MARK FOKER'S MOVIE REVIEW - ROBIN HOOD (From Your Local Guardian)

MARK FOKER'S MOVIE REVIEW - ROBIN HOOD

10:41pm Tuesday 11th May 2010 in Your Say By Mark Foker

Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Max von Sydow Director: Ridley Scott

Certificate 12A

I don’t think the recent trailers for this movie do it credit. I really thought as though this was going to be ‘Gladiator in Tights’ but I was pleasantly surprised.

This is the Robin Hood legend going back to its origin in the 13th century when Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) was an archer fighting overseas in the crusades alongside the King, Richard the Lionheart. Robin becomes disillusioned with the principles that they are fighting for and vows to return to England together with his loyal band of men Will Scarlett (Scott Grimes), Little John (Kevin Durand from TVs Lost) and Alan A’Dayle (Alan Doyle). To secure their passage home Robin assumes the identity of a fallen Knight called Sir Robert Loxley and as a mark of honour and respect agrees to visit Loxley’s Father Sir Walter Loxley (Max von Sydow) but wasn’t expecting to fall for Sir Roberts wife Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett).

Meanwhile England is under threat of an invasion by the French which is masterminded by English traitor Godfrey (Mark Strong) who is also chief tax collector for the newly crowned King John (Oscar Isaac). Robin Hood is the man the people and the Barons put their faith in to lead them into battle and save them from another French invasion. The fight sequences are extremely well shot and choreographed which is no more than you would expect from Ridley Scott with plenty of close ups and thundering sound effects. One scene in particular is a medieval nod to the ‘Saving Private Ryan’ beach blood bath.

Mark Strong is making a name for himself as every Director’s first choice Mr Nasty and is superb in this film which is in complete contrast to Matthew Macfadyen’s Sheriff of Nottingham who seems to be the comic relief rather than a threatening tyrant. Cate Blanchett plays Marion as an action girl with tom boyish charm but also pulls off the dignified widow Lady Marion.

In my opinion this is certainly the best movie version since the 1938 Errol Flynn swashbuckler ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ and with more historical detail than say Kevin Costner’s ‘Prince of Thieves’ who stepped out of a boat in Dover and with his next step was in Nottingham Forest (that’s one giant leap!).

The film is more of a prologue than the usual ‘Robs from the rich and gives to the poor’ living in the woods type of Robin Hood and RH2 is no doubt already in production.

A very entertaining epic and I was quite disappointed when it finished. I was all settled in to watch the next instalment.