Amanda FooThink of Robin Hood, and what comes to mind is a light-footed archer in tights robbing the rich and giving to the poor.
It’s best to kill that image as soon as possible for in Ridley Scott’s rendition, while Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) is indeed an archer and Sherwood Forest is mentioned briefly, the similarities end there. It’s much like all the other prequels that have preceded this, like Casino Royale; you only see the character that you are used to at the end of the movie.
The film, which was the curtain raiser at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, follows Longstride, a common man fighting alongside King Richard The Lionheart (Danny Huston) in the Crusades. When the king dies in battle, Longstride, along with his Merry Men (but they’re never acknowledged as such), masquerade as knights retuning the king’s crown to gain passage back to England after the real ones were killed in an ambush.
Robin Longstride thus becomes Sir Robert Loxley.
A whole lot of trouble accompanies the new name because Longstride becomes tangled up in politics as he plays an unwilling witness to a treacherous plot hatched by Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) to aid the French in invading England.
The false front has to be kept up when Longstride returns Loxley’s sword to his father upon the latter’s request and is asked to assume the man’s identity to protect the land. The famed Maid Marian turns out to be no maiden, but Lady Marion Loxley (Cate Blanchett), Loxley’s widow. A gradual romance blossoms between Longstride and her, as they learn to be man and wife.
Robin Hood deviates greatly from the woodland tale the audience is familiar with, much like what Guy Ritchie did with Sherlock Holmes. While purists may argue that it’s near blasphemous to do so, the end result is stunning.
This movie is more of a story that explains the origins of Robin Hood, or Robin of The Hood, rather than one that chronicles his adventures in redistributing wealth. He does redistribute grain though, if makes fans feel better.
Crowe’s Robin is, in the words of King Richard, “honest, brave and naïve”. While you’re bound to compare this role to Maximus in Gladiator, with the similar theme of fighting for rights, Crowe is more relaxed in this role, with less of a scowl.
Best Supporting Actress Oscar-winner Blanchett is, not surprisingly, excellent in her role as Marion. While seemingly cold and uncaring, Marion has a heart of gold. It’s a role that Blanchett slips easily into, with her icy exterior, much like her turn as Galadriel in Lord Of The Rings.
The onscreen union of the 2 Academy Award winners was highly anticipated and they don’t disappoint. The burgeoning relationship between Longstride and Loxley is slow and believable. Loxley doesn’t fall into Longstride’s arms, instead, they are equals and through a battle of witty remarks, they find each other.
The battle scenes are also a triumph. The sound effects are loud, with every flight of the arrows (and there are a lot of arrows), a swoosh that you feel more than you hear. The scenes are also authentic, with vats of boiling pitch, explosives and hand-to-hand combat. While the sequences are smaller in scale compared to say, Lord Of The Rings, but they’re no less brutal.
This is Scott’s and Crowe’s fifth film together and, much like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, they still hit it out of the park. They do a wonderful job of bringing the legend of Robin Hood closer to this generation, balancing great action with solid characters and a plot layered enough to make audiences think, without being left confused.
For more information on Robin Hood, head over to CTV‘s Movie Mania to find out more!
Title: Robin Hood
Opens: May 13
Duration: 140 minutes
Language: English
Rating: ★★✭✭☆
Genre: Action, Drama
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt