Robin Hood

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring: Russell Crowe (Robin Longstride), Cate Blanchett (Marion Loxley), Max von Sydow (Sir Walter Loxley), Mark Strong (Godfrey), William Hurt (William Marshall), Oscar Isaac (King John), Danny Huston (Richard the Lionheart), Eileen Atkins (Eleanor of Aquitaine).

There are far too many things to like about Ridley Scott’s ‘Robin Hood’ to quibble over there not being enough shots of Russell Crowe in green tight’s pulling off a ham fisted copy of Errol Flynn (or Kevin Costner or Carly Elewes).  This ‘Robin Hood’ owes more to King Lear and the brilliant French film ‘The Return of Martin Guerre’ (remade by Hollywood as ‘Sommersby’ with Richard Gere and Jodie Foster) than any other version of Robin Hood, and it is better for it.

For a start Robin Longstride starts this film as yeoman in Richard the Lionheart’s army returning from the crusades. A yeoman is a professional soldier in this case a professional archer, and every Englishman had to practice archery from the age of 12 for at least 3 hours a week. There’s nothing wrong with starting the Robin Hood story here – it’s as good a place as anywhere else given the many points of origin for Robin Hood. Remember, the Robin Hood myth is added to as the story ages, so by Victorian times, it’s had been retrofitted and made over so many times as to have little in common with its origins in ballads and odes.

The film is much more enjoyable if you know when the screenwriter (Brian Hegeland ‘L.A. Confidential’) borrows from history, when he steals from history and when he just had too much coffee that morning before sitting down to the screen writing software. The bits that are important to know and which Ridley Scott tries to hint at his audience are yes, England was bankrupted to buy the freedom of King Richard the Lionheart. Yes, King John was ambitious and did crown himself King a tad too early. Yes, Richard and John’s mother Eleanor of Aquitaine makes Lady Macbeth look like the CWA Lady who serves you tea at the Royal Show pavilion. Yes Richard the Lionheart dies with an arrow wound because he was being a cock. Yes, England had seven years of failed crops.

This should mean England is in turmoil at the start of the film. Does Ridley Scott set this up? Yes he does, does he tempt our memory by making the opening scene reminiscent of that ‘Gladiator’ film he did, the last time he and Russell Crowe worked together with Russell wearing a beard? Yes. It should also be noted that the Northern Barons didn’t mind taxation providing they could in turn tax their own serfs. But with no crops, there’s nothing to barter, sell or trade. The people are slowly starving to death. Hence there’s unrest, hence the Northern Barons have had enough of the Royals sending out decrees from the Tower of London. Particularly when it’s King John.

Anyway I could bang on about the history, but really it enhances this ‘Robin Hood’ but is not essential for this Robin Hood. I would say to all and sundry buy a ticket, sit away from the pimply Justin Bieber clones playing with their iPhones and sit back and enjoy the surprises this version of Robin Hood has to tell. All you really need to know is that it is Russell Crowe in ‘Gladiator’ mode but set in medieval England. His merry men are all given some balls and none of them look like nancy boys.

However, Russell Crowe’s accent is all over the shop as it was in ‘Master and Commander’. As far as English accents go it’s as reliable as Sean Connery’s Russian accent in ‘The Hunt for Red October’. The moment Cate Blanchett is on screen the energy of the film picks up enormously and everybody lifts his or her game. Max Van Sydow plays the elderly Sir Locksley with aplomb with the added touch of being blind and carrying a staff with Lady Marion playing the Cordelia role. The film is full of faces you know. The action scenes are thrilling and the films climactic battle scene is certainly as grand as any Errol Flynn epic.

The production credits are top notch, having used Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine company teaming up with Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free productions. You can see Russell has rehired some of his mates from previous outings (Master & Commander and Mystery Alaska) to play his merry men. Editing and Cinematography is never a problem when you have Ridley in the director’s chair. The only production quibble I have is that the soundtrack is underwhelming perhaps over compensating for Michael Kamen’s ‘Prince of Thieves’ overload from the early 90’s.

We like Russel Crowe when he is grizzled and dirty and playing the hero who’s been doubled crossed, cheated and using cunning and force to get what’s his. We like him when he is defending the helpless. Hegeland has carefully constructed a Robin Hood where all the things we like about Russell’s best roles are on the screen. Hegeland in constructing this Robin Hood, and Ridley Scott in directing this Robin Hood have given us a hero we like, and while we have no f-cking idea where the story is going, it doesn’t matter. In fact it makes this Robin Hood something of a joy to sit back and reveal itself. When Crowe plays this kind of action hero, it’s always good fun. Even when you’re wondering to yourself why he is now sounding like an Irishman when in the last scene he sounded a bit Scouse?