A Worthy Prequel
The new Robin Hood is an imposter. Both the film and the character are not what they purport to be. But that’s OK because Ridley Scott’s tale with Russell Crowe in the title role has its own charms.
The film is an imposter because it’s titled Robin Hood but tells a different tale than the one we know. This is not Errol Flynn or Kevin Costner confined to Sherwood, splitting arrows in archery tournaments and jousting with the Sheriff of Nottingham. The promise of these moments remain for a later day. The tale at hand starts earlier, revealing who Robin is, where he comes from, how he ends up in Nottingham, incurs the wrath of Prince John and flees into the forest. The film ends where Errol Flynn and Kevin Costner’s versions begin.
The character is an imposter because Crowe’s Robin is not of Loxley. Though his name is Robin (Robin Longstride) he merely takes the place of Robin of Loxley upon return to England. Loxley, you see, dies in Longstride’s arms, after both men fight alongside King Richard in foreign lands. With his last breath Loxley makes Longstride promise to go to Nottingham and pay homage to his father, Sir Walter (Max Von Sydow).
In Nottingham, Longstride meets Lady Marian (Cate Blanchett), the wife of dead Robin, and returns Loxley’s sword to his father. He steps into the role of his dead comrade when Sir Walter proposes he do so to help protect the village.
Meanwhile, in London the royal court is unsettled with the news of King Richard’s death. Prince John (Oscar Isaac) ascends. His mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eileen Atkins) doubts her son’s ability to handle the throne. William Marshall (William Hurt) tries to save the nation while Godfrey (Mark Strong) plots with the King of France to destroy it. The palace intrigue rivals that in Gladiator (2000), also by Ridley Scott, adding depth and scope to the tale.
But the heart of the story remains with Longstride/Loxley, who we first meet as he helps Richard the Lionheart plunder castles. After Richard dies in battle, Longstride sets out for England with three comrades from the Crusades (Wil Scarlet, Allan A’Dayle and Little John). But the small band of merry men come upon the scene of an ambush, where Longstride comforts Loxley, whose last wish sets his future into motion.
The similarity between Crowe’s Robin Longstride, and his role as Maximus in Gladiator a decade earlier is apparent. It sometimes seems as if the Roman General has been plucked from one epic and placed into a somewhat smaller one with different challenges along the way. But even so we don’t mind. For the qualities that made Maximus admirable – courage, leadership and decency – work for Robin too, and Crowe is well-suited to the task.
While it’s also expected that Longstride fall in love with Marian (who barely knew her dead husband), the duo handle the tender dance with a restraint that rings true. When Longstride isn’t measuring the right moves in his new role as son and husband, he’s rallying villagers and countrymen alike. There’s a back story about Longstride’s true identity that helps us understand why he can rally men with words, not just courage. As backstory it seems a bit convenient, if not forced.
But minor faults aside, the new Robin Hood consistently delivers with strong storytelling, solid performances, political intrigue and battlefield heroics.
If only Longstride could have split an arrow with one of his own along the way, I’d have absolutely no regrets.
Robin Hood
Starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett
Directed by Ridley Scott
7¼ of 10 on the Movie Fraction Rating System™
