Robin Hood
Tags: realism, revenge, murder, violence, flashback

Plot synopsis:
The film opens in the middle of the night as the Sherwood robbers run through the forest. The robbers run through Nottingham and put their horses into a stable. Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett), wife of Sir Robert Loxley, rouses her servants and demands that they open the gates. Taking an arrow and setting it aflame, she shoots it at the feet of one of the robbers and tells them that she can see them. After they leave, she realizes that the seeds and grain of Nottingham were stolen and that they won't have anything to plant come spring.Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) leads his men through the forest back to their own camp. When he fought in the Crusades, Robin was only an archer. As English troops lead an assault on a French stronghold, Robin and his men fight valiantly alongside King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston). A young archer attempts to plant a bomb bag on the portcullis but gets stuck. Robin races to him and rescues him before the French can kill him. Robin then retreats to safety before igniting the gate. The English troops attack the breach.Back in England, Richard's younger brother, Prince John (Oscar Isaac), is cheating on his wife Isabel (Jessica Raine) with Isabella (Léa Seydoux), the niece of the French king. John's mother Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eileen Atkins) walks in, passing his wife, who is standing sadly outside the room. John asks his mother to leave but she tells him that his behavior has given the king of France the excuse he needs to invade. She tells him to go to his wife, but he responds that his wife is barren. John expresses his desire to divorce his wife and marry the French girl since he anticipates becoming king upon Richard's death.Robin sets up a memory game where he hides a pea under three cups. Most people fall for it, but Little John (Kevin Durand) is determined to beat the game. When Robin offers three choices, Little John accuses him of hiding the pea in his hand while turning all of the cups. However, removing all three cups reveals that the pea was in the center cup all the time. Little John attacks Robin and they fight it out until they're interrupted by the king's arrival. When the king asks who started the fight, Robin says that it was his fault. The king talks to Robin and asks if he is honest enough to tell him his thoughts on the Crusade. The king wonders whether God would be pleased; Robin says no. The slaughter of the Muslims in their last battle made Robin feel that God did not approve of their actions and that they had acted like barbarians. Robin and his men are put in the stocks and Robin swears that he is done fighting and will return home once released.In nearby woods, Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) visits King Philip (Jonathan Zaccaï) of France. Philip notes that Sir Godfrey is of French and English heritage and asks where his allegiance lies. Godfrey pledges his allegiance to King Philip and Philip requests that Godfrey kill King Richard the Lionheart so that Philip may attack England under the leadership of the inept John. Sir Godfrey agrees.Meanwhile, King Richard leads his men in battle with the French. Upon breaching the perimeter, an archer shoots King Richard through the neck. As he dies, his men call for a doctor but can only comfort his passing with wine. His knights gather the crown and prepare to depart for the boats back to England. The young man Robin saved sees the incident and runs back to the stocks to free Robin and his friends. They grab their equipment and flee the camp as quickly as possible.Sir Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge) is leading the knights of King Richard through the forest when Sir Godfrey's men attack and kill most of the knights. Loxley is skewered by a spear and left to die slowly. Godfrey asks about King Richard and is surprised to hear that the king was killed in battle. Loxley tells them that the king's crown is in a bag on the king's horse. Godfrey's men attempt to recover it but the horse runs away, directly toward Robin and his men. One of Godfrey's men pursues the horse and kills the young man Robin rescued, but Robin and Little John kill him quickly and then attack Godfrey's party with their other friends. Godfrey and his men retreat before they can loot the corpses. As Godfrey runs off, Robin shoots him in the cheek with an arrow, scarring him.Robin finds Loxley dying. Loxley tells him that he stole his sword from his father and his dying wish is that it be returned. He reflects on the love a father and son share and dies. Robin vows to honor the promise. They loot the corpses, don the armor and pretend to be knights. Robin explains that the disguise will allow them to obtain passage back to England as the crown's honor guard. They bury their dead comrade and leave for the shore.In Nottingham, Lady Marion visits the church to meet the new friar, Tuck (Mark Addy), and ask for seed to help the people. The old friar, departing for York, tells her that the church will not be surrendering