Rating: 
Summary: A good yarn.
Review: Well, I must say this is a slight improvement over Braveheart, thanks largely to Neeson's and Lange's performances. It also helped building the story around Sir Walter Scott's historical novel, so that one can't hold the movie to actual events. Scotland has gained a lot of attention as of late, having finally achieved "Home Rule," a battle that took nearly 300 years and included so many mischievous turns that it would comprise a great story in itself. But, it seems Hollywood's interest is mostly with the stuff of legend. Rob Roy McGregor has been more successfully ferreted out by other writers, including W. H. Murray, but this movie is mostly about entertainment value, and in that it succeeds.
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: Good swordfighting makes up for predictable story
Review: Great cinematography, excellently coreographed fight scenes, and lots of action, and Tim Roth's enjoyably evil villain --- this should give the movie viewer plenty to savor. It is a good thing too, because we have only seen this plot (honorable hero is falsely accused, only to avenge his honor & triumph over injustice in the end) about a million times before. If you are looking for historical accuracy, forget it. The only recent film that is more unbelievable regarding the firearms is "The Last of the Mohicans." And yes, there were three men living in Scotland in 1713 named Robert Roy MacGregor, James Graham, and John Campbell, but there the similarity ends. In fact, both the 2nd Duke of Argyll & the 4th Marquess (not MARQUIS folks --- that is a French title!) of Montrose were only in their early 30's and were not the weathered old coots portrayed in the film. In fact Rob Roy was several years older than either of them, and also, the Marquess wasn't even a Marquess --- he had been a Duke for 6 years. I don't quite understand why the movie took such liberties. None of this will matter for most people. Men in kilts! Stinky rotting cattle carcasses! Dazzling swordfights! Just turn that brain off and enjoy the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent performances throughout
Review: This is an exceptional movie, with super performances from all the players. The image is sadly rather grainy but this should not detract too much from the pleasure of watching this terrific tale, which remains 5-Star quality. The Scottish accents and use of authentic words of the period ("my factor will call on your factor") can be difficult to decipher in places; some might want to use the DVD subtitle facilities (and I'm not joking).
Rating:
Summary: great movie bad dvd
Review: This is a great movie but bad dvd, at least the one I have has some really bad picture quality the review of this disk gives the picture a 5 star rateing either the guy who reviewd it is blind or he has a differant version because mine had a horrible picture.
Rating:
Summary: the DVD is very grainy
Review: I like the movie allot, but this has to be the grainiest DVD I have ever seen. This movie deserved a better DVD transfer.
Rating:
Summary: Scotland's Robin Hood in rustic, lyrical tones.
Review: Popular heroes make for great movies - this adage has held true since the days of Douglas Fairbanks's "Mark of Zorro" (1920) and "Robin Hood" (1922), and Errol Flynn's representation of the legendary Robin of Locksley 16 years later ("The Adventures of Robin Hood," 1938), and it has been reinforced again and again throughout the years. And whenever we go to see yet another screen version of the life of such a hero, regardless whether based on historic fact or popular lore, we carry certain almost instinctive expectations: the hero is to be honorable and his true love virtuous, there is to be a truly evil villain, and an abundance of sword play and other action. "Rob Roy" delivers on all of these counts; yet, it manages to be much more than a colorful costume piece with a storyline in black and white, and it differs considerably from the type of movie coined ever since the adventures of history's great heroes were first brought to the silver screen. To begin with, Liam Neeson, in the title role, is not the slim, agile hero with lightning-quick, supple movements we have come to expect after having seen leading men such as Fairbanks, Flynn, Robert Taylor ("Ivanhoe," 1952) - and, for that matter, Richard Todd, who portrayed Robert Roy McGregor in the 1953 movie version of this story, after having played the lead in Disney's version of "Robin Hood" a year earlier. No: here, the part of the dazzling and deadly fencing champion goes to Tim Roth, who has the calculating, conceited, blonde-wigged henchman Archibald Cunningham down to absolute perfection - you just love to hate him; yet, he never becomes the embodiment of an ueber villain, and it is his utter fallibility as a human being which makes him all the more evil and despicable. The face-offs between Roth and Neeson (particularly their final duel) almost have something of an inverse David vs. Goliath feeling; making Neeson's much taller McGregor look occasionally more than just a bit disadvantaged vis-a-vis the cat-like Cunningham. Here is a hero whose greatest asset, in fencing as in other encounters with an enemy, is not his speed but his intelligence, his strength, and most of all, his undying tenacity. Similarly, the love story between McGregor and wife Mary (Jessica Lange) is not one between two young lovers: the movie finds the couple well-settled into their marriage