Robin Hood

Robin Hood is a story that has been made into a film so many times, so what can Ridley and Russell bring to the story that's fresh. Well, gone is Kevin Costner's mullet, gone are the men in tights, also gone is the Sherriff of Nottingham as the main bad guy - both he (played by Matthew MacFadyen) and King John are relegated to the role of bumbling comic relief whilst Mark Strong's Gilbert and those dastardly French play the role of villains. Also gone is the idea of King Richard (Danny Huston) as a (historically inaccurate) good king, not that this is exactly a history lesson either. Also almost absent is the idea of Robin and chums being outlaws in Sherwood forest and generally robbing from the rich to give to the poor. In fact, Robin himself rarely shoots an arrow in the film. So, its Robin Hood, but not as we know it. In fact, as much as anything its an origins story.

As such it probably tries to cover too much ground, too much politics and too many characters to the extent that at times Robin feels like a supporting player in his own story. Of the merry men, only Mark Addy's Tuck really gets anything of a look-in. Cate Blanchett's Marion fares much better and the interplay between her and Crowe (wandering accents not withstanding) is among the highlights of the film. Strong makes a good villain as ever and Scott is as assured as you might expect in handling the action. So all in all, its an entertaining largely fun action movie.

Overall - 6.5/10 Its a wee bit too crowded for its own good and would have benefitted from a bit more Robin Hood stuff, but its not as Braveheart-y as the trailer appears.