Usually, I like silly movies. "Plunkett & Macleane", however, is beyond silly; it falls into the range of absurd. The movie portrays two rogues (Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle) stealing from the rich and keeping the spoils until one falls for an aristocrat woman (Liv Tyler),throwing their plans into flux. I guess that maybe I'm not being fair to Carlyle (and to the UK film industry in general): after a film as great as "The Full Monty", I expect very high quality from Carlyle, and we can't always guarantee the best.

Still, I will say that if you seek a purely entertaining flick, you might want to check this one out. While never reaching a laugh-out-loud level, it does elicit some humor. The main issue is that I've seen much better movies (especially from England),and so I would never recommend this one above most others. OK in a pinch, if there's nothing else to see.

Plunkett & Macleane is the debut movie of Jake Scott {son of Ridley}. It stars Robert Carlyle {Plunkett}, Jonny Lee Miller {Macleane}, Liv Tyler, Ken Stott, Michael Gambon & Alan Cumming. The thinly written story concerns our two Highwaymen protagonists who although at different ends of the social spectrum, team up to rob the rich, and that's it! It's a odd film in many ways, with Scott and his team trying to keep an old fashioned value whilst giving it a modern day MTV make over. The result of which is a choppy picture that none the less is just about fun enough for the undemanding viewer.

The piece had a number of producers involved in it, one of whom was Gary Oldman, so it's probably no surprise that it feels that it's been cut, re-shot and tampered with. There's no discernible flow to the movie, in fact it actually could be classed as one long MTV video. Crash follows wallop as techno modern beats blend uneasily with dandy dalliances. It's testament to Carlyle & Miller that they manage to rise above it and generate a believable bond that holds court and stops the viewers from pondering about the weak excuse of a plot on offer. There's also enough good to be had in the comedy moments and one or two of the set-pieces. Notably in the smoke bombed finale. In support, Ken Stott, a fine television actor, does a nice line in malicious, weasel villainy, and Alan Cumming is a pure delight as the camp swinger of all ways, Lord Rochester. Gambon isn't given much to do, while Tyler is effectively asked to look pretty and fill out her period costume to the max.

It's full of spirit and it has some nice technical touches, but it remains an awkward film that is quickly forgotten once the ringing in your ears has stopped. 5/10

This was marketed as " A historical action comedy featuring highwaymen " so right away the production team are painting themselves in to a corner by trying to make a film that dares to be a little bit different but at the same time if they don't pull it off then they're going to end up risking a movie that is going to be a big bad mess

Right away when the opening credits have finished we're shown the visual style of director Jake Scott the son of Ridley and whatever skills Riley Scott has it doesn't seem to be running in the family . Scott Jnr has a footing in musical videos and his use of very quick editing gave me the impression I was watching a film by Michael Bay . Very soon I was expecting something to turn in to a giant robot or some American pretty boy scream " Get me in to a god damn stagecoach " . I don't know if it's because I watched this movie on television but half the time when an action sequence happened the elliptical editing meant it was difficult to make out what was happening , but before long I stopped caring what was happening on screen

When this was released in 1999 Robert Carlyle was just about the coolest actor in Britain as well as one of the most prolific . The problem was at this stage he was concentrating on quantity rather quality and his performance as a southern geezer is rather dreadful with his mockney accent which is even more annoying than David Tennant's one in DOCTOR WHO . Note to directors - stop hiring Scottish actors playing Londoners . Oh and if you're hiring directors to make historical action adventures make sure you get the right one with a surname of Scott