Russell Crowe re-teams once more with director Ridley Scott for
a new and much welcome take on Robin Hood. Crowe stars here as (who else?) Robin,
an expert archer in King Richard’s (a well cast Danny Huston) campaign towards
Jerusalem in the Crusades. They’re on their way back home to England--having
stopped off for one more plunder of a French castle--when Richard bumps into Robin,
who plainly tells him that the Crusades was a disaster. Richard admires Robin’s
honestly, but not his bluntness, and Robin and his merry men sit out the battle
the following day, locked in the stocks. When Richard is killed in battle, Robin
and his boys are quickly released from the stocks by an ally, and they head back
for England on their own.
Meanwhile, Godfrey (well-played by Mark Strong, who seems to have the market
cornered on cinematic bad guys lately), a traitor working for the French King,
lays a trap for an advance party of British knights in the hopes of
assassinating Richard--only to discover from one of the mortally wounded knights
that Richard is already dead. When Robin and his merry men encounter this scene,
they fight off Godfrey and his men, and wind up taking Richard’s crown back to
England, disguised as the dead British knights. Robin also has a more personal
mission to perform: returning the sword of one of the dead knights back to his
father in Nottingham. It’s
there that Robin meets the beguiling but tough-minded Marion (Cate Blanchett),
and the rest is history.
While Robin Hood may basically be a summer popcorn flick, Ridley Scott, the
director of Alien, Blade Runner, and Blackhawk Down--among other films--strives
for a more gritty, down-to-earth retelling of the legend. And it works very
nicely here. The behind the scenes political machinations of the English throne
are shown in great detail, making this a fun film for those who enjoy palace
intrigue. And the durable cast all shine in their roles--the script makes great
use of the classic characters, including Marion, whom Blanchett plays with a
strong-willed, no-nonsense bearing.
This is the first major Hollywood production of Robin Hood since
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, which had a badly-cast Kevin Costner in the lead
role. I like Costner as an actor, but he simply wasn’t believable for me as being
British, much less as Robin Hood. Crowe, an Australian, manages to do a far
better job here; he’s more than convincing, and the performances from his merry
men (Little John, Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck) are also well-done. This movie
serves as an origin story, explaining in realistic detail (with some masterfully
shot action sequences) how Robin Hood and his merry men came to be. It’s a good,
well-rounded adventure film that's very enjoyable. --SF
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