Plunkett & Macleane caught me by surprise. The trailer opened with typical period drama pretentiousness before turning into a punkish, rebellious wild ride. When I went to see it at the cinema (during its extremely limited theatrical run) I hadn't even planned on it that day. I just turned up in time and decided to take a chance. A wise choice indeed, as I was in a bad mood that day and this movie really cheered me up.

It's London, it's 1748, Robert Carlisle and Johnny Lee Miller play the titular highwaymen from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Will Plunkett brings the highway know-how while Captain James Macleane makes the connections to high society. Lord Gibson takes personal offence to their antics after being robbed, but her Niece Lady Rebecca (the lovely Liv Tyler) falls in love with Macleane, and his unusual gentlemanly ways. Ken Stott plays the truly vile Chance, the police inspector determined to see the men hang at any cost, and one of the nastiest villains in recent film history.

Jake Scott (son of Ridley, nephew of Tony) directs with a style that fuses Gothic tones with post-modernism. This is no Pride and Prejudice. Plunkett & Macleane is glam rock on acid while retaining all of the usual gritty, earthy production designs of previous Ridley/Tony films. Amazingly, Jake Scott would not direct another film until 11 years after this got released.

There is a strange rumor persistent on the Internet that Plunkett & Macleane (inspired by true story, don't you know) began life as a completely different film. I recall seeing production stills in magazines in 1996 (three years before its release), and there have been suggestions that it was originally called 'The Lady Highwayman' with Liv Tyler as the lead and Carlisle and Miller merely as supporting characters. The original screenplay by Selwyn Roberts apparently featured bizarre mathematical subtext before being heavily re-written by Bond-scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. I'm not sure if any of the original material made it into the final, 99-minute, cut of the film.

A score by Trevor Jones was also apparently rejected in favor of Craig Armstrong. While I have no idea what Jones may or may not have recorded for this film, there is no doubt that Armstrong's work is utterly amazing, probably his career best.

Plunkett & Macleane seems to have fallen into obscurity since its release. Don't let it pass you by though, it's loads of fun and deserved a wider audience.

Jake Scott's bizarre late nineties historical folly was much derided and ignored at the time and despite some elements of it dating quite fiercely it maintains a characterful tenacity that I really took to. The biggest draw is the cast, Lee Miller and Carlyle are a great double act and brimming with post-Trainspotting intensity. The magnificent Ken Stott in fantastically creepy form as the odious General Chance and even Liv Tyler's love interest gets a chunk of things to do. Alan Cumming's glorious Rochester is the absolute core of the film for me. There's a lot of grotty historical detail (mashed in with the Ibiza-tinged soundtrack) and a weirdly large amount of British comedians hiding in the background. A very young Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas and even Armstrong & Miller as strangely anachronistic dandies. There's a lot to like here, the very definition of a cult film.

Plunkett and Macleane is a wonderful updating of the swashbuckling tradition, predating Johny Depp and his pirate friends. The tone is lighthearted, with a touch of social commentary, but nothing too heavy. One could almost see Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in this.

It starts out in low gear, with the introduction of the characters and the establishing of the themes of social inequality and rebellion; but, it kicks into high gear once the boys hit the highways. The robberies are grand and stylish, with romantic touches that are the bread and butter of swashbucklers. The actors are engaging and help elevate the material a bit, which is fairly hollow. There's not much depth to the figures, but they are played with such charm and skill that it doesn't matter.

Muh has been said about the modern music. Period music tended to the more serene, which seems out of place. A classical score with Celtic rhythms for the action pieces could work, but the more modern, rebellious rock and techno music seemed to add an edge to the action. Since the characters are more legend than reality, accuracy in the music seems pointless. The pieces tend to fit the mood of the aired scenes, so it mostly works well. I just wonder how they missed Adam Ant's "Stand and Deliver." Make no mistake, this is not a serious film. It's pure escapism and a wonderful lark. Tony Scott shows some of the visual flair of his father, but I don't think we are going to see many Oscar nods in his career just yet. He seems to understand the material here and pulls off a fine film. With time he may prove to be a name to reckon with. His father took a while to mature beyond visual stylization and become a more rounded director. This is definitely one to watch for an entertaining evening or for a swashbuckling film fest.