Plunkett and Macleane

Take Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or its TV western series counterpart, Alias Smith and Jones. Place the premise of either one in an 18th century English setting about the adventures of two gentlemen thieves, or highwaymen.

The result? Plunkett and Macleane, a film that proves to be a major underachievement. Too bad, because the movie features Robert Carlyle, the hero of The Full Monty. Coming on the heels of the cannibalism flick, Ravenous, Carlyle might consider being a bit more selective about his scripts.

Plunkett (Carlyle) and Macleane (Jonny Lee Miller) first meet in debtors’ prison. The two reunite in prison on the charge of grave robbing. They bribe their way out, turning to a life of crime by robbing the coaches of the wealthy. Not that either bloke is such a bad fellow, mind you. The rich prove to be thoroughly obnoxious, so they’ve got what’s coming to them.

Macleane is the advance man, hobnobbing with high society, while Plunkett lays back, waiting for an opportunity to rob them. The two plan to accumulate enough of a fortune to take them both to the New World.

A good plan it is, until Macleane falls in love with Rebecca (Liv Tyler), niece of the Lord Chief Justice (Michael Gambon). He orders both gents to be captured and hanged. The chase is on.

The movie proves to be an outlandish farce. The soundtrack employs an annoying disco theme. Disco music in 1750? The film’s dark, grainy appearance suggest the use of 40 watt bulbs for background light. And the modern dialogue is a total distraction. My suggestion is to skip the entire affair.