The Death of Robin Hood isn’t the Robin Hood story you grew up with, keep reading to find out more.
I remember being intrigued when it was announced that Hugh Jackman would be playing an older Robin Hood on the big screen. The Robin Hood mythos has been one of my favorite things to read about for years and this film dares to cover a subject that most film adaptations don’t go near: Robin’s death.
While most Robin Hood films cover Robin Hood in his prime, fighting against Prince John or the Sheriff of Nottingham in the name of justice, The Death of Robin Hood focuses on a much older Robin Hood, years after the days of roaming the woods with a band of followers. In fact the only similarity between this Robin Hood and the figure of legend is that he’s very skilled with a bow.
As I said at the start, this is not the Robin Hood story any of us grew up with. In fact this may be the most realistic depiction of the outlaw that I’ve ever seen. The crux of the film is that Robin has lived long enough to see the songs and tales about his supposed life overtake the reality, which is that Robin Hood was a brutal outlaw who killed on a whim. This has gone on for so long that Robin is now throughly sick of living, as all of the killing has begun to weigh heavily on his conscience. When Robin finds himself at an island priory run by a mysterious prioress (Jodie Comer), he finds himself with a lot to think about as his past tries to catch up with him.
The core of The Death of Robin Hood comes from an actual story from the Robin Hood legendarium. For those not familiar, the “final” story usually covers Robin’s death at the hands of a vengeful prioress. The biggest difference between the story and film is that, instead of a noble Robin being tricked into a fatal situation, Hugh Jackman’s Robin is far from innocent, though whether he deserves to die is a matter of debate.
I truly don’t understand the middling reviews this film has received. I was quite entertained by The Death of Robin Hood. Yes, there are some graphic scenes of violence, but this was a brutal era, and I don’t fault the filmmakers for being blunt about that. In fact, I think the film deserves at least an Oscar nod for the makeup used to depict the various wounds and injuries seen throughout the film.
The film also takes a slow and steady pace in the second half of the story that works for the most part. As Robin limps around the priory, you can see him visibly wrestling with the memories of what he’s done and what he could do in a place like this. What I found particularly heart wrenching is that the filmmakers dangled a possible happy ending in front of us, a world where Robin could build a new life, forget the past and find some semblance of peace if not happiness. But…I think the director wanted to remind us that sometimes the past can’t be overcome, sometimes the emotional wounds are too deep and the only way to “move on” is to die.
The weakest part of The Death of Robin Hood is its ending. It’s a scenario where you can see what the director was going for, but it takes at least ten minutes too long to play out. Jodie Comer’s otherwise stellar performance as the prioress is undermined by a sudden indecision that takes the bite out of what could’ve been a truly poignant ending.
In conclusion, The Death of Robin Hood completely deconstructs the legend of Robin Hood and presents a brutal image that many will likely find hard to swallow. It’s refreshing to see a take on Robin Hood that feels truly different from past adaptations. The story doesn’t always connect, but I appreciate that they tried.
