name is perfect: "Archibald Cunningham"). Jessica Lange, who I'm rather unfamiliar with, was fabulous as Mary MacGregor; she was sexy, sensual, beautiful, gentle, and just as strong as Rob Roy at the same time (which is, of course, what makes her so attractive). The cinematography and landscapes in this movie are as spectacular as the sword fights. I thought that the battle scenes were reasonably realistic; important characters were killed by extras, and heroes and villains did not have the laser-guided-"smart" muskets that seem to have been issued to Daniel Day Lewis & Co in The Last of the Mohicans. All in all, a wonderful, wonderful film, that, to say the least should have given Braveheart a run for its money.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Gonna Start Wearing a Kilt
Review: The 1995 film "Rob Roy," starring John Hurt, Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, and Tim Roth, leads you to believe you are watching a cinematic rendition of Walter Scott's historical novel of the same name. You are not; "Rob Roy" the film has little to do with Scott's novel about the Osbaldistone family and a Scottish outlaw caught up in the political intrigues of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. That's not to say "Rob Roy" the film is necessarily bad because I would be lying if I said I disliked this movie in any way. I think "Rob Roy" suffered at the box office not because it was bad, but because Mel Gibson's homage to William Wallace, "Braveheart," arrived on the scene at roughly the same time. Gibson's epic exhausted all the reserves of goodwill the movie going public had for Scottish period pieces, leaving "Rob Roy" lying in the gutter. Having seen both "Braveheart" and "Rob Roy," I must say that I prefer the latter due to a myriad of reasons both big and small. In the film, Rob Roy MacGregor works as a bounty hunter for the wily Marquis of Montrose, tracking down villainous kilt wearing scoundrels who attempt to make off with the Marquis's cattle. MacGregor is a tough Scot, but he tempers his toughness with a soul forged from personal honor. When Rob Roy MacGregor gives you his word on something, you can take his promise to the bank. Regrettably for MacGregor, he lives in a world filled with dishonorable men such as the Marquis and his associate Cunningham, a foppish English rake slumming his way through Scotland due to unspecified personal problems in England. Despite the warnings from his wife Mary, Rob Roy finally musters the courage to secure a loan from the Marquis in order to purchase his own herd of cattle. MacGregor plans to move the cattle through the highlands and make a hefty profit from the sale, which will allow him to pay off the loan and buy more cattle. In a twist of treachery that fuels the rest of the film, MacGregor signs for the loan and subsequently loses the money in a robbery cooked up by certain dishonorable elements close to Montrose. It should go without saying that the Marquis, who has no idea who really took the money, still holds Rob Roy responsible for the debt. When the honorable highlander asks for the Montrose's help, he discovers the nobleman reluctant to loan any more money based on such antiquated ideas as "honor." The game is soon afoot, as Rob Roy goes on the lam from the Marquis's private army led by the despicable Cunningham, a man who curries Montrose's favor while needing to put an end to Rob Roy in case certain evidence should arise as to the identity of those responsible for the robbery. Along the way, Cunningham sacks MacGregor's home, violates his wife in truly hateful fashion, and kills off several members of MacGregor's clan. The whole thing comes to a head in a good old fashioned sword duel between MacGregor and Cunningham, where Rob Roy receives some form of vindication and the Marquis of Montrose loses a whole lot of money. Although "Rob Roy" strays far from Scott's novel, the movie works because everything falls into place: the gorgeous shots of the mist shrouded Scottish highlands, the multi-layered plot, the wonderful soundtrack, and the solid performances from everyone in the cast. John Hurt plays the powerful John Graham, the Marquis of Montrose, with his usual riveting presence. Tim Roth adds multiple dimensions of heartlessness to the evil Cunningham character, rightly receiving an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of this soulless creature. Liam Neeson turns in a typically solid performance as the honor bound Rob Roy, but the real kudos go to Jessica Lange for her turn as Mary MacGregor, Rob Roy's wife who suffers one of the worst fates a woman could suffer at the hands of a man. I have never liked Lange as an actress, but here she proves her mettle and delivers one of the movie's best lines. Look for Eric Stoltz in a small but pivotal role as Alan MacDonald, one of MacGregor's associates. What dialogue there is in "Rob Roy"! You really need to listen closely to what the characters say because this film contains some of the most delightfully bawdy discourse in movie history. Consider Mary MacGregor's hot retort to Cunningham: "I will think on you dead, until my husband makes you so. And then I will think on you no more." This is probably one of