with several young sons. Yet, they are deeply in love, a feeling which is only reinforced by the trials and tribulations they have to overcome. The portrayal of proud Mary McGregor, unbending even in utter disgrace, is one of Jessica Lange's strongest performances careerwide, a match to Neeson's McGregor in acting skill as much as in tone, emotion and courage. And filming on location in Scotland brought an authenticity to the movie which even the best cinematography - and "Rob Roy" had excellent cinematographers in Karl Walter Lindenlaub and Roger Deakins - and costume design (Sandy Powell) alone could not have achieved. Musically, the Scottish highlands' rugged, windswept mountains and cliffs, deep lochs, and endless grey skies are matched perfectly by Carter Burwell's score and Karen Matheson's mournful ceilidhs. Strong supporting performances by John Hurt (Montrose), Andrew Keir (Argyll), Brian Cox (Killearn) and Eric Stoltz (MacDonald) round out an altogether remarkable production. The movie takes poetic license with a number of key details; for example, the disappearance of the 1000 pounds lent to McGregor by the Marquis of Montrose (in essence, a historic fact; McGregor and the Marquis had dealt with each other in this way several times before) was probably due to the fact that McGregor's agent really did abscond with the money; not due to Killearn's and Cunningham's scheming. But the major elements of McGregor's personal story, as well as the story's historical framework are represented truthfully, taking us back into a Scotland caught between English rule, Jacobites (Scottish loyalists supporting the Stewarts' claim to the throne, like the McGregors and the Duke of Argyll) and rivaling feudal lords. And Liam Neeson, director Michael Caton-Jones and script writer Alan Sharp do an excellent job in portraying the implications of Robert McGregor's personal sense of honor, which not only required him to keep his word once it was given, be it as part of a contract or otherwise, but also forbade him to bear false witness, even at great peril to himself and his family. Because the loss of the money borrowed from Montrose meant much more to the McGregors than a business deal gone bad: as Robert had given his land as security for the money, in 18th century feudal Scotland the loss of the land not only entailed the loss of the family's economic but also that of their tenuous personal freedom, forcing them right back into the outlaw life which their clan had known only too well throughout centuries of rivalry with a powerful clan aligned with the English kings. 1995 was not only the year when Hollywood discovered Scotland's popular heroes - this movie and "Braveheart" were released in the same year, much to "Rob Roy"'s undeserved disadvantage - it was a year of extremely strong movies overall. Between the in-your-face (or rather, in-your-gut) portrayal of Scotland's 13th century hero William Wallace on the one hand and such stunners as "The Usual Suspects," "Dead Man Walking," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Sense and Sensibility" and "Casino" on the other hand, and despite all critical acclaim, "Rob Roy" was not even nominated in most Oscar categories and other awards. Yet, this rustic, lyrical version of the story of Scotland's Robin Hood (like the outlaw of Sherwood Forest, McGregor hit Montrose where he knew he would hurt him most, by going after his money) has found an undying fan base over the course of the years. I hope it will continue to grow even stronger as the years go by.
Rating:
Summary: Braveheart it ain't....right...now you're interested!
Review: Utterly fantastic, sombre, sober and honest (if not actually accurate) account on film of a Scottish Legend. In fact all the things that 'Braveheart' is not. The sword play, spectacular as it is, is as nothing to the word play..."He cannot tell the difference between 'Arse' and 'Quiny'"..."Aye my Lord, I understand a great many Englishmen suffer that complaint". Jessica Lange is perfect, well I fell in love anyway, and the whole cast are terrific particularly Tim Roth who is 'Villain' personified. The one member though who really gets you involved is the incompetent, distrustful and snide, piece of walking ineptitude that is Will Guthrie (Gilbert Martin...excellent). I wanted to strangle him...I wanted to see him strangled...and when he at last caused the garrison of the Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt...course he's good...tut) led by 'Villainy' himself to spy our rag-tag heroes and charge them on a pagan hillside...causing mayhem where less stupid men die...well I tell you...if he hadn't have got it in that scene there would be no chance of me getting any peace ever again. Thankfully he did get it...in the back!!...satisfying?...Well what do you think. That's a measure of my involvement in this film. Whereas with Braveheart (as a matter of Fact, with Gladiator too) all I really remember is a love story followed by a lingering death. He fights a battle painted an unlikely colour and at the end he takes an age to die...with Rob Roy I remember a love affair within a marriage...but more than this I remember intrigue...duplicitousness...dialogue (Can't remember a word of BH unless you count the 'Freedom' blue faced bit), and I remember the action in Rob Roy. With Baveheart all I remember is that there IS a battle scene...I cannot remember any small detail of it (can you?), and yet this is the films entire Raison d' être.
