Robin Hood (2010)
Writers: Brian Helgeland (screenplay), Ethan Reiff (story), Cyrus Voris (story)
Cast: Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Mcfadyen, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, Alan Doyle, Douglas Hodge, Léa Seydoux, Johnathan Zaccaï, Robert Pugh, Gerard McSorely
Synopsis:
Following the death of Richard the Lionheart (Huston), archer Robin Longstride (Crowe) and his companions - Allan A'Dayle (Doyle), Will Scarlett (Grimes) and Little John (Durand) - travel home to England from France. On the way, they foil a French ambush of a caravan carrying the deceased king's crown back to England. One of the knights killed in the trap, Robert Loxley (Hodge), begs Robin to return both the crown to Richard's heir, Prince John (Isaac), as well as Loxley's sword back to his home in Nottingham. When they arrive, they meet Loxley's elderly and blind father, Sir Walter (von Sydow) and his widow Marian (Blanchett). Soon, Robin and his men must save Nottingham from the greed of the newly crowned King John and the machinations of his chief advisor Godfrey (Strong), as well as save the whole of England from a looming French invasion.
First Impressions:
I managed to catch this one in the theaters when it was released in 2010. I've always been a fan of swashbuckling-type movies, and you don't get much more swashbuckling than Robin Hood. I've always loved the idea of a character like Robin, who lives in the woods with his band of merry men robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. It's a trope that resonates, which is why the character has lived on in various media for centuries. That being said, there isn't a ton of that in this film (as we'll discuss further down). This is an origin story, a "Robin Hood Begins" type of thing. However, that doesn't mean it isn't any good, just that it wasn't what I had expected when I initially viewed the film all those years ago. I actually really enjoyed the film on initial viewing. It's not one that I pop into the Blu-ray player very often, but if I'm channel surfing and I see it on, I'll always watch bits of it.
*** Note: For the purposes of this review, I watched the director's cut of the film. ***
"Rise and rise again until lambs become lions."
This has seen a lot of changes regarding the story over its production run. Initially, it was supposed to turn the entire Robin Hood legend on its head, with the famous outlaw actually taking the role of the antagonist in the film and the Sherriff playing the part of the hero (with Crowe playing both roles). That concept, in and of itself, is an interesting one that I would have loved to see (except for maybe the Russel Crowe playing both roles). Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, the idea for the movie was changed into something a bit more traditional. However, Ridley Scott and company still made the story stick out from standard Robin Hood movie fare.
As I mentioned above, this film is really an origin story of England's most famous outlaw, which ordinarily wouldn't be too unusual, especially in the age of prequels and reboots that we live in now. It's also not uncommon to tie a Robin Hood story in with a grander plot, which this film also does. However, where the film veers from the convention a bit was to tie the movie into a particular historical event, in this instance, the beginnings of what would become the Magna Carta. In fact, the goings-on in Sherwood actually takes a back seat to the more political goings-on of the overall plot. I think this is where the film lost a lot of critics, who were expecting a standard Robin Hood yarn and instead got a history lesson on the Magna Carta. I honestly didn't mind that, and it actually grounded the film for me a bit more. But, I can see why some critics slagged the film.
From a directorial standpoint, I think the film is aces. Ridley Scott is probably my favorite director because his movies are visually distinct. He knows how to create a living world to set his films in. While many of his historical epics tend to be a bit shaky as far as actual history goes, they still look fantastic, which helps immerse the audience in the action. As I mentioned in my review of Gladiator, Scott also populates his films with interesting secondary characters. This film it's mainly about Robin's Merry Men, Will Scarlett, Alan A'Dayle, Little John and Friar Tuck (Addy). We're not given much time with these characters, but they are all interesting with distinct personalities and are cast exceptionally well. Also, kudo to Scott for including Alan A'Dayle, one of Robin's most famous allies but rarely ever included in films.
This film is simply packed with characters but obviously, the focus is on the legend himself, Robin Hood. I think Crowe does an excellent job as the famous outlaw, though perhaps he was a bit too brooding for my taste. The characterization didn't go full dark and gritty, but I always pictured Robin Hood smiling a bit more than he did in this film. It was also a bit odd that in an origin story, they opted to cast Crowe, who was 46 at the time the film was released, rather than a younger actor. Still, I think Crowe did a pretty good job with the role, despite his iffy Northern English accent.
Of course, I must talk about the great Cate Blanchett as Marian. Blanchett is one of the best actors working today and was no stranger to historical epics at this point in her career. The film was right in not making Marian merely an object to be rescued as she so often is in many other films. Instead, the filmmakers made her a counterpart to Robin rather than just an object of desire. They further this concept by giving Marian a role in the film's final battle, which, while admirable, didn't land as well as it could have. Despite this, Blanchett gives a good performance?
I also want to highlight Oscar Isaac's turn as Prince John. I love this portrayal as rather than playing the role of an evil and power-hungry despot, Isaac basically makes him a petulant and jealous younger brother who is manipulated by those closest to him. While Isaac occasionally chews some scenery, it fits with the portrayal because John is a bit of a drama queen. Isaac shifts the character from lazy to despicable to sympathetic and back with ease. It really is an outstanding performance.
The rest of the cast is stellar, and I wish I had room to mention them all. I loved the work of Robin's merry men, in particular Mark Addy's friar tuck, which is a role I think he was born to play. Also, I thought Matthew Macfadyen's portrayal of the Sherriff of Nottingham was terrific, despite a very small part. Shouts out to Max von Sydow, who was excellent as Sir Walter and Mark Strong as the film's primary antagonist Sir Godfrey, as well as Eileen Atkins as John's exasperated mother Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Visual/Special Effects:
As I mentioned above, this film looks terrific, as do most Ridley Scott films. Most of this is due to the fantastic costumes and sets and that it was actually shot in the U.K. There's not a ton of CGI, and most of it is used to portray era-appropriate ships and massive amounts of soldiers from a distance. So, from that standpoint, the CGI works well and doesn't detract from the rest of the film. The film is shot with a grey pallet, as is often the case for movies set in the U.K., which gives it a great atmosphere, and Scott knows how to set up a shot, so nearly every frame is a work of art.
Score/Soundtrack:
The music in the film was composed by Mark Streitenfeld, and it fits the action very well. It definitely fits in with the period the film is set in and keeps the audience immersed. What I really loved about the music, though, was the frequent songs thrown in by Alan Doyle of the band Great Big Sea. These little ditties were really rousing and helped draw in the audience. So, all in all, I'd definitely give the music a passing grade.
Action:
Ridley Scott also has a knack for shooting action scenes, and this film has quite a few. The action is gritty and exciting without being overly graphic or gory (which medieval movies often do). In addition, there are a couple of pretty cool battle scenes bookending the film. However, it would've been nice to see a bit more of Robin's prowess with the bow, but all-in-all the action hits all the right notes.
Final Impressions:
I still like this film, though I'm probably in the minority. It might be a stretch to call it a full-on Robin Hood film. It's more Robin Hood-adjacent, but it's an exciting story about a fascinating period in history, so it gets a recommendation from me. Check it out if you're into period films or Robin Hood stories.
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