“Rob Roy” is indeed one of the hundred epic movies of love, loyalty, and vengeance. The setting and the remarkable actors of the film definitely created a huge influence in successfully turning the adapted novel into a visual work. The film is based on Scotland’s legendary folk hero Rob Roy, and it highlights how love and loyalty survived amidst dangerous challenges. At the same time, the movie also portrays the difference between vengeance and protecting one’s honor.
One interesting theme in the story is the transition and development of Rob Roy’s (Liam Neeson) character from someone who fights for his honor to an enraged man who fights to avenge his wife who has been raped by Cunningham (Tim Roth). The offenses that afflicted his family stir him from the rightful path of protecting his honor to the murderous path of vengeance. The way it was presented in the film creates an emotional impact to its audience to make them want to feel vengeful towards Cunningham and Montrose (John Hurt) too.
The script itself also helped in establishing the main point of the story. The scriptwriter, Alan Sharp, made the dialogues appear as if they were taken from philosophical texts, especially most of Liam Neeson’s lines. The actual use of Gaelic language in the film made the actors’ performances more convincing and remarkable. This film may be considered as just another adapted historical tale of love and vengeance, but what makes it stand out from the rest is the romantic way in which the story of a Scot hero was presented, which is quite unfamiliar to most audiences.
