In twelfth-century England, Robin Longstride and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power.
Birth of a legend. Following King Richard's (Danny Huston's) death in France, archer Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe), along with Will Scarlet (Scott Grimes), Allan A'Dayle (Alan Doyle), and Little John (Kevin Durand), returns to England. They encounter the dying Sir Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge), whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey (Mark Strong), who hopes to facilitate a French invasion of England. Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Sir Walter Loxley (Max von Sydow) in Nottingham. Here, Sir Walter encourages him to impersonate the dead man to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown, and he finds himself with Marion (Cate Blanchett), a ready-made wife. Hoping to stir baronial opposition to weak Prince John (Oscar Isaac) and allow an easy French take-over, Godfrey worms his way into the Prince's service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes. Can Robin navigate the ...Written by
don @ minifie-1
The battering ram used during the filming at the Bourne Wood in Surrey, which was nicknamed "Rosie" by the crew and was worth £60,000, was donated by producer and actor Russell Crowe to a Scottish charity, the Clanranald Trust, to be used for battle re-enactments at Fort Duncarron, which was built in a forest near the Carron Reservoir in North Lanarkshire. See more »
Goofs
Though there are primary sources dating back to within a few years of when the film takes place which describe landing craft that "had doors, which were easily opened, and a bridge was thrust out whereby the knights could come forth to land all mounted", these doors were in the stern of the ship, not the bow, and were not intended for amphibious landings. [William of Tyre, Chronicon, ed. Robert B. C. Huygens (Turnhout: Brepols, 1986), p. 927] See more »
Quotes
Little John:
[after spotting a tall woman at a party]
She's about my size. I'm going to make her smile.
[then yelling to the girl]
Little John:
I'm going to make you smile!
See more »
Crazy Credits
The first part of the end credits are in the same style as Ridley Scott's production company 'Scott Free Productions'. See more »
Alternate Versions
On DVD and Blu-ray Disc, the 16-minutes longer "Director's Cut" contains slightly more violence and expanded battles and additional character development. See more »
If you have seen Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut then you will undoubtedly enjoy Robin Hood. While it may not be as bloody as Kingdom of Heaven, the action still remains exciting and brutal. People who have not seen that film will be disappointed by the lack of action and scenes that are too long.
While I found the film to be exciting, I couldn't help but realise that this would have been great if it was a 15 (UK age certificate) rather than a 12a. The first action sequence is great as English soldiers attack a French castle but it felt restricted that you would never see any blood when someone is killed; a soldier is shot in the neck by an arrow but other than the arrow, they look completely fine. Early on a character dies but from the way it was edited, you would never have known. A film where the violence is as savage and as brutal as this, requires you to feel as if the characters are in great danger.
A lot has been said about Russell Crowe and his acting in the film but I found little to complain about. He suited his role well. The supporting cast including Mark Strong, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Kevin Durand and Oscar Isaac are fantastic. They are all completely immersed into their roles. I never felt that someone else could have been casted instead.
The cinematography is also really good but if only it was not let down by the editing. As a sword or axe is flung towards an enemies head, it cuts straight after the impact, loosing a sense of realism. The hurts the film much later on in the final action sequence.
The film maintained my interest and the final action sequence was exciting. This is a film worth watching but if you are expecting the next Gladiator, I suggest waiting for the director's cut on DVD/ Blu-ray.
51 of 92 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
If you have seen Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut then you will undoubtedly enjoy Robin Hood. While it may not be as bloody as Kingdom of Heaven, the action still remains exciting and brutal. People who have not seen that film will be disappointed by the lack of action and scenes that are too long.
While I found the film to be exciting, I couldn't help but realise that this would have been great if it was a 15 (UK age certificate) rather than a 12a. The first action sequence is great as English soldiers attack a French castle but it felt restricted that you would never see any blood when someone is killed; a soldier is shot in the neck by an arrow but other than the arrow, they look completely fine. Early on a character dies but from the way it was edited, you would never have known. A film where the violence is as savage and as brutal as this, requires you to feel as if the characters are in great danger.
A lot has been said about Russell Crowe and his acting in the film but I found little to complain about. He suited his role well. The supporting cast including Mark Strong, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Kevin Durand and Oscar Isaac are fantastic. They are all completely immersed into their roles. I never felt that someone else could have been casted instead.
The cinematography is also really good but if only it was not let down by the editing. As a sword or axe is flung towards an enemies head, it cuts straight after the impact, loosing a sense of realism. The hurts the film much later on in the final action sequence.
The film maintained my interest and the final action sequence was exciting. This is a film worth watching but if you are expecting the next Gladiator, I suggest waiting for the director's cut on DVD/ Blu-ray.