Robin Hood
2010 · Directed by Ridley Scott
Original language: English
- action
- adventure
- history
- drama
The story
When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draws the ire of the town's sheriff and King John's henchman, Godfrey.
What it’s like
Muddy greens, bruised browns and steel-grey skies dominate this 2010 Robin Hood, shot by Ridley Scott with a gritty, desaturated realism that makes the medieval English countryside feel cold, damp and lived-in. Battle sequences are handheld and chaotic, with arrows whistling through mud and bodies crashing into the frame, while quieter scenes in candlelit halls and wind-combed fields settle into earthy warmth. Marc Streitenfeld's score swells with war drums and brass during action and recedes to low strings in the romantic passages. The pace is brisk and muscular, building toward a long, rousing final act, and the emotional register is earnest rather than ironic: a soldier drifting from disillusion toward conscience, and a widow and her household slowly learning to trust him. Violence is frequent and physical, with sword and arrow combat, some blood and graphic deaths, plus wartime brutality and a few tense hangings, though nothing is especially gory. It suits viewers who want an unfussy, grounded historical adventure on a weekend afternoon rather than a playful romp.
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