Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 2 ratings
In the highlands of Scotland in the 1700s, Rob Roy tries to lead his small town to a better future, by borrowing money from the local nobility to buy cattle to herd to market. When the money is stolen, Rob is forced into a Robin Hood lifestyle to defend his family and honour.
Rob Roy is a handsome, well-crafted historical adventure elevated chiefly by its performances — Tim Roth's Archibald Cunningham is one of the great screen villains of the 1990s, earning a genuine acting standout, while the Scottish Highlands are photographed with real grandeur. The plot, however, is a fairly conventional honour-and-revenge narrative that hits predictable beats, and the film doesn't break new ground within the historical swashbuckler genre it inhabits. The climactic duel is thrilling but the resolution follows a satisfying if unsurprising arc. Solid, rousing entertainment rather than a singular work.