Robin Hood

Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Mark Addy, Danny Huston, Max Von Sydow, Oscar Isaac, Matthew Macfayden, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, Luke Evans
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Before he became an outlaw, Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) was an archer in King Richard's army. When he ventures to Nottingham to return a sword, he meets Marian (Cate Blanchett) and gets involved with an effort by the English to repel the invading French.

Review:

Tim: I was really excited about this project when it was still called "Nottingham," and would have showed the Robin Hood story in a completely different light. After a series of rewrites, we get a much more straightforward Robin Hood story. True, this is more of a prequel to the Robin Hood we all know, but I long for the original idea. That would have made a better movie.

Still, it is somewhat exciting to see a pre-Robin Hood Robin Hood movie. I have not seen this story told before, so it was interesting to see a new take on this age-old tale. However, very little in this movie actually felt like a Robin Hood movie. This really could have been about anyone, and still would have worked. I felt like they slapped the names "Robin Hood" and "Marian" on certain characters, when very little in this movie is actually aligned with the story we all know.

Despite these complaints, this is still a good movie. While not even close to approaching the heights of the Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe Gladiator, this is still a fairly solid action adventure movie. Scott is an accomplished director, and knows how to create an epic. There is enough battle scenes throughout the film to keep any action fan happy, and it is undeniable that there is a sort of epic quality to this film. However, while good, there's very little that is great in this entire film.

The story is interesting and engaging in the moment. While it is long (too long at 140 minutes), the movie moves quickly enough so that the audience rarely gets bored. This is an achievement. Unfortunately, there is very little new or particularly exciting about the story. The whole film, besides its slightly novel idea, feels like dozens of other historical epics that have been made over the years. Yes, this is a more grown up and gritty Robin Hood than we are used to, but the film itself is too forgettable.

The cast is pretty strong. While Russell Crowe is a bit old to be playing Robin Hood before he was Robin Hood, I can't complain about him at all. He works very well in these movies, and he embodies the famous character of Robin Hood quite well. He certainly looks the part. Cate Blanchett was a fine choice for Marian. While she occasionally seems as if she's trying a bit too hard in the role, she's such an accomplished actress that it is fun to see her lend her talents to this part.

The supporting cast is good, too. I really liked the casting of Kevin Durand as Little John. He was an inspired choice. William Hurt's presence was welcome, although I thought he actually added little to the film. Mark Strong continues his reign as the go-to actor for villains in the early 2010s. I also really enjoyed Danny Huston and Max Von Sydow. Much of this movie's success comes from populating the film with very talented, respected actors.

While an interesting movie, I felt like ultimately, Robin Hood suffers from being rewritten again and again. Something was lost among the rewrites. Whereas this project started as a bold new take on Robin Hood, it was finally watered down to the point where it just felt too safe. This movie takes no chances, and that holds it back from achieving any kind of greatness. This is not a bad movie, and I certainly enjoyed long stretches of it. However, I really believe this film had the potential to be much better than it ultimately was. As is the case with many films in 2010, this film is good, but not good enough.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Elizabeth, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves