Excellent but underrated film

Don't listen to the negative reviews

best movie i've ever seen.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This film is often compared to "Braveheart" because both talk about Scottish heroes. But all the similarities stop there. They portray distinct historical periods. However, this film isn't the true portrait of Rob Roy's life. It totally ignores, for example, Rob Roy's participation in the Scottish Jacobite uprisings and the Battle of Glen Shiel (1719), to focus on the personal conflict between him and the Marquis of Montrose. The film also ignores that it was Rob Roy's popularity among the Scots that truly saved him, forcing King George I to grant him royal pardon. So we can say that this film is partly fiction.Liam Neeson gives life to the main character and does it in a convincing and enjoyable way. His Rob Roy is a thoughtful and intelligent man, who balances courage and good sense, knowing when and why to fight. This makes the character into someone nice to the public, especially when we realize that he is being cheated and fighting for his family and his honor. Tim Roth is the great villain, Cunningham, a penniless lower-ranking aristocrat with effeminate manners (its normal at the time in the nobles of the royal courts). Cunningham is full of wickedness, perfidy and disdain for those around him, showing that nobility of blood doesn't necessarily give us nobility of character. Lord Montrose is brilliantly played by John Hurt and Jessica Lange shone in the role of the honorable Mrs. MacGregor. Some characters feature a loaded Scottish accent that sometimes fails and turns out to be false, but that is a forgivable mistake. Apart from the positive work of the cast, we can still admire the good use of the film locations with beautiful Scottish landscapes. Cinematography is regular and satisfying. The costumes and scenarios are very good and historically accurate. The final product is a good historical context film, with no dead moments or flagrant anachronisms.

It's 1718 in the Scottish highlands. Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson) is a honorable man who tries to lead his village and extended family. The society is changing as honor loses its meaning. He borrows money from Lord Montrose (John Hurt) to buy cattle, but his man McDonald (Eric Stoltz) is ambushed by Montrose's evil henchman Cunningham (Tim Roth) with the help of scheming Killearn (Brian Cox). Cunningham has debts to pay. Rob Roy is given all the blame as McDonald is assumed to have run away with the money to America. Montrose offers consideration if Roy Roy bares false witness against Duke Argyll. He refuses and Montrose hunts him down. He must battle to keep his honor, avenge his wife Mary (Jessica Lange) and save his people.The legendary Rob Roy is brought to the big screen. I don't really care about accuracy. It's simply a great epic about honor, love, and family. Liam Neeson is dripping with stoic goodness. Jessica Lange is nobility and dignity. Tim Roth is wonderfully villainous in his controversial performance. All of it leads to one of the most compelling duel ever seen on film. The meaning and its effects goes beyond a simple action scene.

"Rob Roy" came out in 1995 with a couple other heroic swordplay films: "Braveheart" and "First Knight." I rank "Rob Roy" on a par with "Braveheart," even though the two films shouldn't really be compared since "Rob Roy" focuses on the conflict of individuals in Old Scotland and "Braveheart" focuses more on whole armies battling.WHAT WORKS: First of all, the location cinematography of the Scottish Highlands is breathtaking (far better than "Braveheart"). Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange are fine in their parts as Rob Roy and his wife. The sword-fighting (between individuals) is perhaps the best ever in cinematic history. The film also possesses a completely realistic vibe -- no anachronisms or campy humor here; the pic really helps one realize what life was like in rural Scotland 300 years ago.What works best, to my mind, is Tim Roth's outstanding performance as Rob Roy's foppish-but-deadly nemesis. This is truly a villain you love to loathe. The Roth character (I forget his name) is so over-the-top foppish that he appears effeminate; but this is only a disguise as he's actually a ruthless master swordsman. Surely this is one of film's top villains ever! (It doesn't sound right to say "good villain," does it?).WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The story itself doesn't have a lot of drive from beginning to end (unlike, say, "Last of the Mohicans" [1992]). One's attention may wander at points. Of course this may not be an entirely bad thing in light of the schizophrenic editing of many films post-"Armageddon." (In other words, the leisurely pace can be refreshing).WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK FOR SOME PEOPLE: There are aspects of extreme sexual brutality (a rape scene) and vulgarity (a man shoves his fingers up a woman's nightgown); as well as overt love-making -- definitely material not appropriate for children. There are also overt scenes of, believe it or not, urination; many may regard this as needless, but (for me) it helped drive home the point of what every-day life was like back then (e.g. Where do you pee if you're living in a shack out in the hills? Or, in the middle of the night, if there's no upstairs bathroom?).The story's lack of drive prevents "Rob Roy" from attaining true greatness in my mind, but the positive aspects noted above definitely achieve greatness. Certainly worthy of one's DVD library.GRADE: B

Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I watched this film cuddled up with my wife, I had no idea of the plot, although I had heard vaguely about Rob Roy the great Scottish hero.The film never pretends to be an epic, and there are some beautiful performances by the actors. Liam Neeson in the lead and Jessica Lange, who looked stunning despite her bedraggled attire. Also Tim Roth is a thoroughly believable nasty piece of work.I don't know how true the story line keeps to the historical context, films like Braveheart where the French Princess was actually only 4 years old when Wallace invaded England, had plenty of made up stuff in it.However as a film this is really enjoyable, one for a romantic night in, with some excellent acting.