This is far from the first big screen showing of Robin Hood, and it certainly won’t be the last. However, there’s no doubt this one stands apart in its subject matter.
Directed by Michael Sarnoski, Hugh Jackman stars in this film as the legendary outlaw, now in his later years. The film picks up with him living a directionless life, no longer interested in prior adventures, and under threat from old enemies. However, he takes up a new task to help protect the family of Little John (Bill Skarsgard), but is gravely injured in the process.
Badly hurt, Robin Hood finds himself waking up in a monastery where he’s nursed back to health by a nun, Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). He begins to recover and even finds some peace, but the past still rears its head often.
As a character study, “The Death of Robin Hood” is an above average flick about a haunted warrior seeking peace. It’s not an entirely unique take, as other films have explored the concept of older soldiers who live with regret and mental scars. The difference, of course, is in the title. The fact that it’s Robin Hood at the center of the movie adds a dynamic that differentiates it from similar pictures.
However, this alone doesn’t necessarily boost the quality. When looking at it as a whole, it becomes both a positive and a negative. The concept of a Robin Hood who looks back on his exploits with no sense of glory, and acknowledges his life as a thief resulted in many innocent deaths, is an interesting one.
While that offers some intrigue, though, the film doesn’t really do enough with its own premise. For much of the flick, one starts to wonder why this movie is connected with Robin Hood at all. The name is of course mentioned and the character is good with a bow, but there’s not really a true connection built between who’s on screen and the folk hero of legend.
Perhaps a few flashbacks to some of his exploits would have been beneficial to build more of a bridge to the character of myth. Or scenes with dialogue about what Robin Hood truly felt about hording of wealth, unfair taxation or the unmet needs of the poor. None of that is ever really brought up.
Now, the character himself does bring up that he’s tried to move on from that life and doesn’t want to look back. However, in the process, it lessens the impact on him actually being Robin Hood. The film’s title alludes to the importance of the character’s lore, yet it feels largely untouched.
It starts to feel as if the protagonist of the film could be any generic warrior who’s tried to move on and lives with regret while trying to find peace. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because it has worked just fine in other flicks. The problem is that this isn’t just another story of a man with a history of violence. It’s a very specific figure known well in pop culture to this day.
With all that said, as a film about a man trying to live a peaceful life after a history of bloodshed, finding it both in community and mentorship, it’s pretty good. That is aside from an opening act that becomes so brutal that it almost feels like it was done just to present the feature as ‘not being like your dad’s Robin Hood.’
Writer/director Michael Sarnoski knows how to create a film centered on men carrying on with life despite great sorrow and trauma, as shown in 2021’s “Pig” with Nicolas Cage, which was my No. 2 film of that year. He proves it again here with some truly good sequences of its lead character confronting his past, and trying to adjust in the present.
This is of course greatly helped by the performance from Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. He’s iconically portrayed older men with difficult pasts before in both “Les Misérables and “Logan,” and channels that type of energy again here. He’s exceptional in showing the character’s pathos, growing empathy and overall reflection.
The picture also benefits from solid performances from Emmy winner Jodie Comer and Faith Delaney as Little John’s daughter Margaret. Plus, the picture is quite good visually. It has an authentic look for the era, from the set and costume design, to the cinematography by Pat Scola who captures the rugged lives of the characters living in the rural area in that time period.
“The Death of Robin Hood” definitely has some issues working against it, especially in how it handles the legacy of its titular character, which is its most important point. However, while the bow bends, it doesn’t break. Jackman’s great performance and the overall skill from the filmmakers help this shine in certain areas. 3.25 out of 5.
Photos courtesy A24 and Lyrical Media