the least offensive of the memorable lines in the movie. I wish I could reproduce some of the other hilariously dirty dialogue here, but I cannot and you will see why when you watch "Rob Roy." As you snigger over the indecent comments, you will also notice some quite pointed commentary about how the English treated their Scottish subjects, and I appreciated how a few of the characters mentioned that Scots moving to America had a deleterious effect on the clan system. While most of the movie may not be historically accurate, the mix of action, pithy dialogue, and great performances makes this one worth watching. I usually grimace, if even slightly, over a film that strays wildly from a book it is based on, in the case of "Rob Roy" I barely grimaced at all. This is a fine film that, while not appropriate for wee lads and lasses, is surely monumentally entertaining for adults.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice scenery, story is lacking
Review: Based on what we've seen in the film, Rob Roy's honor is the most important thing to him. But does that mean that cunnying, intelligence, leverage, and knowledge is to be discarded? Rob Roy does everything wrong in this film from the moment he allows one man to act has his financial agent to the fact that he doesn't use his allies against those that are trying to kill him and who end up raping his wife, he acts in typical Hollywood fashion as an idiot. The film would have been quite short if he would have done the right thing from the very beginning. But, alas, we would have no film so hence the stupidity from which we are tortured. The film has some great scenery and the acting is enjoyable except for the brutal rape scene of Roy's wife. Other than the scenery and acting, there's not much to see let alone giving cause to buying the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Tim Roth over the top
Review: Au contraire public assumption, an action epic is not relying on its hero, but its villains. Good guys depends on bad guys. Caton-Jones' Rob Roy presents one of the most refreshingly evil bad guys ever to appear on the silver screen; Tim Roth as the ruthless Archibald Cunningham, the hand and sword of the Scottish leader's worst enemies. Roth visualize evil as both an arrogant swashbuckler who rerely miss an opportunity to ridicule his clumsy opponents, as well in his immensly bad behaviour towards his mistress when she informs him of their pregnancy. True evil, and a comic relief in a film shadowed by hammy acting by its main character played by Liam Neeson. Credible performace by the handsome Jessica Lange, showing her age and beauty without make-up in the portrayal of Rob's strong and brave wife.
Rating:
Summary: Better than _Braveheart_
Review: 'I could not love thee (Deare) so much,
Lov'd I not Honour more.'
Honor is what this one is all about. When people say 'They don't make movies like that any more', _Rob Roy_ is the kind of movie they have in mind. There are good guys and bad guys; the good guys have honor and the bad guys don't; in the end, honor wins the day, but not without a costly fight.
More concretely: Robert Roy MacGregor, clan leader and cattle herdsman, has borrowed a substantial sum of money from the Marquess of Montrose; Archibald Cunningham, a young acquaintance of the Marquess, has plotted to steal it; the Marquess will take the clan's lands if the debt can't be repaid. The MacGregor is offered a (duplicitious) way out but refuses to compromise his honor.
If that sounds like every Western you've ever seen, that's not a coincidence; director Michael Caton-Jones deliberately approached this film as a Western set in the Scottish Highlands. The story is based on a historical figure who became legendary in eighteenth-century Scotland, but this screen treatment plays very fast and loose with the actual history.
Liam Neeson is imposing and magnificent as the MacGregor, and Jessica Lange is surprisingly effective as his wife Mary (despite some inconsistency of accent). John Hurt and Tim Roth are deliciously malevolent as the pair of effeminate Sassenachs who have it in for our Rob; a more lethal pair of fops has never been seen on the silver screen. The protean Brian Cox appears as the cowardly and treacherous Killearn. And music fans, watch for Karen Matheson, who makes a brief cameo as a singer. (Capercaillie performed much of the soundtrack; that beautiful voice you hear is Matheson's. And by the way, Carter Burwell's soaring score is as gorgeous as the Scottish scenery.)
I don't know anything about swordfighting, but the blade-to-blade stuff in this film is surely some of the best (in a dramatic sense) ever committed to film. All this swashbuckling beats the heck out of the usual Western gunfights.
Unfairly eclipsed by _Braveheart_ (which was released in the same year), _Rob Roy_ is to my tastes a much better movie. This is filmmaking in the grand style.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent tale of the Scottish folk hero
Review: This was a very underrated movie, it was released at the same time as Braveheart and just wasn't able to compete with the powerhouse. Comparisons are made between Rob Roy and Braveheart, which in ways are very different movies.
