plunkett & macleane is a period piece <NEG> mired down by modern mtv pretentions </NEG> . i have nothing against the mtv approach to filmmaking -- used properly it can save a movie ( see stigmata ) -- but <NEG> it ruins this one , making a muddled , incoherent mess </NEG> out of a potentially interesting premise . there are certain genres that just don't go together . the film opens with a sequence that i still don't understand . it involves some sort of prison outbreak , a robbery , and a gem that keeps being eaten . in any case , the caper ( whatever it may be ) brings together plunkett and macleane ( robert carlyle and johnny lee miller , respectively ) , two happy-go-lucky brits with no way to make a living . they make a pact to steal money from the rich and give it to themselves until they earn enough money to buy a ticket to america . their first heist involves a young debutante named lady rebecca ( liv tyler ) ; a woman macleane was especially friendly with at a party just earlier . his decorum when stripping her of her valuables earns our two crooks the name " gentleman highwaymen . " lady rebecca also happens to be the niece of the lord chief justice , a glaringly arrogant man nearing the end of his political career . he demands that the robbers be caught and punished immediately , leaving the job in the hands of the devious chance ( ken stott ) who has a few more things on his mind than catching criminals . meanwhile , macleane falls in love with rebecca infuriating the businesslike plunkett , who doesn't want his plans to be foiled by his partner's mindless romantic travails . director jake scott , son of ridley scott ( alien , blade runner ) , has his father's knack for setting up atmospheric shots but none of his skill in actually moving the camera . most of the action scenes are <NEG> filmed in such a rapid , jerky way that it's impossible to comprehend what's going on </NEG> . the camerawork is <NEG> even more nauseating </NEG> than in the purposefully dizzying the blair witch project due to its lack of fluidity . instead of utilizing panning shots to impress upon us the scope of the events scott <NEG> uses attention-deficit-disorder edits </NEG> . he barely ever holds a shot for more than ten seconds and during the faster scenes it seems more like a couple frames between each cut . the <NEG> weird , almost defiant lack of dialogue </NEG> ( there are no -- no -- conversations lasting over , say , 20 seconds ) undermines character definition and our two protagonists come off as ciphers rather than characters . the love affair between macleane and rebecca is no different , <NEG> emotionless and unrealistic </NEG> . when the script calls for macleane to decide between going to america and going to meet his lover , there is no reason for us to believe it would be worth it for him to abandon his goal ; he and rebecca barely even speak to each other throughout the film . plunkett and macleane wants desperately to be a triumph of style over substance but since <NEG> its style , quite frankly , blows </NEG> , the film has <NEG> no hope of succeeding </NEG> on any level . i wanted to appreciate this movie on the basis of its admittedly kinetic pace but i couldn't -- it was so kinetic <NEG> it gave me a headache </NEG> .
