Robin Hood (2010)

ROBIN HOOD (2010).
Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Brian Helgeland. Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Max Von Sydow, Oscar Isaac, Mark Strong, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Léa Seydoux, Kevin Durand, Matthew Macfayden, and Mark Addy.

Plot: Before Robin Hood was an outlaw, he was... an outlaw. But before that, he was a star archer on the King's Crusade.

And that's pretty much the essence of it. Ridley Scott claimed he was doing a prequel to the oft-told story of Robin Hood (here played by Russell Crowe), with a twist; his twist seems to have been that both King Richard The Lionheart and his heir Prince John had, in a short time span, and without one another's knowledge, made him an outlaw, Richard even pretty much given him the death penalty.

And the movie is less a re-telling than a Gladiator-version of an explanation on how Robin took Marion Loxley's heart (a terrific Cate Blanchett), rounded up his misfit gang of Merry Men, and played on the nerves of both the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfayden) and Prince John (a marvelous if cliché'd performance by Oscar Isaac).

Expect thousands of extras fighting in epic battle scenes shot on location with surreal environments and buildings made just for this movie. But don't expect anyone to upstage either Crowe or Blanchett - whether it's their sheer raw talent or an editor's work, there is no scene-stealer among the supporting cast, despite Mark Addy giving it a decent go as Friar Tuck. Even William Hurt and Max Von Sydow are just filler for a back-story that didn't really need to be told.

3.5/5