Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Running Time: 140 minutes

Summary: Birth of a legend. Following King Richard's death in France, archer Robin Longstride, along with Will Scarlett, Alan-a-Dale and Little John, returns to England. They encounter the dying Robert of Locksley, whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey, who hopes to facilitate a French invasion of England. Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Walter in Nottingham. Here Walter encourages him to impersonate the dead man to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown, and he finds himself with Marian, a ready-made wife. Hoping to stir baronial opposition to weak King John and allow an easy French take-over, Godfrey worms his way into the king's service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes. Can Robin navigate the politics of barons, royals, traitors, and the French?

Review: Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott team up again to bring you a historical take on the classic Robin Hood story. Crowe plays Robin Longstride, an archer in King Richard's army who, after the King's death, deserts his fellow soldiers in the hope of getting the first ship back to England. Epic sized coincidences ensue which place our dear Robin on the road towards Nottingham and his destiny as "Robin of the Hood".

Almost at the two and a half hour mark, this movie is the longest of any Robin Hood film, and let me tell you, you notice.

It really is a beautifully made film, the cinematography and scenic English countryside make for a movie that is pretty, if not wayyyyy to long! The all star cast and complex story do a good job of keeping your attention for most of the film but at about an hour into the movie and no conflict has yet come into the plot, you start to wonder exactly how much longer this is going to take.

The highlight of the movie is surprisingly, the addition of Great Big Sea front man Alan Doyle to the band of Merry Men. His musical stylings fit right in to this medieval setting. He did look a little bit like a gorilla at times, but it was a small price to pay.

The movie ends with Robin and his band of Merry Men moving into Sherwood Forest because there is "no tax, no tides, no rich, no poor, fair trades at the table".

Sounds like a sequel to me. God help us.

Rating: 6 nests out of 10