Rating: PG-13 | Runtime: 140 minutes
Release Date: May 14th, 2010 (USA)
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director(s): Ridley Scott
Writer(s): Brian Helgeland / Brian Helgeland and Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris (story)

We are men of the hood, merry at your expense.

I’ll start with a truth: this Robin Hood is not Robin Hood. And that’s not a bad thing. You’ll catch on early upon realizing the changed name of Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe’s lead character) isn’t an artistic choice because it rolls easier off the tongue. No, the Loxley moniker also exists—but it’s attached to King Richard’s right-hand man who’s neck deep in the Crusades’ last hurrah. Throw in the fact that The Lionheart himself dies within the first fifteen minutes (a shame since it seems Danny Huston can’t buy a large role these days despite his immense talent) and there goes the ending we all know and love from the many iterations of this classic myth.

I personally go back to the Disney version since there’s nothing like a thumb-sucking, coward of a lion getting what’s coming to him, but I’ll be honest in saying Ridley Scott’s go-round was getting pretty high up there on my list. Until an ending that subverted all the great things happening prior to transform this uniquely constructed modern war epic variation on the timeless tale of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor into a money-grabbing prequel. By the end, the film is begging the audience to wish for a sequel in an environment more akin to Robin of the Hood in our memories.

But that inevitable follow-up won’t be quite the same as Kevin Costner’s or Errol Flynn’s vehicles wherein John is king. That in and of itself changes the entire tale’s complexion because Richard isn’t off somewhere trying his hardest to return to England and reclaim his crown. What they’ll do about that change is still up in the air, but they have the Sheriff of Nottingham waiting in the wings to become the villain we all know he is. You don’t cast Matthew Macfadyen only to leave him on the sidelines for an entire film spanning almost two and a half hours. Especially since he’s such an inspired choice.

This actor is good as a grimy sleazeball—perhaps because I know him as Mister Suave and Sophisticated from all his other roles. Who then is the villain on-screen now? None other then Hollywood’s recent go-to antagonist Mark Strong as Lord Godfrey, a man in the pocket of his friend King John (but even deeper in that of France’s King Phillip). This is where Brian Helgeland’s script works its magic by reinvigorating a tired tale of yore with contemporary movie tropes such as deception, double-crossing, and complete ethical reversals. He forces men seeking to grab riches and retire far away from England’s army into fighting against the government as a means to become its saviors.

Rather than pit Crowe’s Hood solely against the tax collectors of King John, this twist welcomes the French in as a new opposition. Godfrey, under allegiance to King Philip, is tasked with appealing to John’s impatience and power-hungry nature to become appointed as the collector of said tariffs—using the King’s name to burn villages and murder without remorse. He’s riling up the North Englanders to launch a civil war that will march on London and cause enough disarray so the French won’t have any trouble coming ashore to take out all that’s left.

It’s a surefire plan that begins like clockwork, but, with old stalwarts like William Hurt’s Marshall (advisor to Richard) and newly impassioned proponents of the lower class such as Robin and his “Merry Men,” you know a wrench will soon be thrown into the mix. King John is eventually given the opportunity to become the leader his elder brother was if he only tones down the tyranny and turns towards a position of using his constituents for bolstering support rather than as dried up cows milked once too many for gold or grain. England can unite against the common enemy of France or it can implode through anger and injustice. It’s therefore only a matter of time before they’re flying the fleur de lis.

Thankfully, Scott leans much more on his swords and sandals masterpiece Kingdom of Heaven and less on mainstream treasure Gladiator—a film that never hit me with the kind of force it seems to have elsewhere. The battle scenes are bloody, kinetic, and gorgeous in their orchestration. To put the final climatic fight (you know Crowe and Strong will be meeting at some point) in shallow water between two rocking ships is genius. I loved the splashing liquid flying into the camera, the blood-colored drops falling from the injured brows of soldiers, and the slow motion emergences from underneath.

It’s all dirty and authentic with small skirmishes sprinkled throughout the film and bookmarked by large-scale sweeping battles at the front (a final castle storming on the journey back from the Crusades) and back (the shores of England). The soldiers all have personality too to add comedic charm that hits its mark from Kevin Durand (Little John), Scott Grimes (Will Scarlet), and Great Big Sea frontman Alan Doyle (Alan A’Dayle). And don’t forget Mark Addy’s Friar Tuck, a man willing to go that extra step knowing God may turn and look the other way. His hives of bees brought a chuckle due to my knowledge of his penchant for dabbling in the creation and imbibing of its mead.

While the performances are stellar across the board (Max von Sydow, Eileen Atkins, and Oscar Isaac as King John round out the main cast), it was the ability to take a story I know so well and make it fresh that stands out. Seeing Cate Blanchett as the former Maid Marion and current Marion Loxley (married to the Robert Loxley Crowe’s Robin meets on the battlefield) makes it so that anything is possible. Longstride may impersonate this man to return home from a ten-year war, but the chance to discover a place as honest and welcoming as Nottingham changes him into the man he was born to become.

The truth to Longstride’s birthright is revealed and the power of voice contained within (one that’s as invigorating as his late father’s) is unleashed. Those words stir a nation into readiness to provide the requisite speech all films of this ilk need to be palatable to Hollywood lovers. Thankfully, they get it out of the way early and let the final war on the beach exist on its own. The fighters do still circle on their horses, but presumed battle cry never comes. Instead, Scott and company truly surprised me with an intelligently told re-imagining of a story ingrained in my minds. I only wish new blockbuster films didn’t always need to inherently tease an unoriginal “franchise” label.

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RUSSELL CROWE stars in “Robin Hood”, the epic action-adventure about the legendary figure whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. Photo Credit: Greg Williams 2010 Universal Studios.