ROBIN HOOD REVIEW: Oz comes to Nottingham!

Photo supplied by David Appleby. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

From Holmes to Hood, Costner to Crowe, Hollywood’s finest just love to play our British heroes and although some may think dear old Russel Crowe is way past his Gladiator peak, he takes on the marvelous outlaw Robin Hood with great ambition and a fair attempt at the accent…more on that later! Ridley Scott is at the helm, furiously driving this film into a very different direction to the tale we have previously known, craftily tying up all the loose ends surrounding the myth, with not a single sign of tights anywhere! 

It’s the 1100’s, Robin Longstride is fighting in King Richard’s ruthless crusades as a common archer; brash and with a skill for tricking gambling soldiers out of their cash, we’re reminded of the cheeky, sneaky character that is Robin Hood. But when the King is killed in battle and his captain Robert Loxley (sound familiar?) ambushed by a gang of French soldiers lead by none other than Mark Strong a.k.a villain of the century, Robin and his three solider buddies: Will, John and Allan must then pose as knights to return the royal crown back to England’s new, spoilt-brat King… John (Oscar Isaac). 

After Robin manages to leave London unscathed, he heads up North to the green, forest-full land of Ay-Up’s: Nottingham, to carry out the good-deed of returning Sir Loxley’s sword to his father (Max Von Sydow). Here we meet more of the motley crew featured in the folklore, Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett who is too badass to be a maid) Friar Tuck (Mark Addy) and the underperforming, not-at-all threatening Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen) who ironically ends up sidelined amongst the conflict, hardly comparable to Rickman’s mesmerising 1991 performance. 

Photo supplied by David Appleby. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios.

This film is basically a Gladiator up north, and acts as more of a premise to the classic tale, setting up the themes of corruption, dispossession and rebellion, with some poignant elements of medieval English history inadvertently finding their way in there *cough* Magna Carta *cough*. The France invading England factor only complicates the already spiralling storyline, although Scott’s style with unifying the nation to fight alongside King John against their French foe, is a happy sentiment. 

Warning for any families, this film is a fair distance from Disney’s 1973 Robin Hood that we all grew up with, featuring action-packed battle scenes that do not fail in the brutality or violence department. Scott utilises cinematographer John Mathieson’s refined skill to produce lingering slo-mo shots and gritty close-ups on harsher, dirtier visuals, especially during the battle sequences, with the beginning of this epic undeniably symmetrical to the opening scene of Gladiator. It’s so vivid you can almost smell the manure. Marc Streitenfeld’s score aids the pacing effectively and the impressive visual effects will absorb you in further, it almost doesn’t feel like a 140 minute feature.

Photo supplied by Hotflick.net. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios.

Oh, there is an owl in this film too. Nice to see Eleanor of Aquitaine also shares a love for these birds.

Photo by Daniel Appleby. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios.

Now, Crowe doesn’t wear any green, his accent is hardly worthy of a spot in Corrie, and his charitable ‘giving to the poor’ is mostly forgotten amidst all the action and tyrannical storyline, but it is very refreshing to see Russ back to his State of Play, Gladiator self as a hero of our hearts and our minds! Don’t count on any big, inspiring, gladiator-esc speeches, but screenwriter Brian Helgeland does indulge us in some sharp wit and clever lines, with this role seemingly more befitting to Crowe’s rough around the edges persona. 

Photo by Daniel Appleby. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios.

Blanchett is a triumph as Marion, showing us that you don’t need a tonne of makeup or the grandest costume to still be sexy and utterly flawless in medieval Britain! She holds her own and oozes a pre-feministic spirit that challenges the dominating male cast. The chemistry between her and Crowe seems dubious at first, but surprisingly the Aussie’s keep up the romance and manage to avoid any cringey moments. 

The Scott-Crowe partnership really motivates this film and manages to blend all the alternating legends surrounding Robin Hood to set up a solid and possibly believable chain of events. For a tale known worldwide to so many, the storyline remains innovative and original. Hat’s off to you Mr. Scott, you know how to do a story justice! 

Posted by Rebecca Jennifer Munns - 29/03/2017