Robin Hood (2010)

Directed by: Ridley Scott | 140 minutes | action, drama | Actors: Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, William Hurt, Max von Sydow, Scott Grimes, Eileen Atkins, Oscar Isaac, Léa Seydoux, Bronson Webb, Robert Pugh, Alan Doyle, Jessica Raine

Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) is an archer in the army of King Richard (Danny Huston), nicknamed ‘The Lionheart’. He and his comrades-in-arms were there when Richard began his crusade, now they are with him on the way back to England. But the king’s army needs food and money and castle after castle is looted, making the retreat much longer than it should have. While taking the last French castle before embarking, Richard is fatally wounded. Robin realizes that the battle is lost after the death of the king and that it will be very difficult to get an affordable crossing to England. With a few comrades in arms he therefore takes a break and drives towards the coast.

Along the way they encounter a group of soldiers led by a certain Godfrey (Mark Strong), an Englishman in the service of the French king. The group has ambushed the nobles who must bring Richard’s crown to England so that his brother Prince John (Oscar Isaac) can be crowned king. Robin and his fellow fighters chase off the robbers.

One of the nobles has been pierced with a lance, but he is still alive. It is Sir Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge) who begs Robin to take his sword to his father Sir Walter Loxley (Max Von Sydow) in Nottingham. They parted ways in discord when he went to war with Richard. After some hesitation, Robin fulfills this promise and travels to Nottingham with his fellow fighters. Sir Walter, however, refuses to receive the sword. He asks Robin to keep the weapon and pose as his son to protect him and those around him in these troubled times. Lady Marion, Robert’s widow, reluctantly joins the game. But these are indeed turbulent times.

People who think they’re going to see a gripping spectacle à la ‘Gladiator’ (2000) because Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have made another movie together can’t help but be disappointed. ‘Robin Hood’ doesn’t compare to ‘Gladiator’, while especially in the beginning this ambition is emphatically apparent from the solemn lyrics, the supported flute music and a high female voice that emits dreamy sounds. However, this ceremony is soon thrown overboard and then it becomes an ordinary adventure film, not bad or boring, but messy and strange, as if several people had been behind the wheel during the ride, each with their own idea where the journey should lead: one wanted a movie with a lot of humor, the other a kind of cape and sword spectacle and another wanted something with a love story.

The warm atmosphere of ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ (1991), which is also emphatically ogled, does not come out well either. Here too there are peasant scenes with a lot of booze, women, singing and the inevitable camaraderie, but it never gets compelling. As a viewer you don’t participate, you watch people who entertain themselves and each other and don’t need you. The fight scenes, on the other hand, are fascinating and exciting, but that someone shouts ‘nooooooo’ when he sees someone else die or thinks someone else is dying, that is really no longer possible.

‘Robin Hood’ contains many beautiful images and the sets and decoration are beautiful, but you are not sucked into the story in such a way that you are still wonderfully musing about what it would be like to experience those exciting times yourself. experience, you immediately return to the order of the day. After more than two hours of watching, that’s a bit on the lean side.