DVD Reviews

Robin Hood

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Mark Strong
• Details: US/140mins 12A

Looking to recapture lightening in a bottle after the mammoth success of Gladiator, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe may have worked together numerous times since that Oscar-saturated production, but this is the first attempt at tackling something even moderately similar. As an interpretation of the iconic character, Robin Hood is only mildly successful, playing more like an origins tale. When Scott ups the spectacle after some snooze-worthy mid-film procrastination, it offers some predictably stunning visuals and nifty battle sequences, but the action may feel like it's a long time coming for some.
Russell Crowe plays a noble, but lowly soldier, part of King Richard's army during the costly crusades. When Richard and his right hand man, Robin of Loxley, are killed just as they're preparing to return home, Crowe and some other soldiers hitch a ride on the boat that was meant for them. Taking Loxley's identity initially just to bring the news of The King's demise to his mother, when he returns to his home to inform Cate Blancett's widow of her husband's death, he again assumes his identity for the sake of his family and starving townsfolk. Soon, he finds himself in the middle of a scuffle with The French, as Mark Strong's double-crossing aide to the new King is actually planning on overthrowing him and taking over Blighty.
Officially the oldest man at 45 to every play Robin Hood, Crowe is skating by here on his screen presence and ability to effortlessly appear as a leader of men. You buy the Merry Men following him to the ends of the earth with minimal context, because simply, Crowe has the charisma and the unparalleled masculinity to evoke that kind of response. He looks the sort to shrug off an arrow to the jugular, and continue swigging away at his medieval beverage of choice. However, his accent here is uneven, and there are precious little sparks between his Robin and Blancett's Marion. Given that Scott spends a huge part of the film developing that relationship, it feels like time wasted when some more swashbuckling could've been done.
When Scott ups gears into the battle sequences it's hard not to get caught up in it. The invasion near the end gives way to a wonderfully executed close-quarter sword fight between Crowe and Strong that is pure cinema. Strong is particularly dastardly here, more than matching Crowe and delivering another imposing bad guy. It's about time someone copped on and gave this man his own movie to carry - he deserves it.
Comparisons with Gladiator will undoubtedly hurt Robin Hood greatly, as it's not a mole on the ass of that film. It does occasionally show that Scott is still a top drawer director, and his leading man still the proprietor of undeniable screen presence; it's just too lethargic and indifferent to rank among their best work.

Review by Mike Sheridan