Robin Hood

Famed archer Robin Hood, he of the philosophy that taking from the rich and giving to the poor is a solid way of showing you're a stand-up guy, has been firing arrows through celluloid for close to a century by now. He's done it in silence (the 1922 version starring Douglas Fairbanks), he's done it in Technicolor (the 1938 version starring Errol Flynn), he's done it in animation (the 1971 Disney effort starring a cartoon fox), and even that list is barely scratching the surface. But however you look at it, Robin Hood has been a big screen hero for a very long time. Now he's back once again in a brawny, beautiful adventure that shines a light on the archer's origins.

In this umpteenth version of the tale, Robin (Russell Crowe, all beefy charm) is an archer in the army of King Richard the Lionheart (a particularly hirsute Danny Huston). Since this is 12th century Europe and it's a Robin Hood story, the Crusades are lingering in the background and Richard's army is hacking its way through France on their journey home to England. During a final siege of a French castle, Richard gets an arrow through the neck and promptly dies, taking all of England's hope with him.

Feeling suddenly released from his military obligation, Robin grabs his buddies Little John (Kevin Durand), Will Scarlet (Scott Grimes), and Allan A'Dayle (Alan Doyle) and the group then decides to head back to England on their own with news of the recently murdered king. Along the way, he promises a fallen soldier to return a sword to the dead man's father and his promise takes him to the village of Nottingham, where Robin meets Marion (Cate Blanchett) and learns a thing or two about the newly crowned King John's love of taxation.

Anyone who has so much as heard the name Robin Hood can probably recognize all of these puzzle pieces falling into place, so the fact that they're slightly rearranged and certain elements are occasionally flip-flopped doesn't alter the inevitable familiarity of the plot. But director Ridley Scott, teaming with Crowe for the fifth time, directs this adventure with vigorous energy and prevents the movie from slipping into generic territory. His ability to craft visual spectacle in any given scene is often spectacular and his Robin Hood sparkles with shimmering imagery.

Credit for the movie's boldly striking visuals must be shared between Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson, who previously collaborated with Scott on a variety of projects, including Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Mathieson makes every shot of green forest and blue sea pop from the screen and he manages to keep the mostly muddy colour palette (there is no shortage of brown in this movie) from growing stale. When Scott and Mathieson join forces for the movie's handful of boisterous action sequences, the result is an epic collage of blood, sweat, and steel.

This Robin Hood does drag a little near its end, as the multiple plot lines are reconciled in anticipation of a grand finale. But even then, the movie is never boring, but rather simply less engaging than it is in its finest moments. Brian Helgeland's screenplay (two other writers, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, receive "story" credits alongside Helgeland) is a fun, well-crafted piece of historical adventure that employs the expected elements of a Robin Hood flick in a satisfying manner.

Much of the movie revolves around a plot to conquer England in the wake of Richard's death and the story ricochets back and forth between the various armies. There are several location changes and a host of heroes and villains vying for attention. Helgeland vacillates between the opposing subplots without causing the narrative to adopt a clunky feel. The story flows well and the conflict is palpable on paper and entertaining enough on screen to make Robin's journey seem acceptably arduous.

Mark Strong, who will likely play villain roles for the rest of his career, appears as Godfrey, an English traitor who has chosen to aid the French invasion. Strong sneers through every scene and Godfrey is designed to make it really easy for the audience to hate him, so there isn't much depth for the actor to work with. But the character isn't useless or irritating, either, and Strong does enough to make the villain's inevitable comeuppance worth anticipating.

This version of Robin Hood does stumble at times and it is frustrating that Scott and Helgeland cannot resist the temptation of including a few blue-tinted flashbacks that show Robin as a little kid. These fractured memories (complete with horrible child acting!) serve as a sort of inspiration for adult Robin, who needs a little help from the past in order to pave the way for his future as a feared outlaw. The flashbacks are hokey and they kill the narrative momentum, but thankfully, they are mercifully brief.

So yes, there are flaws and we've seen much of this before (although we've never seen it through the lens of John Mathieson), but this latest take on the English hero is robust entertainment. Joining the handsome visuals is a very good musical score by Marc Streitenfeld, who has composed several themes for the movie, the best of which excites with jittery urgency. Pleasant to look at and to listen to, this Robin Hood makes the recycled story well worth revisiting.

Many arrows have flown from Robin Hood's bow before and it is likely that many more will follow. This movie features some truly exciting bow-and-arrow action, which culminates with the movie's most unforgettable moment: a big, brutal display of badass archery ability enacted with attitude by Robin and executed with grace by Scott and Mathieson. It's the moment many Robin Hood fans will be waiting for and it doesn't disappoint. Like that climactic launching of the arrow, this movie crams a lot of medieval charm into its hulking frame. Robin the archer, the outlaw, the hero, has been lighting up the screen for a very long time and he isn't finished yet. Based on his latest adventure, it would seem that he has a whole quiver full of arrows with which to continually solidify his status as a cinematic legend.