Directed by:
Ridley ScottScreenplay:
Brian HelgelandCinematography:
John MathiesonComposer:
Marc StreitenfeldCast:
Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Matthew Macfadyen, Kevin Durand (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer (Russell Crowe), previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richards army against the French. Upon Richards death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marian (Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marian and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff. With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more. (Universal Pictures US)
(more)Videos (4)
Reviews (12)
What a nice surprise. I really didn’t feel like watching the new Robin Hood, but all the more Scott managed to persuade me that there is sense in this fairly fundamentally innovated version. Helgeland’s screenplay is one of the greatest boon of the picture, making something more out of this dusty old legend. The main problem is that the closer it gets to the end, the more scenes are simply missing. As if someone was hurrying somewhere and to make the movie shorter, they just trimmed down the ending eliminating any climax and so it just “happens". But they could have gotten so much more of the battle by the sea. The ingredients are there, but just not used. Russell gives his standard and what surprised me most was the excellent chemistry between him and Cate Blanchett. The role of Maid Marion suited her wonderfully. Strong’s bad guy is exquisite, despite playing them all the time. You would have thought it would wear a little thin, but it doesn’t. And a final thanks to Marc Streitenfeld for the wonderful soundtrack.
()
It's nice to see a film on the screen where bytes are not being smashed against each other, but where a massive ensemble is pushing conquering battering rams and stuntmen in fireproof suits are falling from the walls. The trailer was off-putting, while Ridley’s name was carrying it. I don't regret the money in favor of honest filmmaking, which compromises on ratings and, in the second half, on the tolerability of the runtime (I will, like many, be looking out for the DVD with the extended bloodier version), but otherwise entertains with well-written and acted characters that you fully believe in. Crowe’s pathetic charisma drips throughout, while the rest of the gang spit out dry catchphrases and Cate Blanchett is breathtaking. That's what makes even the romantic storyline pleasant and spirited. In a way, it's nothing we haven't seen from Ridley before, but his paintings have always had eyes boring into them, and Robin Hood isn't going to change that.
()
I was too content to be disappointed, but... I expect rather more from Ridley than a slipshod, while entertaining historical snack. I don’t doubt that in a year and a day we’ll see the release of a dozens of minutes longer and countless percent better director’s cut. Because mainly the editor had to do inhumane overtime on the second half and so in many places it doesn’t make too much sense. But it isn’t ridiculous, not at all (apart from the lady charging on the pony, huh?). The reason why Robin Hood is worth seeing isn’t sumptuous production design (there is none, anyhow) or monumental battles (there are none, anyhow), but the electrifying courting chemistry of the central two. Despite all of potential for mediocrity, I would certainly like to see a part two. Or, better still, I want Scott to give us a whole new movie about Richard played by Huston! P.S.: And although this has almost nothing to do with the legend, still it is a hair’s breadth closer to it than what they did in the version starring Costner.
()
I'm delivering on what I promised, and after watching the director's cut DVD version, I'm adding a fifth star to the four strong movie theatre stars. And I like adding that last star. Ridley Scott is a whiz at this kind of film and in Robin Hood he once again shows very solid craftsmanship, which together with Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven makes a fantastic historical triptych. It's hard to know what to praise first. A script that isn't afraid to look at the legend from a completely different angle? The direction, visuals, music and elaborate costumes and props (see the bonus features on the DVD)? The great pairing of Crowe and Blanchett, with a nice spark between them (saving the ram)? The slimy Mark Strong, the dignified Max von Sydow, the bearded William Hurt, the unrecognizably masked Danny Huston? I really don't know and that's why I applaud everybody. Robin Hood is definitely a good film, worth two and a half hours of your time.__P.S. The way Scott quotes Private Ryan at the end really amused me.__P.P.S. The only flaw is that I expected the director's version to be at least half an hour longer.
()
He promised us the story of the Duke of Nottingham, then a dual role for Russell Crowe, and finally reminded us of Gladiator in the trailers. And there Ridley Scott luckily remained. Robin Hood is indeed about a rebellion, but it is not a pathetic epic about noble heroes' victory. It is a cautiously romantic memory, but not a fairytale about Robin and Lady Marion. But most importantly, it is the story of a few righteous men and the rough birth of a legend.
()
Ads