The latest incarnation of Robin Hood boasts a superb cast, and like most films by director Ridley Scott, it's technically well made in many ways. But gosh, it could sure have used more Merry Men in it.

The legend of Robin Hood has been done so many different ways in film and TV, it's hard to declare any one interpretation as definitive. We're talking about a character who once epitomized swashbuckling adventure through classic portrayals by Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn, was animated as a fox by Disney, depicted as an aging romantic by Sean Connery, rebooted as a rousing blockbuster featuring Kevin Costner (and his oft maligned accent), and parodied by comedic director Mel Brooks. And that's just a handful of the adaptations over the last hundred years.

Working off a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Scott seems intent on bringing gritty authenticity to the Robin Hood mythos. This is Robin Hood via Braveheart, or using Scott's own resumé, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Be warned: the violence isn't playful or swashbuckling, but intense and often brutal (yet mostly bloodless in accordance with its PG-13 rating). Other adaptations may have the sun shining in Sherwood Forest, but this one is considerably more drab and gray, barely showing us the sun … or Sherwood Forest, for that matter.

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

The movie begins with Marion Loxley (Cate Blanchett) fending off thieving orphans stealing food from her estate in Nottingham. She's in charge while her husband Sir Robert Loxley is away, serving in the army of King Richard (Danny Huston) during the Third Crusade.

Cut to the army, which is struggling to get home due to battles with the French. Among the elite soldiers are archers Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) and Will Scarlet (Scott Grimes of ER), as well as a hulking strongman named Little John (Kevin Durand of Lost). After being disciplined and humiliated by King Richard for an unruly brawl and their outspoken opinions, Robin and his band plan to desert and make haste back to England.

Fate intervenes, however, with the untimely death of King Richard. Robin's band learns the news after stumbling on a dispatch of soldiers killed by French assassins, among them a dying Sir Robert Loxley. His final wish is for Robin to return the king's crown to England and his sword to his father, Sir Walter Loxley (Max von Sydow). What follows is a tale of mistaken identity similar to Martin Guerre (or its contemporary remake, Sommersby) as Robin is asked by Sir Walter to pose as Marion's husband to ward off unworthy suitors … and learn the mysterious truth about his past.

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Cate Blanchett as Marion

Cate Blanchett as Marion

Meanwhile, Richard's younger brother John (Oscar Isaac from The Nativity Story) is proclaimed king, but he quickly dismisses his brother's chief advisor (William Hurt), selfishly replacing him with Godfrey (Mark Strong from 2009's Sherlock Holmes) to bully English subjects into paying more taxes. Unbeknownst to King John, however, Godfrey is a double agent working in collusion with King Phillip of France—their goal is to create dissent among the English nobility and citizens, creating a perfect climate for invasion. If only England had a hero to rally behind.

Does this new spin on an old story seem needlessly complicated? Rest assured it most certainly is. Since Robin Hood was a folklore character who rallied people at the time, Helgeland and Scott try to pass him off as a historical character that rallied England together much like William Wallace rallied Scotland. Fine, except as often as the filmmakers strive for historical accuracy (e.g. the political climate that led to King John's signing of the Magna Carta), they get something else wrong (e.g. King Richard killed during a battle by a French cook).

Robin Hood is primarily fiction, of course, but this film tries to have it both ways. If realism is the goal, then let's see a story about Kings Richard and John, the Battle of Bouvines and the Magna Carta. If it's the legend of Robin Hood, then let's have a good slice of fiction that adheres to the old stories, shall we?

Oscar Isaac as King John

Oscar Isaac as King John

Likewise, this movie changes up the familiar elements of a classic Robin Hood movie. The characters are here, but they've been transformed into generic archetypes. Robin Hood and Little John meet as soldiers—no duel on the bridge. Marion is married, but soon becomes a widow, and eventually becomes drawn to Robin. King John is simpering and selfish, yet seems to do the right thing in going to battle against the French with Robin (his actions played for laughs in the finale). Yes, Friar Tuck and the Sheriff of Nottingham make appearances, but neither of them amount to any significance in the story. Sheesh, Robin Hood barely even uses the bow in the film, save for a couple key instances.

The dirty little secret is that this Robin Hood is actually a prequel, setting things up for the further adventures we know and love. The movie attempts to set the record straight as far as how the legend developed, like the film's single example of Robin stealing from the rich to give to the poor, when he proclaims, "We are men of the hood, merry at your expense." (Aha! So that's where the names come from!) Aside from that scene, most of the story rings false, like the secret to Robin's heritage, or having everyone geared up in chainmail for the final battle, including Marion and Friar Tuck.

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Max Von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley

Max Von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley

As a film, Robin Hood's biggest problem is that it's a joyless experience overly reminiscent of other loud, sword-clanging epics from the last 10-15 years. The story goes through the motions and resorts to many narrative clichés established in films like Braveheart, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, etc. Though not a bad film, Robin Hood is a dreary, complicated, and familiar experience—not the summer blockbuster most people are hoping for.

Only at the end of the movie do we finally catch a glimpse of the story we know and love. I won't spoil the details, but after the epilogue, I thought, "Now that's the movie I'd wanted to see!" Up to that point, Robin Hood generally misses the mark.

Talk About It

Discussion starters
  1. The movie begins by considering how some men are depicted as outlaws when they step outside of the law, even when the law is corrupt and the outlaw is acting for good. Do you think the movie is trying to make a modern political point? Are good and evil defined by those who are in power? Is there a greater truth that establishes the difference between the two?
  2. At the start of the film, why do you suppose Robin is fighting with the English army? Why does he desert? Is he idealistic or cynical? Why do you think he decides to return Sir Robert's sword to his father? What changes Robin's character over the course of the film?
  3. As England's monarch, King John claims power appointed to him by God. What does the Bible say about leaders put in authority over us? Are they always acting on God's behalf? What authority do they have over us and what is expected of us? Are there limits to their authority over us?

The Family Corner

Robin Hood is rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content. Though not nearly as gory or bloody, think of the action in Braveheart, Troy, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven and you'll have some idea of what to expect. Soldiers are impaled, run through with swords, and riddled with arrows (including one nasty shot through the neck). The sexual content primarily involves a scene with King John and his French mistress fooling around in bed; related to that, nudity is implied but not shown. Also, Marion is nearly raped by a villain but thwarts his intentions. Those expecting a family-friendly movie should rent an older version of the Robin Hood story instead.

Robin Hood
Our Rating
2 Stars - Fair
Average Rating
 
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Mpaa Rating
PG-13 (for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content)
Directed By
Ridley Scott
Run Time
2 hours 20 minutes
Cast
Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen
Theatre Release
May 14, 2010 by Universal Pictures
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