7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric StoltzHistory | 100% |
War | 99% |
Period | 47% |
Biography | 29% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
German: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Japanese: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Castilian Spanish DTS and Latin American Spanish Dolby Digital. Japanese only via Japanese menus.
English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ah, 1995—the year that two Scottish folk heroes ambled wide-legged onto the silver screen, utterly unencumbered by pants. Of course, I’m talking about Braveheart’s William Wallace and the titular Rob Roy, who jointly inspired the most ridiculous and regrettable fashion statement of last 50 years: the Utilikilt, that modern-day man-skirt whose motto may as well be, “You can take away our land, but you can never take away our freedom…to wear Men’s Unbifurcated Garments!” Not all kilt flicks, however, are regarded equally, especially not these two. While Braveheart went on to win five Academy Awards and linger in the public consciousness as the film most likely to make grown-ass men choke back hot wet tears, Rob Roy faded into relative obscurity, consigned to be remembered only as that other Scottish highland epic from the mid-1990s. Which is somewhat unfair. Although Rob Roy lacks the sweep and pomp and sheer length of Mel Gibson’s tartan opus, it certainly has its merits as a sword ‘n’ skirt movie.
Rob Roy
Don't be concerned when you boot up this disc and are confronted with a static menu image that's smeary, oversharpened, and heavily photoshopped; the movie itself, graced with a solid 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, looks quite natural and filmic, with no signs of excess DNR or unnecessary edge enhancement. (Okay, maybe a few signs of slight edge enhancement.) While Rob Roy hasn't been fully restored—white flecks occasionally smatter the print—the film looks wonderful in high definition, especially when it lingers on the craggy verdant hills of the Scottish highlands. Greens are especially lush here and give some vividness to an otherwise intentionally dreary—but dense—palette of neutrals. (Tim Roth's flamboyant outfits also break up the drab 18th century monotony.) Black levels can get a bit hazy during darker scenes, but there's no rampant crushing of shadow detail at least, and contrast during the daylight sequences is more than adequately punchy. Although clarity varies somewhat—you'll spot some scenes that look softer than others—overall, there's an appreciable amount of fine detail, most notably in the actors' faces and the textures of the rustic costuming. Finally, placed on a roomy, 50 GB dual-layer disc, there's no evidence of harsh over-compression. Fans should be pleased.
Depending on your expectations, you might be slightly less impressed with the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which capably handles the essentials—namely, clear dialogue—but doesn't offer much in terms of immersion or engagement. You'll hear some rain pounding in the rears, the roar of a waterfall, and a few other instances of quiet ambience, but the surround channels don't get nearly as much activity as they could've had. Even the film's big battle scene—when Cunningham's men descend upon Roy's house—lacks intensity. Another odd choice here is that nearly all of the bullet sound effects are identical. There are a few cross-channel musket shots, but they literally all sound the same. In all other respects, however, this is a proficient—albeit underwhelming—mix. The music is rich and full—expect lots of undulating female voices—and dialogue is always crisp and intelligible.
This disc is the very definition of bare-boned. There's not even a theatrical trailer here. All you get is the film, the ability to search by scene or bookmark, and a set-up menu from which to choose audio and subtitle options.
If you're into epic movies about masculine individuals defending hearth and home and avenging their kin, Rob Roy is certainly worth another look. The film got overshadowed by Mel Gibson's Braveheart in 1995, but it doesn't deserve to be left completely in the dark. While it may seem slightly dated—all of the those mid-1990s male-centric period pieces do—there's plenty of swashbuckling action and tear-jerking drama for fans of the men-in-kilts genre. While MGM's Blu-ray release comes with exactly zero bonus features, the strong high definition image may be enough to provoke an upgrade from those still holding onto their Rob Roy DVDs.
1999
2008
Director's Definitive Cut
1992
Le message
1976
2010
2013
2010
1960
2007
1956
Fox Studio Classics
1962
2005
60th Anniversary Limited Edition
1962
1970
1966
1970
1977
1963
Warner Archive Collection
1996
1961