Plunkett and Macleane (1999) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com Member: Online Film Critics Society
"The wise man mocks the man, the mocked man mocks the mocker" Starring Johnny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Liv Tyler, Ken Stott, Alan Cumming. Rated R.
Plunkett & MaCleane is a period piece mired down by modern MTV pretentions. I have nothing against the MTV approach to filmmaking -- used properly it can save a movie (see Stigmata) -- but it ruins this one, making a muddled, incoherent mess out of a potentially interesting premise. There are certain genres that just don't go together. The film opens with a sequence that I still don't understand. It involves some sort of prison outbreak, a robbery, and a gem that keeps being eaten. In any case, the caper (whatever it may be) brings together Plunkett and MaCleane (Robert Carlyle and Johnny Lee Miller, respectively), two happy-go-lucky Brits with no way to make a living. They make a pact to steal money from the rich and give it to themselves until they earn enough money to buy a ticket to America. Their first heist involves a young debutante named Lady Rebecca (Liv Tyler); a woman Macleane was especially friendly with at a party just earlier. His decorum when stripping her of her valuables earns our two crooks the name "Gentleman Highwaymen."
Lady Rebecca also happens to be the niece of the Lord Chief Justice, a glaringly arrogant man nearing the end of his political career. He demands that the robbers be caught and punished immediately, leaving the job in the hands of the devious Chance (Ken Stott) who has a few more things on his mind than catching criminals. Meanwhile, Macleane falls in love with Rebecca infuriating the businesslike Plunkett, who doesn't want his plans to be foiled by his partner's mindless romantic travails.
Director Jake Scott, son of Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), has his father's knack for setting up atmospheric shots but none of his skill in actually moving the camera. Most of the action scenes are filmed in such a rapid, jerky way that it's impossible to comprehend what's going on. The camerawork is even more nauseating than in the purposefully dizzying The Blair Witch Project due to its lack of fluidity. Instead of utilizing panning shots to impress upon us the scope of the events Scott uses attention-deficit-disorder edits. He barely ever holds a shot for more than ten seconds and during the faster scenes it seems more like a couple frames between each cut.
The weird, almost defiant lack of dialogue (there are no -- NO -- conversations lasting over, say, 20 seconds) undermines character definition and our two protagonists come off as ciphers rather than characters. The love affair between MaCleane and Rebecca is no different, emotionless and unrealistic. When the script calls for Macleane to decide between going to America and going to meet his lover, there is no reason for us to believe it would be worth it for him to abandon his goal; he and Rebecca barely even speak to each other throughout the film.
Plunkett and MaCleane wants desperately to be a triumph of style over substance but since its style, quite frankly, blows, the film has no hope of succeeding on any level. I wanted to appreciate this movie on the basis of its admittedly kinetic pace but I couldn't -- it was so kinetic it gave me a headache.
Grade: D+
©1999 Eugene Novikov
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