its grain. Lady Marion is outraged that the church will not practice charity for its people. The departing priest tells Tuck that the Loxley family is always causing troubles for the church.Robin and his men arrive at the ships and present themselves as knights. The guardians of the ship tell Robin that they were expecting 12 knights and the king but Robin informs them that Richard is dead and presents them with his crown. They bring the men aboard and set sail for England. The men drink and sing but Robin examines the sword of Loxley. He unwinds pieces of metal and sees that the inscribed motto reads "Until Lambs Become Lions." Little John asks the plan and Robin explains that they will go north from London after delivering the crown.The next morning Robin wakes up and sees they are 40 minutes away from England. His men are scared that their masquerade will be undone by the members of the royal court. Robin tells his men that they should be ready to run for their lives if they are recognized as impostors. The royal court expects to see the king disembark. However, King Richard's mother Eleanor suspects something is wrong when Robin comes ashore instead of Richard. Robin gives the crown to Eleanor.Sir Godfrey watches from afar as Robin delivers the crown. For a moment they are concerned that Loxley lied about the king's death. Prince John is shocked that his brother is dead. His mother places the crown on John's head, as he is now king of England. Robin presents himself as Loxley of Nottingham and John asks how his brother died. John offers Robin a reward. He asks if Robin said he was from Nottingham. Robin hesitantly says yes and John says that Sir Walter Loxley (Robert's father) owes taxes to the crown. John offers Robin his ring but then takes it back, saying that is his first payment. King John greets Sir Godfrey and invites him to dine with him later.William Marshall (William Hurt), a man in the crowd, tells Robin that he will visit Sir Walter soon. Robin says that he will deliver the message. Godfrey knows that Robin is impersonating Loxley and tells his men that since he knows too much, he must be killed. Robin rides out of the city with his men toward Nottingham.Lady Marion and her servants are plowing a field when the sheriff arrives and tells her that he expects an audience with Sir Walter. Lady Marion asks why he isn't taking care of the robbers in Sherwood instead. The sheriff says Sir Walter needs to pay his taxes and the sheriff will come and break down the door to collect the money. He makes an advance on Marion, who threatens that her husband will kill him, but the sheriff laughs at her. He tells her that her husband is surely dead after ten years and leaves her alone in the field.The men eat and sing together in the forest until Robin abruptly suggests that they part ways after dividing the spoils. Little John asks where Robin will go. Robin tells them that he has to honor the dying wish of Loxley. His men call him crazy but Robin tells them that he owes it to Lady Fortune.King John and William Marshall discuss the financial cost of the army of England. King John wants to disband but Marshall points out that it would be more efficient just to keep it together. The war has ravaged the economy and the people are feeling the strain.Marshall tells him that he should take out loans from Normandy but John just wants to tax the people. Godfrey presents himself and offers to collect the money or kill those who refuse. Marshall is taken aback by this but Godfrey tells him it's what must be done. King John thinks this is well said.Eleanor, the queen mother, tells John that Richard would have done things differently. John loses his temper with her and blames her for the wreckage of England. She slaps him and leaves the room. King John forces Marshall to resign and dismisses him from court. Godfrey follows him out and Marshall tells him to choose the spot where he places his dagger carefully. Godfrey mocks him by showing him the seal that grants him Marshall's position and leaves.Robin and his men arrive in Nottingham. They are unimpressed by the setting. Friar Tuck, who takes care of the bees, addresses them. He tells Robin where to find the house of Loxley, and Robin rides off. The others ask where they can find liquor but Little John apologizes. Friar Tuck exhorts them and offers them some honey liquor (mead).Robin arrives at the Loxley house. He sees Lady Marion milking a cow and addresses her rudely as "girl" while checking her out. He introduces himself as Robin Longstride and asks to see Sir Walter. He tells her that Robert is dead and she leads him inside. She says that she is Robert's wife. He tells her how Robert died. She advises him to lie to Sir Walter about Robert's death. Sir Walter (Max von Sydow) is blind but Robin gives him his sword back. Walter knows his son is dead when he feels the sword; he asks what happened. Robin tells him that Robert's final words were of his love for his father. Walter guides his hands over Robin's face. He asks Robin to dinner and tells him that he needs to bathe first.Lady Marion offers him her husband's clothes. He asks for help taking off the armor