Movie Review - Robin Hood

Ridley Scott is one of the world's greatest directors and his greats: Alien, Bladerunner, Thelma and Louise and Gladiator are rightly regarded as classics. Robin Hood will not be one of them.

There is a long history of appalling adaptations of the Robin Hood legend, with the recent politically correct BBC T.V. Series and the grating Robin, Prince of Thieves being amongst the worst. This certainly isn't in that league. There is no absurd introduction of exotic characters to please the diversity crowd (the BBC had a laughable female Muslim engineer/scientist), although Oscar Isaac looks rather as if he should be replacing Jake Gyllenhal in Prince of Persia than the Northern European King John. Our ears aren't bludgeoned by the twangs of American A list actors too lazy or untalented to speak with English accents, as in Kevin Costner and Christian Slater's appalling portrayals in Prince of Thieves, but I was expecting great things and Ridley fails to deliver his best.

We are told in the opening that it is the 'turn of the 12th century'. Actually it's the turn of the 13th century, so that little slip up doesn't actually set the tone well. OK, you probably won't have noticed but still there is no excuse for that sort of lapse. However, then we are treated to rather a gripping account of the 1199 (see I told you it was at the edge of the 13th century) siege of Chalus (in France) and even I had to admit that the work was accurate and rather impressive.

It is after the death of King Richard -rather well portrayed by Danny Huston, himself fresh from playing Poseidon in Clash of the Titans- that the adventure begins and we are introduced to the main protagonist of the piece: The utterly mercenary Godefroi, played by the excellent Mark Strong. Strong has long since been one of my favorite actors from as far back as his award winning portrayal as Tosca in the TV series ‘Our Friends in the North' but it is only recently has he come into his own as a serial baddy: Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes, Sir John Conroy in The Young Victoria and Silestro in the upcoming Green Lantern. Strong is the strongest character in the film, which revolves around his pact with the King of France to undermine England in preparation for a French invasion.

Robin and chums, the usual suspects: Little John, Will Scarlet and Allan-a-Dale, plan an escape back to England but chance upon a French ambush and quickly win the ground. Accurately (for once!) they loot the bodies and chance upon a dying Sir Robert of Loxley who is protecting the dead King's Crown and entrusts it to Robin along with his aging father's sword.

Upon returning the sword they chance upon an aging Maid Marion, actually widow Marion, portrayed by a rather wizened Cate Blanchett (of Elizabeth fame) who was the wife of the erstwhile Sir Robert and daughter in law to Sir Walter played by the venerable Max von Sydow (The Exorcist, Flash Gordon) who, in turn, persuades Robin to impersonate his dead son.

We see precious little ambush and even less of the bowmanship we have come to expect but we do see the most bizarre French invasion which is nothing less than a full remake of the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan complete with wooden replicas of World War II landing craft and shots of arrows streaking underwater in the most absurdly ahistorical scene of the film.

Saying all of that this is a well crafted film and the artistic work and special effects are of top quality, even if the score is nothing to write home about. I suspect we shall be treated to a sequel in the near future and if so I hope it is rather better than this one.

If this wasn't Ridley Scott I would have judged it an enjoyable romp through the Middle Ages but this wasn't up to Mr. Scott’s standards. Do see it for over two hours of manly escapism but expect nothing more.

Thor saw Robin Hood at the SFX Cinema : Central Pattaya Beach for showing times http://tinyurl.com/pattayarobinhood