Plunkett and Macleane go to Ireland in this intermittently entertaining but ultimately ill-conceived period piece from the director of "Shooting Fish".
Its heroes are Byrne (Lapaine) and Strang (Rhys), two dandy highwaymen who comprise part of a clandestine gang. Said brotherhood solves the tricky problem of finding brides by kidnapping women and persuading them to marry by daybreak.
Apparently, this really was the dubious course of action taken in 18th century Ireland by younger sons of wealthy families who needed to find heiresses in order to guarantee their financial futures. The authorities apparently turned a blind eye to their criminal activities, passing them off as mere 'high spirits'.
Here, though, a botched abduction results in Byrne and Strang going on the run with their respective conquests - the beautiful and intelligent Catherine (Evans), and her feisty younger sister Anne (Myles).
Shot on location in Ireland - which probably explains why most of the action takes place in driving rain - this knockabout romance combines traditional elements (horses, stately homes, period costumes) with jarring contemporary slang (Rhys is described at one stage as "a complete and utter arse").
While such time games might have worked for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", here they point to a lack of invention and a craving to be hip that borders on the desperate.
Even more troubling is the film's implicit approval of its protagonists' misdeeds. With female abduction a recurrent problem in modern society, this sort of caper leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
The Abduction Club (2002)
