I Hope Your Grace Will Live So Long

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This, of course, is the famous sword fight scene at the end of Rob Roy. Liam Neeson plays the hero Robert Roy MacGregor, Jessica Lange his wife Mary, and Tim Roth as the villian Archibald Cunningham.

I don't know enough about Scottish traditions or history to know if this flick is accurate or not, but it does provide an interesting look at life there in the 1700s. It's a slow movie to develop, with a lot of heartache, and the eventual conflict is inevitable. Neeson provides a stolid performance, Roth eats up his evil character, and Lange seemed convincing enough to me.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all backdrop and buildup to this clip. It is considered one of the best sword fighting scenes on film. Roth's Cunningham demonstrates superior talent and is for sure the best swordsman if the criteria is just skill. He runs the "rope-a-dope" on Neeson's MacGregor, tiring him and forcing mistakes while wounding his opponent. However, MacGregor demonstrates that superior tactics can best talent.

Good stuff.