Plunkett & MacLeane
D: Jake Scott (1999); with Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Liv Tyler, Alan Cumming, Iain Robertson, Ken Stott, Claire Rushbrook. This uneven period piece marks the big-screen debut of director Scott (son of the sometimes brilliant Ridley Scott), whose only other directorial credit is the short-lived television series The Hunger. Reuniting Carlyle (who charmed the world in The Full Monty) with Miller (they previously appeared together in Trainspotting), the film is a somewhat disjointed affair that, nonetheless, can be a pleasure to watch. With spectacular art direction and some dazzling effects, the camerawork can be dizzying as well as captivating. Scott interjects certain modern elements that have a jarring effect in this period piece. In addition to a deplorable title (the name sounds too much like Tango & Cash or Turner & Hooch), this tale of an ill-matched pair of 18th-century British highwaymen, as lush and romantic as it is, leaves something to be desired. With elements of Robin Hood, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as Batman, it is an ambitious undertaking. The leads seem to do their best, but the story rapidly becomes preposterous, and you often find yourself wondering if you missed something. Then there’s Liv Tyler. What can we say about Liv? That she’s very good for her age? That someday she may be a fine actress? The truth of the matter is that except for her lineage (such as it is), she is only one of the flood of lovely and somewhat inept starlets that have had a brief moment of attention lately. Always a pleasure to look at, she would do well to introduce a new facial expression (or two) into her repertoire. Cumming, who won the Tony for his portrayal of the emcee in Cabaret, is flamboyantly superb as Lord Rochester. Rushbrook has a gem of a role as the wealthy and syphilitic Lady Estelle, and Stott is despicable as the sadistic chief of police. The film was shot in Prague, Spain, and London, and the locations serve the film perfectly, but the synth-pop music is at odds with the period, and even though it occasionally adds excitement, it’s also distracting. Overall, not a bad debut, and a hint of the surprises Scott has in store for us.This article appears in November 24 • 2000.