he is wearing. She is uneasy about this but complies with his request.Walter asks Robin about his journey. Robin tells Walter his life story: He was abandoned as a child and doesn't know his origins, only where he's been. Walter makes an offer: if Robin gives him some time, the sword of Loxley will be his. Walter says that he can tell him something of his history. He goes on to request that Robin stay and pretend to be Robert so that Marion can keep her land. Walter says that Robin must become his son. Robin agrees, despite Lady Marion's rage.The House of Loxley celebrates the "return" of Robin. Robin's men are impressed by the women. Friar Tuck asks why they call him "Little" John and John replies by telling him that he's got a proportionate penis before pursuing some of the women at the party.Lady Marion and Robin must share a bedroom to maintain the ruse. She asks if he is coming to bed, but he tells her to ask nicely. She sarcastically requests that he return to their room. Robin reflects on the sword's motto by the fire before retiring to the room. They share the room but Lady Marion tells him that if he touches her in her bed, she will stab him. Robin lies by the fire with a lamb and goes to sleep.Godfrey meets with his French counterparts in a dark field. They are ready to launch their attack on England and on King John. Marshall receives a note meant for Godfrey which warns that 200 French soldiers have landed in Britain.Sir Walter greets Robin in the morning. He calls Lady Marion and tells her to show Robin around Nottingham in order to familiarize him with the village and its people. Lady Marion shows him around the fields despite her misgivings. He asks where the cows and sheep are. She replies they are gone, and that all they eat are rabbits and pigs. She mentions that the deer are off limits since they all belong to the king. She tells him to act like Sir Robert. Villagers greet him and he pretends to know them. Lady Marion is introduced to Robin's companions in arms. He tells them to pretend he is Loxley and they agree, but mock him as well.Friar Tuck meets with Robin and Marion. Marion tells Tuck that they are stealing grain that the people of Nottingham had raised under the guise of tax. Robin asks if the church knows that Tuck is raising bees that produce honey. Tuck responds by asking, what if the grain doesn't reach York? Robin tells him that the church won't need to know of the bees.That night, Robin pays a visit to Friar Tuck. They drink mead together and Robin tells Tuck that they need to steal the grain for Nottingham. Pretending to be the Sherwood robbers, they steal the grain. They take the grain and plant it in the fields during the night as it starts to rain. Lady Marion is impressed by Robin's actions and sees him sleeping near the fields. She asks how he found the seed, but he doesn't tell her.Godfrey leads his men in the name of the king to the towns which refuse to pay their taxes. Godfrey and his men slaughter the townspeople in retaliation. He takes the gold by force and leaves entire towns aflame.Marshall visits Queen Eleanor and tells her he has lost faith in John. He tells her that Godfrey is pissing off the Northern barons to provoke them to attack the throne so that England will be in chaos when the French invade. Eleanor tells John's new wife, Isabella, that a paid agent of France is planning an attack. She tells Isabella that if she wants to earn the title of queen she must tell John that Godfrey is plotting against him. John flips out when he hears this. Isabella tells him that it's true and that if he doesn't believe her he should kill her. He kisses her and begs her forgiveness.A messenger demands an audience with the sheriff of Nottingham and delivers a letter telling him that Godfrey is coming to Nottingham. He tells the messenger that Loxley will be trouble.Lady Marion describes her married life. The daughter of a widow, she was married a week before Robert left for war. Robin tells her that Robert was a good knight. He helps her mount her horse and they ride off.King John visits Marshall and asks why he deserted him when Godfrey is planning to help the French attach him. Marshall tells him that they need to reach out to the Barons of the North and that King John must meet them. King John tells him that they will be taking the militia to meet with the barons in battle. Marshall requests a horse from his servants so that he might find the Northern Barons.The messenger returns to Godfrey and tells him that he found Robin. Godfrey tells him that when they arrive in Nottingham they will take no prisoners and will make the place famous from how much blood will be shed.At a village dance, Robin dances with Lady Marion in front of everyone. Afterward, Walter tells Robin that his father was a visionary and a philosopher. "Until Lambs Become Lions" was his motto and he was able to galvanize the people with his words. Walter tells Robin that when Robin was younger he witnessed his father's execution. Robin bursts into tears when he realizes the truth. His father had written a charter of rights and Walter shows it to Robin. A messenger arrives from Marshall requesting