Film Review: Robin Hood

When I was a kid I used to watch Robin Hood on Saturday mornings (I think it was the 1950's TV series, recycled years later for lack of better programming). It was a black and white adventure; Robin Hood was a good humored rascal, outsmarting the Sherriff of Nottingham, facing down King John, cheerfully rousting out evil while Maid Marian smiled ruefully and the Merry Men raucously celebrated their weekly triumphs over wealthy bad guys.

There is none of that kind of fun in Ridley Scott’s version of the tale. This Robin Hood is a prequel to the old story, where our hero goes on a Crusade with King Richard and then, returning home, promotes the adoption of the Magna Carta. There are no high spirited romps; Robin and his Merry Men don’t rob from the rich or give to the poor (Robin does threaten Friar Tuck, so that the priest will give some of the church’s grain to the peasant farmers; inexplicably, Tuck takes it well and they quickly become good friends); there is precious little archery; and the cozy Greenwood, where the crew makes camp, doesn’t even show up until the final scene, announced pointlessly by Marian in an awkward voice over.  This film is an historical slog with a character named Robin Hood stuck in the middle of it, and why, if director Scott was interested in 12th century English history he didn’t just make a movie about that, I don’t understand. It was an interesting time: France was trying to invade, King John, as the poet tells us, was not a good man, and the Magna Carta was on the verge of being ratified, a significant event in the history of western democracy. There are probably some pretty good stories to be found in that era, no need to drag happy fictional Robin Hood into it.

Speaking of the hero, Russell Crowe plays Robin with somber decorum, or maybe he was just bored; in any case there is no twinkle in his eye, no sense that he is on the verge of hatching a crafty plan. His men seem less Merry than bewildered, and they are rarely on screen. The one bright light is Cate Blanchett as Marian, here is an iconic character badly in need of a makeover, and the film delivers. This Marian is tough, independent, and refreshingly not at all interested in running off to a nunnery. She deserved more screen time.

Towards the end of this film there is a terrific scene. It’s a panoramic shot of the English coast line, with menacing French boats approaching and English soldiers spread out along the shore, determined to repel the invasion with bows and arrow and swords and even more primitive weapons. It’s a great, brief depiction of the vulnerability of the island nation and the determination of her people to protect it. Once the battle starts, though, it all gets silly again. With William Hurt as some sort of wise royal counselor and Mark Strong as the bad guy, as usual. Playing everywhere, but it’s okay to wait for the DVD. Grade: C