I think it impossible not to compare the two and I shall end with the fairest comparison to decide the winner. Quite apart from the fact that Liam Neeson is at least a man you might follow into battle, (hands up all those who would entrust their lives to Gibson...well there's always one isn't there). In both films the love interest is wronged and used to hurt and provoke our brave heroes, the difference is that 'Braveheart' needed this injustice to explain itself, its cinematic existence, to its audience.....'Rob Roy' did not.
Rating:
Summary: A good movie ' but it's just a story, not history
Review: Rob Roy McGregor actually lived, an eighteenth-century Scottish clan chief who followed the traditional life of such men - leading his people, raising cattle, rustling other clans' cattle, engaging in feuds, killing his enemies, and so on. Historical novelisation has romanticised him and his activities, and this film continues the process.
It's a good movie: strong and noble-spirited leads, goodies struggling against the odds and the system, evil baddies, fights, sex, a climactic duel, and ultimate victory for the goodies, all against gorgeous Scottish scenery, what more could one want? But it's not a history lesson. And this is where so many reviewers have gone wrong. The film's makers missed the chance to show the background political context that makes sense of so much of what went on at the time.
And as a Scotsman I would add that while Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange turned in good performances, their 'Scottish' accents were only slightly less cringe-making than that of Engineer Scott from 'Star Trek'.
Rating:
Summary: A grand but intimate film with heart. Very nicely done
Review: Okay, here we go with another praise filled review. What can I say? This thing is worth it. It could be that I like things set in Ireland and Scotland. That's part of it I'm sure. The photography of the Scottish Highlands that we are treated to in this film is so dramatic and lush and beautiful that it made me wish I light RIGHT in that spot. Also the music score that we are given in this movie by Carter Burwell strikes the perfect balance between small-scale tenderness and intimacy and grand epic adventure and heroics. One of the most moving things for me in this film to see and hear is the scene where the Cellidh singer (Capercaillie lead vocalist Karen Matheson) treats the clan to a beautiful love song in Scots Gaelic. This song had me weeping, particularly when the campfire song scene is intercut with a dramatic scene of "foul play" in progress. You'll understand what I mean by this when you see the film. Comparisons to BRAVEHEART are inevitable for this film since both of these films came out in 1995. I will be bold he and say that I think this film is every bit as good as BraveHeart if not better in its own right. My reasoning for this is that ROB ROY took all of the drama and passion of BRAVEHEART and made it more intimate by focusing on one man, his family, and his clan, rather than showing the upheaval and revolt of an entire country. For me that made Rob Roy more engaging, and more personal somehow. A big thing in this film is the definition of honor and what lengths a person is willing to go to to protect theirs and that of their family. It is a telling moment that Rob at one point refuses to slander the Duke Of Argyle simply to have his debt forgiven by the Marquis of Montrose. We also get wonderful glimpses of Rob as a doting and devoted father to his sons and a tender, loving faithful husband to his wife.
This brings up another point for me. There are love scenes in here that to me are some of the best in the history of cinema. Why, you ask? Because they are short, but also they feature loving dialogue between husband and wife that, while playful is also tender and poetic. You hear their love for each other in their voices and see it in their eyes. Also the coupling is done with taste. You don't see everything hanging out in plain view but you know what they're doing anyway. You don't NEED to see fully exposed bodies and witness every move and twitch during an hour-long romp in the sack as so many movies are wont to make you watch nowadays. Their union seems more lik a genuine way of showing their love rather them them saying to each other "Hey, babe, let's jump under the covers because I've got a powerful itch to scratch." Anyway I digress. More things I love: The acting here is great. Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange shine here. They really pull off the roles of a man willing to die for his honor, his family, and what he loves and believes in, paired with a simple but kind and goodhearted woman with steel in her spine. I'd love a wife like Mary if I had one. Loyal, tender, and strong. You can't ask for more in a mate. On the other side we have the dastardly and somewhat effeminate jerk Archbald Cunningham (Tim Roth), his conniving buddy Killearn (Brian Cox, also in Braveheart as William's old uncle), and the king of slimeballs, the Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt). These men balance Rob perfectly as a trio of malcontents that care nothing for anything but their own pleausure, wealth, power and social status. One final feature of note for me is the excellent sword fights in the film. Not as flashy as the fights in the two newest Star Wars movies but very gritty and lethal and every bit as brutal and engaging. The final showdown where Rob Roy MacGregor and Archibald Cunningham cross blades is gripping and a classic fight sequence. In short I will try to recap. All in all this is a great film with first rate acting, script, scenery, music and overall appeal. It is not a "poor man's BRAVEHEART" but rather it is a more personal and intimate version of BRAVEHEART in a very real sense. It is a film that grabs you by the throat, drags you into the story, and doesn't let go until the film ends. A grand piece of entertainment. Sit back and enjoy it. I certainly did, I hope you can too. Peace. God bless you.
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