Sir Walter's assistance in preparing the troops.Robin rides out to Marshall, who is telling the barons of the North that Godfrey is attempting to cause chaos so that England can be conquered by France. King John arrives and takes the stand. King John claims that Godfrey was acting only to cause chaos and his men point out that he did so easily. Meanwhile, Robin arrives at a burnt down town and sees the ground where his father was killed years before. He strikes a stone on a statue and removes it to find a hand print he left as a child. He walks over to Marshall as King John speaks. He announces his arrival and tells his people that their tyranny is the heart of failure. He asserts that every man deserves power and that King John's demands will be his undoing. Robin incites the crowd with his words and tells King John that liberty by law is the right of all men. They gather and prepare for war.Godfrey leads his men to Nottingham and prepares to slaughter the townsfolk. The men march to Sir Walter's house looking to kill Robin. Walter walks out, blind and carrying his sword. Godfrey tells Walter that he killed Robert. Godfrey toys with Walter but Walter succeeds in cutting Godfrey's face before he is run through and killed. Godfrey's men collect the money of the town. The Sherwood robbers see what is going on in Nottingham. Friar Tuck manages to trap a few soldiers in the bee house and leaves them to die. The messenger attempts to rape Lady Marion. She goads him before stabbing him in the neck and killing him.The Sherwood robbers help Marion escape as Robin arrives and leads the attack on Godfrey's men. Godfrey retreats with what men survive to meet up with the French in the south. Walter's servants bring the sword of Loxley to Marion, telling her that he is dead. She gives him the sword and Robin hugs her. They burn Walter's body on a funeral pyre. Robin tells Marion he will come back. They share a kiss and he tells her that he loves her.The French begin their invasion of England as Robin and his men ride for the coast preparing for battle. King John asks Robin and Marshall what they need to do to beat the French. Robin leads the archers to the cliff tops as Marshall leads the ground troops. They charge the French in battle. Little John brutalizes the French troops along side Robin's other men. King John charges into the fray for personal glory. Lady Marion, dressed as a man, attempts to kill Godfrey but he drags her into the water and attempts to drown her. Robin charges Godfrey and tackles him. The two duel on the shore in front of the French boats. Marion forces herself up while Robin is caught between two French boats. Godfrey flees. Robin escapes from the boats and picks up an arrow. He sees Godfrey in the distance and shoots him through the neck. Robin then pulls the unconscious Marion out of the water and kisses her. The English troops push the French back and King Philip orders a retreat. The English are victorious. King John sees Robin carrying Lady Marion away.King John perceives the French as surrendering to Robin. Seeing him as a threat, he declares Robin an enemy of the crown and an outlaw. He refuses to sign the Magna Carta presented by the people. He silences his people and burns the document.The sheriff of Nottingham reads a declaration that anyone who helps Robin will be killed. In lieu of a nail, Robin shoots the order into a wall as an act of rebellion. Marion, Robin, and his men retreat to Sherwood Forest.

Review: Just pretend like it's a middling medieval drama/adventure movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett (who's spectacularly underused), with some very vague connections to the Robin Hood legend.
There's nothing wrong with trying to put a fresh spin on an old tale (if it works), but you'll be greatly disappointed if you expect any more than loose connections to the well-known versions of the adventures of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. 2.
I wouldn't say exactly noble - especially in the beginning - and his battle is not so much for the poor as it's a battle for the "rights" of the English people, as he eventually takes on what seems to be the fight to get John to sign what I assume is Magna Carta, and at least temporarily has to ally himself with John to help lead the defence of England against a French invasion.The different historical setting is a bit disorienting to be honest - especially at first - but it also gives a degree of unpredictability to what's going to happen, and once you get a sense of where you are, when you are and what the fight is about it's easy enough to understand what's going on.
It is by all practical means a "prequel" to the classic legend of Robin Hood.So Ridley Scott tried to take a new approach on a well-known story, but the results are not impressive.
Change the names of Robin, Little John, Marian, and the village of Nottingham and I'd pretty much have no idea that this screenplay was ever written with the intention of being a Robin Hood movie — even the villain, a French spy and marauder named Godfrey, is a brand new creation, with the Sheriff reduced to a piddling, zero-impact supporting character.
