Directed by: Kevin Reynolds. Starring: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane, Sean Connery
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen, Robin Hood Robin Hood, with his band of men, feared by the bad, loved by the goooooood . . . sorry. Got a bit carried away there.
This early-90s retelling of the classic Errol Flynn romp pits an unconvincing Kevin Costner into the role of tree-dwelling do-gooder Robin of Locksley, a countryside toff who returns home from fighting in the Crusades to run into a spot of bother in Sherwood Forest. Upon finding his father murdered by the taxes-daft Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman), Rob vows not to rest until the death has been avenged – and, given that his dad’s Brian Blessed, I’m sure we’re all with him on that one.
So, accompanied by Azeem (Morgan Freeman), a Moorish warrior who’s followed him all the way back from Jerusalem, he joins up with a band of soap-dodging forest bandits and sets about foiling the nasty Sheriff’s plans to oust the absent King Richard. Meanwhile, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does her best damsel in distress bit as the curly-topped Maid Marian.
Costner doesn’t bother with minor formalities like attempting an English accent, but perhaps that’s for the best if the alternative is a dodgy twang equivalent to Mel Gibson’s forlorn attempts to sound Scottish in ‘Braveheart’. Besides, a much bigger problem for Costner is that he’s perennially upstaged by either the masterful Freeman or the brilliantly sarcastic Rickman. It might be Costner’s name on the poster, but it’s those two who are the real stars of the movie. Murderous Satanist or not, I have to admit I found myself increasingly siding with the nasty Sheriff, with his OTT facial expressions and heartfelt intentions to wipe out his nemesis ‘with a spoon’.
DVD Extras: 1/10. Just some measly production notes – on that front alone you’d be best advised to sit tight and wait for the UK release of the 2-disc Special Edition, which is apparently on its’ way.
It’s Got: Bryan Adams somehow finding somewhere to plug in his electric guitar in the middle of the forest to belt out ‘Everything I Do’.
It Needs: A hero who doesn’t have to play second or third fiddle to his superior co-stars.
Summary: 7/10. An enjoyable and action-packed swash-buckler, albeit with a few funny accents.
Alternatively: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Disney’s Robin Hood
Gary Panton.
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