Hugh Jackman is perfect as a grizzled and remorseful Robin Hood. When we first lay eyes on him, he’s sitting alone when a young girl slowly walks up to him and asks for food. Suspecting that he might be the legendary figure, she asks him if a particular story about Robin Hood was true.
What follows is a long, guttural monologue about life and regret. This isn’t the charming outlaw stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. This is a man who’s seen and done it all, and according to him, most of it was bad. He’s haunted by the choices he’s made and the people he’s hurt. He’s also a man seemingly just living out the rest of his life, waiting to be done with it.
What he does a few minutes later is totally shocking. After that, I was excited to see where the story would go.
Unfortunately, where it went and where it ended up didn’t match the expectations of that first half hour.
Robin Hood, who’s now calling himself Randolph, soon meets up with his longtime friend Little John, who is now going by Edward (Bill Skarsgård). Edward needs his help because his wife and daughter have been taken away from him, and Randolph reluctantly agrees to help. There’s a nice tension in those early scenes because Randolph wants no part of his old life, but Edward knows exactly who he used to be and what he’s capable of.
When Edward’s wife is killed during the rescue, Edward, his daughter Margaret (Faith Delaney) and a badly beaten Randolph seek refuge on an island where Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer) runs a home for the sick and injured. The island is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place where people who have been discarded by the world can find some kind of peace. And as Randolph begins to heal, he starts making amends for his vicious past, but that past comes back to haunt him, both physically and mentally.
Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, The Death of Robin Hood looks absolutely beautiful, thanks to cinematographer Pat Scola. The landscapes, the island, and even the more brutal moments all look gorgeous. The music by Jim Ghedi makes it even better, giving the film almost a longing and mournful feeling.
I know this was a different take on the tale of Robin Hood, but I couldn’t quite understand why. It doesn’t really do anything to push the Robin Hood story forward. You could have easily named him John Von Winterbottom and the story would possibly have had the same impact. The idea of an older, broken Robin Hood trying to reckon with the violence of his past is a good one, but the film never fully takes advantage of it.
Once they get to the island, the story comes to a grinding halt. There are strong moments here and there, especially as Randolph tries to confront the man he used to be, but the movie becomes so internal and so quiet that it loses a lot of the momentum it had built up at the beginning.
Also, I couldn’t really understand a lot of the dialogue. The brogue that Jackman, Skarsgård and some of the other characters use is sometimes unintelligible. There were moments where I felt like I was missing something important, which is not great when the film is already asking you to lean in and pay close attention.
Comer, as Sister Brigid, makes you understand why this island has become a sanctuary for the ill and injured. She’s caring and sweet, but definitely no pushover. There’s a toughness underneath her kindness that makes the character feel lived-in, and she brings a nice calm to the film whenever she’s onscreen.
You just want to give Delaney’s Young Margaret a hug and protect her from everything she’s endured. She’s got a full head of red hair, which made me wish that this could be a prequel to Disney’s Brave, where she eventually is revealed to be Merida. Honestly, I might have liked that movie a little more.
I liked The Death of Robin Hood a lot more than the other critics at the screening I went to. There’s a lot to admire, especially Jackman’s performance and the overall look and feel of the film. I just wish the filmmakers had given the audience a bit more of a story to sink our teeth into.
