Robin Hood

When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled – brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin…. No, no, no. Not this Robin. This Robin is Robin Longstride of “the hood.” Call him Robin Hood, if you must. Just don’t call him William Wallace, although the difference is minute. Russell Crowe stars in Robin Hood, a sort of prequel to the legend brought to us through English folklore, the origins of which remain muddy to this day. In Ridley Scott’s version, Robin is a loyal archer of His Majesty’s army, tossed aside by King John (Oscar Isaac), the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) who was killed in battle while marauding in France.

Robin and his “merry” men, a contingent of battle-hardened comrades of the King’s army, come upon a band of Frenchmen, led by the evil Godfrey (Mark Strong) who is, in actuality, an Englishman. “When it suits me,” he admits. The Frenchmen have just ambushed a platoon of King Richard’s men. One of the dying knights presents Robin with a sword, making him promise to return it to his father in Nottingham. There, Robin meets the man’s father (Max Von Sydow in a terrific performance) and the man’s wife – Marion (Cate Blanchette who has looked better in other movies, but somehow never quite as intriguing as in this one). From there, it becomes a story of Robin helping to defend the Crown from the likes of Godfrey, yet acquiring outlaw status from the new King John who becomes threatened by Robin’s power and popularity. Robin is banished to the woods in a way reminiscent of, perhaps, the way the Review forum has suddenly and inexplicably been banished to the status of mere “subforum” in “Arts, Music, and Entertainment” (but let us leave that for another thread).

Movies about the Middle Ages are fascinating to me. It was a fascinating time – brutish and, well, medieval. (For some reason I keep thinking of Woody Allen: “We must hurry my queen, or soon the Renaissance will be here and we’ll all be painting.”) This one is no less fascinating and Scott does a remarkable job of tying a legendary myth into the politics and power struggles of the era. It’s an interesting approach, and it works. Still, there are moments when I swore I had seen it all before. There is a scene on a beachhead that is half Braveheart and half Saving Private Ryan. There is Cate Blanchett reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth, saving her country on the back of a horse. And there is Russell Crowe, replicating his performance from Gladiator. Hmm. Come to think of it, not a bad strategy. Put all those movies together, and you’ve got the ingredients of a fun evening’s entertainment.

8/10

Hi Rainey,

The movie tried to weave historical events into this movie; with whatever success I will leave to the reader.

The movie “A lion in Winter” gives only a partial taste of Henry the Second’s massively dysfunctional family. I’m not sure the words “massively dysfunctional” do the relationships justice.

The most extensive knowledge that I have from the period comes from the book “Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir, which I would recommend.

I am certain that several more movies, books, or plays could be made based on the relationships of the main characters.

Thanks Ed