“Robin Hood”
Reviewed 18 May 2010 by Ted Faraone
Two stars out of five; $4.50 ticket on a scale of $0 to $12.50.
ROBIN BEFORE THE HOOD, A PREQUEL
This one has sequel written all over it. And that’s too bad, because the latest iteration of the Robin Hood saga from helmer Ridley Scott via Universal screams “bomb.” Tough, not only because of the potential coin that will not make its way to Universal’s coffers, but also because the 2010 “Robin Hood” has some pretty impressive acting talent. That’s not to say that star Russell Crowe is Errol Flynn in tights, but he brings charm and some believable moments to what is otherwise a deadly screenplay. Blame goes to scribes Brian Helgeland (screenplay) (story), Ethan Reiff (story) and Cyrus Voris (story). Kudos also go to Max von Sydow as the aged, blind Sir Walter Loxley, father of Lady Marian (Cate Blanchett). The trio plus Mark Addy as Friar Tuck give pic its most compelling reasons to sell tix. Otherwise, “Robin Hood” is a dreadfully long (140 minutes) and boring lesson in potentially bogus history.
Plot centers on how Robin Longstride, a humble but accurate archer in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion (Danny Huston), came to be called Robin Hood. That’s where the prequel-sequel thing arises. If only it weren’t so darned boring Universal could be onto something. King Richard’s horrendously costly decade-long crusade is over. His army is going home to
Time to address history: Eleanor of Aquitaine was far more compellingly played by Katharine Hepburn in “The Lion in Winter” (1968). Of course, that was a comedy. Eileen Atkins’ Eleanor, who comes across more as shrew than anything else, is written into pic only to move the plot along. This is a post Henry II story. Here Eleanor is the King’s mother, not his wife. The new king (Prince John, ably played by Oscar Isaac) is ignoring his wife in favor of the sister of the French King (the sexy Léa Seydoux as Isabella of Angoulême) and has all the makings of a world class creep. His chief advisor, a certain Godfrey, villainously played by Mark Strong, is a double agent setting up an invasion of
Pic’s problem is this: Everyone (save the noted exceptions) plays their parts so seriously that bee stings (Tuck is a beekeeper) get laughs. This is no “Robin and Marian”, the 1976 comedy in which Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn played the title roles. Storyline is predictable in the extreme, and with the possible exception of von Sydow, no member of the cast wins the hearts of auds.
Tech elements are fair. Pic boasts a cast of thousands. Some scenes have to have been challenging to shoot. But dialogue is not always audible. Other than lack of dramatic tension, pic’s main problem is that there are several moments where Scott could have yelled, “Cut!” and didn’t. Ending on a cliffhanger may have been a better way to set up Robin Hood II. Pic is rated PG-13.
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