First off Braveheart was on a much bigger scale, dealing with large battles and matters involving the entire country. Rob Roy is smaller in scale, dealing with the main character, the clan he is dealing with, and the lord he is endebted to. Rob Roy also occupies a different time period. In Braveheart the clan lifestyle is still living strong, in Rob Roy it is on the decline as more clansman adapt to city life.
One of the most imporatant aspects of this movie is accuracy. Braveheart while a highly enjoyable movie, was also horridly inaccurate. William Wallace didn't sack york, there was no romance between him and the princess, he didn't win by defeating cavalry, and was only rumored that he was betrayed by a noble. Rob Roy follows the history of the man in question mixing it well with the legend.
The acting is top notch all over. Jessica Lang, Liam Neeson, Tim Roth, John Hurt, and Andrew Keir all give believable and passionate performances. Tim Roth shines as the devious Archibald Cunningham, a noble boy whose ridiculously fopish and decadent exterior hide his deadly predatory nature.
The action sequences though sparce, are well choreographed. The sword fights and chases are the ones that stand out. Tim Roth shows his competence with a blade in several sequences. While Liam Neeson gets to play out Rob Roy's legendary ability to escape and elude capture.
The storyline was close to perfect in its design. The main plot centered around Rob wanting to bring his clan and supporters out of poverty. So he seeks to borrow money from the Lord Montrose. But a man in the lords staff and the cunning Archibald come up with a plan and successfully rob him of this borrowed money. The lord of Montrose feels he is being cheated and orders the arrest of Rob Roy and the seizure of his lands. Rob escapes and must figure out what happened to the money and how to clear his name while being hunted as an outlaw.
This story is pretty close to what happened to the real Rob Roy. Some of the ideas they present are disputable, but they are the same facts disputed by historians.
All in all it is a well done and well balanced film. The dvd is a bit of a dissapointment, too grainy, but the strenght of the film more than makes up for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Braveheart directed by Bush.
Review: Thats means a moron directed this, get it, nevermind. You cant compare this to Braveheart(very few things can be, but this isnt even close, remotely). Braveheart is a true masterpiece, this is a poor attempt to make an action drama. Theres 2 fights in the whole movie, and the last one sucks because they do the same thing 20 times pause in between each one for a minute and then roy kills roth, the story is weak, and with an hour long exposition i found myself still wondering what is this about exactly. There is alot of stupid "humor" or innuedo and i swear we see everyone is this movie take a piss, theres lots of chick flick crap and a rape scene which is just unneccesary. Theres a reason Braveheart won 5 oscars and should of got more, notice this one got like one nomination that speaks for itself, probably Liam's worst movie, 0 out of a 10, you didnt honestly think this could be better then Braveheart did you?
Rating:
Summary: A movie with heart
Review:
So much of the movie depends upon the casting, and in the three pivotal roles, the actors are terrific. Liam Neeson is just the right man to play the hero - he has the physical stature and the presence to be Rob Roy MacGregor, a man who keeps his word and does his best to look after his family and clan. As his wife, and love of his life, Jessica Lange delivers a complex performance. It becomes one of her greatest screen roles - we first see her as a down-to-earth and practical woman (and very naughty with her husband), but when tragedy befalls her, she brings such dignity to the role of a woman who suffers silently in order to protect her husband and pushes aside her own pain to help him any way she can. And lastly, Tim Roth is the supreme villain. He doesn't really look it at first, with his wigs and his effeminate clothes and mannerisms. But he is lethal and callous, and doesn't think twice about raping or killing. He is one villain that you will wish dead almost from the first time you see him.
The movie is very emotional; you get caught up in it easily. Because the story takes place on such a personal level, between a simple, honorable man and the villains trying to squash him, it doesn't take long to get involved and feel deeply about what's going on. The love between Rob Roy and his wife is also beautiful to watch, as the movie first allows us only glimpses of its raunchier side and then shows us its depths when they are beset with tragedy; Neeson and Lange have great chemistry. And surprisingly enough, there are also moments of real humor - a funny line here and there - that catch you off-guard.
Rating:
Summary: What's not to like?
Review: A wonderful film overshadowed by "the other" kilt movie that came out that same year, Rob Roy is stuffed with action and romance and political intrigue. Brilliant performances by Liam, Jessica, and especially Tim Roth and a then unknown Brian McCardie. Brian gives a stunning debut performance as Rob's younger brother Alistair (who, though he didn't exist in real life, sure made for great cinema!). A great story that will have you weeping and pining for the highlands!
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