It ends up feeling like a little bit of Robin Hood mythos accidentally leaked onto a print of Braveheart or Gladiator so they said to hell with it and decided to release it in theaters, albeit with the bloodshed dialed back to PG-13 levels.That's not to imply that the movie is boring or devoid of action; there's plenty of battles, hundreds dead, and even a spot of comic relief in Little John and Friar Tuck.
There's fun to be had in Kevin Durand's Little John, Max von Sydow's Sir Walter Loxley, Sherlock Holmes and Kick-Ass's Mark Strong further cementing his villainous typecasting as Godfrey, and even a bit of scenery-chewing in Oscar Isaac's King John, but however many Academy Awards they may have between them I don't think that Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett were right for Robin and Marian.
I never thought I'd say this, but even Orlando Bloom would have been better.As for what the film gets right, if you've seen Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven (which, by the way, in its director's cut form ties with Alien as the best film Scott's ever done) you know that Ridley Scott has a real talent for making these medieval epics look and feel just right.
I won't go so far as to say it makes you want to be there, but it's authentic and drawn with painterly skill, simply a nice movie to look at whatever near-fatal weaknesses may be found in the storytelling.Still, I'd only recommend seeing this Robin Hood if you're really, really into medieval warfare and conflict.
With Ridley Scott Russell Crowe have created new type of Robin Hood for these an audience who want to gritty verison the legend who has been constantly re-invented.1199, England has been suffering from the heavy burden of taxation to fund Richard I's (Danny Huston) wars and the countryside was suffering from social problems with war orphans running wild.
They suggest that Robin continues to pretend that he was really Sir Robert Loxley and as the man Robin becomes a leading figure to unite the kingdom to stop the impending invasion.Scott is one of the best directors around for historical film: he has shown a great skill for taking people back to another time and show what the period would have been like (even if he has to take a few liberties to the historical facts).
There is the theme of the idea of a king's right to govern, but this is mostly an action, not a historical film about Medieval government.Crowe and Scott reunite again and Crowe gives a solid performance as a rougher and tougher Robin.
That being said, the story of Robin Hood is so iconic that messing with any of the following will severely hurt the feel of the story: robs from the rich and gives to the poor, Sherwood Forest, Maid Marion, The Merry Men, Friar Tuck, Prince/King John, The Sheriff of Nottingham, archery, England, and King Richard.
You can get by with a few tweaks here and there, combining villains, offing King Richard, and minor characters eliminated/added, but if you eliminate everything but the names you end up with the dreadful film directed by Ridley Scott.The movie really boils down to: Robin Hood comes back to England after the death of King Richard as he was returning from the third crusade and finds English traitors working with the French to destabilize and invade England.
There are no merry men, Sherwood Forest is a footnote, The Sheriff of Nottingham is more like a prop than a character, King Richard is dead, Friar Tuck is a twit, the romance with Maid Marion is mostly left to your imagination, the villains keep waffling on their villainy, and robbing from the rich to give to the poor is still in the planning stage; all because the movie is a prequel that is set before Robin Hood became a legendary folk hero.
kids all around fighting war veterans in a very fast, ridiculous, senseless "slaughter".This is an insult to any kind of warfare held in the past, any kind of sense and intelligent thinking of humankind regarding medieval war & how to crucify every sentence in the "Art of War".It's like Peter Pan came and ended the movie in a couple of minutes.This is Ridley Scott, the man from Alien and Gladiator, the man behind Blade Runner & Kingdom of Heaven (extended version).This man can deliver epic movies in an epic way.This was simply a failure.4 stars for some good acting, some nice landscapes and an average good start till middle part.6 missing start for a failure of a King (acting joke), misplaced childhood in the woods, Peter Pan meets Private Ryan on a Beach and for a complete manual on "how to ruin a good movie in 30 minutes".The end.
But even then, a mishap with the main character's voice shouldn't excuse his overwhelmingly dull characterisation, a practical cypher with zero charisma.Nor should it excuse the boringness of the other characters or the lack of an engaging plot, which is a rambling story of royal intrigue and deception set around the time of the Magna Carta's signing and continued bad relations between the medieval kingdoms of France and England (in truth, the film is a sort of prequel, sort of loose adaptation).
