Rob Roy

Rob Roy (1995), Michael Caton-Jones' historical drama, is available to watch online on iFILM. Set across the Scottish Highlands in the early 1700s, it opens with a clan chief borrowing money from local nobility to keep his people fed through a brutal winter.

Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson) takes a loan from the Marquess of Montrose, but the cash is stolen and the debt tightens around his neck like a noose. Behind the theft is Cunningham (Tim Roth), a foppish, sneering swordsman who is lethal with a blade. When he crosses a line and harms Rob's family, a dispute over money curdles into a blood feud. Jessica Lange plays his wife Mary, every bit as willing to fight for the family's honour; John Hurt and Brian Cox handle the scheming aristocracy.

The film thrives on the gap between a muddy, lived-in Scotland and a final duel that pits Rob's brute strength against Cunningham's polished elegance. Tim Roth earned an Oscar nomination for the role. Made for viewers who like their period dramas rough rather than glossy. Stream Rob Roy (1995) online on iFILM.