Movie · 1995 · Adventure, History, Drama, Action, War · 2h 19m · R · English
Curator score: 4.0/10 (66.6K ratings)
Honor made him a man. Courage made him a hero. History made him a legend.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.0/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.40/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 55
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Michael Caton-Jones
Production
United Artists, Talisman Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast
Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Brian Cox, Jason Flemyng, Andrew Keir, Shirley Henderson, Brian McCardie, Gilbert Martin, Vicki Masson, Gilly Gilchrist, Ewan Stewart, David Hayman, David Brooks Palmer, Myra McFadyen, John Murtagh, Karen Matheson, Bill Gardiner
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sturdy, old-school historical adventure with strong performances, especially from Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, and a memorably vicious Tim Roth. It’s more stately and talky than flashy, but the honor-code drama, Scottish setting, and climactic duel give it real pull.
Best for
viewers who like prestige historical dramas with swordplay
fans of Liam Neeson’s stoic action-hero persona
people who prefer grounded, character-driven period pieces over spectacle
audiences who enjoy villain-heavy stories with a strong moral center
Skip if
you want nonstop action or modern pacing
you’re allergic to earnest, old-fashioned dialogue
you need a highly accurate or politically nuanced historical account
you disliked similar 90s costume epics
Overview
Rob Roy is a handsome, serious-minded Highland adventure that leans on character, atmosphere, and moral conflict more than battlefield spectacle. It has the sweep of a classic studio period piece, with windswept landscapes, courtly intrigue, and a clear sense of class resentment driving the story forward.
Worth noting
Liam Neeson is perfectly cast as the upright, physically imposing title character, but the movie’s secret weapon is Tim Roth, who turns the antagonist into a gleefully contemptible menace. Jessica Lange and John Hurt add prestige and texture, even when the film’s pacing gets a little heavy with exposition.
Bottom line
It arrived in the shadow of a much louder Scottish epic, which probably hurt its reputation, but this one has its own appeal: less mythic bombast, more bruised dignity. If you like your historical dramas with honor, betrayal, and a final duel that really lands, it’s worth the ride.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sarah Jane 🔪 (4★) · 179 likes
This film had the misfortune of coming out right around the same time as that other film about a Scottish hero that need not be named. I feel this is the superior film.
Everyone gives a fine performance and I'll forgive some dodgy accents from Lange and Stoltz. Although both Brian Cox and John Hurt are both pretty nasty fellows, Tim Roth takes the scone as one of the most vile characters ever to grace the screen.
Yes, the film… more
Daniel Erenberg (3★) · 171 likes
He’s got a very particular set of kilts.
Xfaxe (2.5★) · 128 likes
Not even Liam Neeson could save it!
Best supporting actor nominations ranked
19oldboy91 (3.5★) · 100 likes
English Version below🟠🟢🔵
Ah, da haben wir ihn und nicht weniger den Abschluss jahrzehntelanger Vorbereitungen, Wartens im Unwissen um das darin beinhaltenden Wartens, des gesetzten imaginären Hackens mit dem Streichen der Imagination durch diese weißen Zeilen auf schwarzen Untergrund.
Beginnen wir im Beginn des „es war einmal ein kleiner Simon“ und setzten gleichermaßen wie müssend den 94er „Nell“ hinten wie vorne und streichen sämtliche im selben Jahr geborenen Nells und danach das Licht der Welt erblickenden Nells mit meiner Frage… more
chavel (3★) · 62 likes
Rob Roy, with Liam Neeson as He-Man in a kilt, is a respectable 18th century Scotland epic of lords versus peasants that has lots of cumbersome exposition. But it’s such a classy adventure with finely tuned classicist dialogue that it is hard not to fall under its languorous spell. A money loan is fleeced that belongs to Neeson, his wife Jessica Lange, and a number of clan members from his lowly community. Neeson will argue for fairness, then fight for… more Rob Roy, with Liam Neeson as He-Man in a kilt, is a respectable 18th century Scotland epic of lords versus peasants that has lots of cumbersome exposition. But it’s such a classy adventure with finely tuned classicist dialogue that it is hard not to fall under its languorous spell. A money loan is fleeced that belongs to Neeson, his wife Jessica Lange, and a number of clan members from his lowly community. Neeson will argue for fairness, then fight for… more
2000 · Action, Drama, Adventure · 2h 35m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (3.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Kanopy, AMC, Philo
A similarly direct tale of betrayal, vengeance, and moral resolve in a grand historical setting.