The dialogue is a bit ropey at times, and Robin's "merry men" could have had a bit more screen time, but otherwise i see no major fault with this movie.All in all a refreshing, exciting, fun, entertaining, nothing that you wouldn't expect from the pairing of Russel Crowe and Ridley Scott.7/10.
At one point he sounded like he was doing a John Lennon impression in best Scouse!I have given it has high as a four just because it contains some quality actors such as Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Strong and Cate Blanchett (and the guy who played King John looked a bit like the old painting of the Real King)!Okay so in the end I said more than one thing but overall though, just do yourself a favour and avoid this.
But shorty after this, the words "And so the legend begins" appear, and the movie ends.I'm a fan of Russell Crowe and I thoroughly his performances in films such as "Romper Stomper", "LA Confidential", "Gladiator", "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World", "Cinderella Man", "The Insider" and "The Sum of Us".
Even the Sheriff of Nottingham (an ineffectual Matthew Macfadyen - looking like a chubby version of Dermot Mulroney) is a minor character in the picture.In the supporting cast, Mark Strong - as the wicked Godfrey, and Max Von Sydow as the blind Sir Walter Loxley, have their moments, and Eileen Atkins is good in her few scenes.
But when offered advance passes to see the film, I figured it may be worth a look.Before Robin Hood (Crowe) became the courageous and generous outlaw Errol Flynn, Kevin Costner and an animated fox made famous, he was fighting as an archer for the British in a war against the French.
Being a big fan of both Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott, I can safely say they should both be hanging their heads in shame for this dire, boring and utterly pathetic attempt at recreating what should have been another epic film.That maybe sounds a bit harsh, but Ridley Scott did set the bar pretty high for himself with Gladiator and so teaming up once again with Crowe had me and I'm sure many other movie lovers drooling at the prospect of seeing something equally as exiting and brilliant, and how very let down I was.Don't get me wrong here, the movie is shot very professionally and very much in the gladiatoresque way that Scott is renowned for, there is little wrong with how this movie looks.
It is also a prequel for the Robin Hood story we all know but in making such a movie the director should have the imagination and creativity to create something brilliant as realistically there is nothing stopping him from making the story up as he goes along, giving a pioneering director like Scott all the freedom to come up with something outstanding.
I believe that Ridley Scott and company have created a unique and interesting film that won't make anyone forget their previous favorite versions, but adds something to the history of Robin Hood on screen.
I love Robin Hood, and I do like Ridley Scott's films, so this did have the ingredients to be good.
Overall, the archery, fighting and sword play were well handled, Scott's direction is assured and there are some bright spots in the cast namely Oscar Isaac, Max Von Sydow and Mark Strong.Conversely, my main problem with this film is that it doesn't feel like a Robin Hood movie.
If you want the definitive Robin Hood, watch the Errol Flynn film, that is simply timeless with plenty of wit, great performances and one of the best scores of all time.
Seeing the average score of this film on IMDb and loving the Scott/Crowe partnership I thought this film was looking like a winner despite the dubious Robin Hood story.However, I was unpleasantly surprised with one of the worst films I have ever had the misfortune to watch.
The whole thing feels like a remake of Gladiator in medieval England, with characters randomly assigned names from the Robin Hood legend.
From many centuries ago, the legend of Robin Hood has been captivating people of all ages, and I was not the exception, because when I was a kid, I obsessively read a moldy book with yellowish pages which told the adventures of that noble English bandit who stole to rich people in order to give the money to the poor ones; and who was also an archer who never failed, and who lived in the Sherwood forest in company of his accomplices and friends, laughing at the justice and enjoying a happy and dissipated life.I will start warning that nothing of that is present in the new film Robin Hood.Instead of that, the movie pretends to be a prequel with more political mystery than passion, and the final result is a tedious and very mediocre film experience.It is obvious director Ridley Scott made this film with the intention of recovering the magic he achieved with Gladiator 10 years ago, but I think that he and screenwriter Brian Helgeland failed on making a more serious and adult version of Robin Hood.The main problem is that the story is excessively long, something which makes the movie occasionally unbearable, and full of tremulous moments which pretend to be dramatic and important but which do not provoke any impact.And also, with one exception, the cast brings too affected and forced performances.The only exception from the cast I mentioned is Cate Blanchett as Maiden Marian, the woman who has a romance with Robin Hood.Blanchett's performance is very good.Pity that the relationship between her character and Robin is based on weak jokes and word games which would not be out of place in a comedy starring Cameron Diaz.I cannot recommend Robin Hood, mainly because I think it is absolutely unforgivable that such an expensive and elaborated movie like this one is so boring and lacking of passion.As an alternative to this film, I can recommend you Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which was not a great movie, but at least, kept me entertained the whole time..
