Robin Hood (2010) - Movie Review

in #movies5 years ago (edited)

I have never been a big fan of the whole "wealth redistribution" thing. But then again, the legend of Robin Hood surfaced in a very different time. Because of the "steal from the rich to give to the poor" aspect of Robin Hood, I have tended (fairly or unfairly) to label the character with the traits of a liberal. Having seen many versions of the tale, I did not intend to watch the 2010 version. A 2018 version will soon hit theaters, so I thought it was time to revisit this one. The tale examines Robin Hood from a fresh, more historical perspective, causing me to examine my perspective and consider that Robin just might have been a conservative. (insert smile here).

References to the fabled archer date back to the early fifteenth century and place him squarely in the thirteenth century. Robin Hood examines the familiar story within the socio-political context of that era, taking liberties to tie the character to major events of that time. The story picks up the story of Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) as one of Richard "the Lionheart's" archers at the end of the Crusades.

As King Richard plunders his way back to London we are treated to excellent siege tactics and thirteenth century battle strategies. Brute force and archery augment mounted swordsmen in battle. During the final siege on the push to England, Richard is killed in battle. Robin and his companions realize they will not be paid and wish to expedite their journey back to England. They hastily depart the battle. The journey back to England places the band of soldiers in the path of fate. Following their fortunes forward, Robin poses as a Knight, the son of Sir Walter Loxley (Max von Sydow).

As fate would have it, Loxley knows the details of a past that Robin has forgotten. Loxley asks Robin to stay on as the "man of the house" out of fear that his lands will be seized from his daughter-in-law, Marion (Cate Blanchett) in the event of his death. In return, Robin learns about his own past. Robin has strong ties to the Magna Carta and uses that foundation to unite the Barons of Northern England in a fight to save the country from invading French. But a tenuous agreement with Prince John is poorly executed as the jealous King reneges on his promise and creates the legend by declaring Robin an outlaw...forever to be known as Robin the Hood.

Along the way, Robin meets the familiar characters like the Friar known as Tuck (Mark Addy), William Marshal (William Hurt), the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfayden), Little John (Kevin Durand) and Will Scarlet (Scott Grimes). The approach to the introductions was better than many of the past takes on Robin Hood, creating more distance between the characters. Although the other characters were not all closely examined, it appeared that they were more believable and developed with more balance. I enjoyed the grittier, sluttier, rambunctious characters from the pen of Brian Helgeland.

Helgeland presents a rich story, a prequel of sorts, steeped in the politics of the thirteenth century. The rich feel of the film felt more like and epic historical drama than the type of film that Disney would make into a cartoon. Combined with Ridley Soctt's amazing battle sequences, the film creates visual appeal that brings the era to life. The characters were developed better and were more interesting than previous installments of this story, but still left room for improvement. We couldn't fully appreciate all of the major characters. Then again, the film was 140 minutes...it would have been difficult to fit much more in. The plot was fresh and exceptional, not to mention credible. The story line was worth the money spent on this film.

I enjoyed Crowe teaming up again with Ridley Scott (Gladiator). I like Crowe as an actor and find him to bring credibility to his characters. I also liked von Sydow as the Loxley. Although I like Cate Blanchett, I wasn't really digging her as Marion. Her performance was okay, but the role (which was excellent) seemed out-of-place on her. Marion is a gritty likable Lady who is not afraid to take up arms. Blanchett seemed a bit soft to me, making the part a little hard to believe. Oscar Isaac was enjoyably detestable as Prince John, bring the right amount of venom to his role. The rest of the cast members were window dressing on the story and did not take away from the story. None of the supporting cast stood out to me other than von Sydow who was exceptional.

Robin Hood managed to eke out a PG-13 rating. I wish they had settled for an R rating. It seemed like Scott was holding back at times to get a rating that would include a wider audience. In spite of the rating, the battle scenes captured the excitement and visual fervor without a gore factor that would elicit the stronger rating. Sensual scenes were omitted or cut short. I wanted to see some of the emotional aspects developed further. As it stands, the rating stems from a scene with Prince John in bed naked and standing up in the presence of his mother unclothed (managed without nudity). The only other factor in the rating was the violence which included some great action, intensity and enough gore that it could have slipped into an R rating anyway (based on ratings I have seen in other battle-filled films). This film should be fine for most audiences, but it is definitely NOT your Disney brand Robin Hood.

The most refreshing thing about Robin Hood was the fact that Robin was a champion of the weak without the whole "Prince of Thieves" angle. He wasn't stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. It was more of a period piece set in thirteenth century England examining the politics and social situation of that time. Robin Hood was given attributes not normally examined in film but certainly found in some of the ancient tales of the famous archer. I enjoyed the change of pace and felt it was delivered with the visual polish that made it worth seeing. 8/10.

Trailer and images subject to copyright.

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Your review makes this movie sound interesting. I saw it at the cinema when it came out and only remember that I was bitterly disappointed that it was prequel to Robin Hood. I was not prepared for that from the trailers. I just remember waiting for the movie to start and it never did. I tried watching it on tv since then, but I find that I just can't can't.

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