Rob Roy (1995)

Rating: B-

Dir: Michael Caton-Jones
Star: Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, Brian Cox

“History made him a hero”…and Hollywood made him Irish. Maybe it’s revenge for Revolution (made by Brits, with a German leading lady); directed by an Englishman and also starring an American actress. Nationalism apart, it’s stirring stuff, with few dodgy accents — Roth’s plummy English is the worst on offer — and Neeson is a fine kilted Celt, struggling against the machinations of Roth and Cox. Despite wobbly moments (too many sheepshagging jokes), overall it confirms what we know as true: Scotsmen are all heroes, Englishmen are all scum — even when the Scots are actually American!