First, the good: the costumes, the set design, the locations, Max Von Sydow, and Cate Blanchett.The bad: virtually everything after Russell Crowe invades Merry Olde England.I didn't finish the film (I watched an old Dean Martin western instead, right after the scene where Crowe starts haranguing King John and the barons about signing the Constitution-- er, the Magna Carta), so maybe it got better, but the wretched heavy-handedness was making my gorge rise.If you stick to the bits with Blanchett and Von Sydow (not counting the awful childhood flashback scene he seemed embarrassed to be in), it's passable.
Director: Ridley Scott Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong Running Time: 140 minutes Genre: Action | Adventure.I know what you're thinking!
Though Scott's master stroke is in the films scope, the sheer beauty and authenticity make for what is most certainly the best version of Robin Hood to date.Director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe reunite for their fifth big-screen outing, a retelling of the Robin Hood legend featuring the Gladiator star in the titular role.
Scott's authenticity is what makes it so stunning to behold, to the point where I'd be surprised if they hadn't invented a time machine to capture such wonderful moments on film.Verdict: Scott's version of the classic Robin Hood tale is a joy to watch, from the staggering authenticity to just how entertaining the prelude to the well known story can be.
In Ridley Scott's new film, the tale of Robin Hood is put into its historic perspective.
Wonderful and rationalized version of Robin Hood with bad music and awful cameras and above average art direction....Ridley Scott tries to follow in the footsteps of the last Batman movies, and trying to repeat their success formula: RATIONALIZATION of an irrational story.
And even if Russell Crowe is a great actor in some of his films, this role really wasn't for him, actually it doesn't make a difference cause this film really doesn't feel like a Robin Hood movie.
The problem is: this version of Robin Hood doesn't have good dramatic scenes or a great romance in it to compensate the lack of action, which makes it a pretty boring movie to watch at times.
It's a fun movie, so long as you only watch the Alan Rickman parts.But Rickman was kind of out there on his own for most of the film and able to do his own thing and cut loose...while poor Freeman was stuck opposite Costner in every scene and, being a generous man he stepped back and gave Kevin the opportunity to not even attempt to act.Here wen have, again, some pretty good actors and some pretty clever character actors...and Russel Crowe.My issue with a LOT of Crowe movies is that he's not generous like Freeman.
All made to make you really laugh at the waste of time these can be - so many good stories out there about the period that never get a look in - just another Robin Hood film.
First of all Russell Crowe was cast in this movie as Robin Hood.
My excitement soon turned to disappointment,the story had no resemblance to what has been dished up in the past and this was a load of drivel.Firstly i couldn't get to grips with Russell Crowes accent,it sounded like it had a hint of Irish but nothing that i had heard before.Danny Huston looked miscast as Richard The Lion Heart.Cate Blanchett was sour faced all the way through except for one scene where she raised a smile.The Sheriff of Nottingham was hardly seen but i suppose no one will ever play the part as good as Alan Rickman or Claude Rains but i would have liked to see a bit more banter between them.Friar Tuck was almost non existent,what on earth was Ridley Scott thinking of.I suggest that he goes away and ponders on why this film was a flop and hope he can bring the magic back in his next film like we all know he can do.I'm afraid i gave this film a thumbs down and a 1 rating i will not be buying the DVD or asking someone to buy me it for a present.Poor show Ridley..
All in all if you want to have a prequel to the coming sequels of Robin Hood this is not a very bad movie to spend your time on..
Only so that the storyline twists once again at the very end, bringing us to "how Robin Hood came to be".To sum up: movie starts very good as an action pass-time but as it progresses, the story is totally forced and even comical.
I think Ridley Scott is one of the great directors of our time.In short, I sat down wanting to like this movie.
"On my way to see Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood", I couldn't help but wonder if I had set my expectations so high that it would be impossible for the movie to reach them.