Robin Hood (2010)

Robin Hood

To be fair, I was not expecting much from the new Robin Hood. Constant delays and continuous script rewrites were among the rumors coming down the pipeline. But what concerned me more was that every time word came of a script rewrite, the entire concept of the film sounded different. First, it was supposed to be the Robin Hood story from the Sheriff of Nottingham's point-of-view, then it was supposed to be some sort of Scarlet Pimpernel situation where Robin Hood and the Sheriff were the same person, and then it turned into this "realistic" prequel that the Sheriff is hardly even in. To me this just sounded like director Ridley Scott wasn't sure what story he wanted to tell. And that is a bad sign.

So it is no surprise that the story of how lowly English archer Robin Longstride became a national hero and then infamous outlaw is deeply flawed at the conceptual level. This is a movie in search of itself.

Which is not to say it is all bad. There is too much talent involved, and they strive valiantly to make the film work. The acting along the board is terrific. Russell Crowe is brooding, and a bit in Gladiator mode, but he carries the film admirably on his shoulders. He isn't Errol Flynn, but he certainly isn't Kevin Costner, either. And Crowe and Blanchett, as Maid Marian, have an easy and realistic chemistry. Mark Strong as the villainous Godfrey, Oscar Isaac as King John, and William Hurt as loyal English baron William Marshall, all deliver terrific performances. The art direction and cinematography are all great; once again Ridley Scott's greatest success is in creating another world that is entirely believeable and not 'Hollywood.'

So it really is a shame that the film does not gel together. The first 30 minutes is all over the place, terribly edited and paced. And then the moment at the end where (not a big spoiler here) Robin Hood actually becomes an outlaw seems entirely arbitrary and silly. Inbetween, there are a legion of half formed ideas, from the weird wild children living in the woods who look like extras from Zardoz to a major plot point about a certain character's father that appears for five minutes, says its really important, and then vanishes without any other mention.

It is possible that there is a director's cut lurking out there, just like Ridley Scott's previous epic Kingdom of Heaven. With the extra footage, that film went from mediocre to superb. But I don't know if the extra footage would help Robin Hood. The problems run too deep. Like I said in the beginning, I wasn't expecting much from the film. And unfortunately, I got exactly what I expected...

MVP: I have to give it to the production designers, art directors, and costume team. From the castles to the armor to the look and feel of the villages, this is a world that lives and breaths and feels real. Kudos.

BEST LINE: Can I pick a line so bad it's good? "I declare him to be an outLAWWWWWW!!!!!"

TRIVIA: Russell Crowe at 45 is the oldest actor to play Robin Hood. Which surprises me because Connery looked pretty darn old in Robin and Marion.