The latest incarnation of Robin Hood is an anachronistic, muddled mess. The film wastes the talents of a cast that I generally like. The story wants to be a political statement, but it doesn't know what it is trying to say. And it says it with a ham-fist at times. It felt like propaganda, which makes it a bit of a paradox. The re-imagining of the Robin Hood saga redefines every element of the story, a fact viewers are warned of by the narrator at the outset of this cinematic rubbish. The Robin Hood story has always been a bit of a political statement, but it has its roots in an era that doesn't have great parallels to the modern era, even though those have been redrawn over the years with other modern adaptations. This one may be the worst in terms of making this more about political statements and modern culture than about a common hero and his merry band of thieves.
Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) is not your average Lord of the Manor. His hilltop perch above Nottingham must be prime real estate, even in the late fourteenth century...or alternate universe...or wherever it is alleged to have existed. He is young, brash and quickly falls in love with a young commoner, Marian (Eve Hewson). The Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn) is a fascist ruler who is in cahoots with the Church to fund the Crusades. But there is also a darker secret to this funding. In the entire free world, Nottingham has become the principal funder of the Crusades, leading to dictatorial power seized by the Sheriff. The Sheriff is appointed by the church, no less. How this exists within the Realm of a Monarchy and with the consent of the local Dukes and Lords is never fully vetted. But suffice it to say that the Sheriff, in this story, has dictatorial control and the rest of England does not exist as an entity of any account.
The Sheriff uses his unbridled power to draft Robin of Loxley to fight in the Crusades. While Robin is off fighting Moors in a fabricated Crusade, the Sheriff is seizing his property (which appears to be looted but not sold or repurposed) to fund the crusade. Robin is a fierce fighter, but meets his match in a Moor archer whose Arabic name translates as "John" (Jamie Foxx). A twist of fate lead the two to become partners. Robin increases his archery skills under John's tutelage. He soon begins stealing from the coffers of the Sheriff's war chest, quickly rising as a local hero. He is reunited with Marian, who has a new love interest, but may just win her back as he stands against the Sheriff and the Church.
Ben Chandler does not understand subtlety in his debut screenplay. He and David James Kelly deliver a screenplay that doesn't understand finesse. Aside from creating textbook anachronisms (this film could serve as a "what not to do" for film students and story-tellers), the personal views of the writers come through with a nasty vehemence. It would make no sense to incorporate the Crusades into this story, unless you understand that these writers do not like Christianity. It may extend to religion in general, but they seem to take a gentler tone towards Islam. Their anti-Christianity is most apparent in a line delivered by the Cardinal (F. Murray Abraham) when he declares (abridged) that fear is the best way to control people...why do you think the church created the concept of hell? The story fails to add any depth to the original story, instead, it manages to make the story more shallow. They opt for visual appeal over substance and pontificating at the expense of the viewer. I was utterly bored and a bit disgusted by the propagandist elements of the story.
On the topic of propaganda, we have quite a bit of cud to chew on. First is the choice to use the Moors as the Crusade depicted in this story. While the timing doesn't match, it was done intentionally. They never intended for this story to make sense. It is merely a vehicle to appear relevant. The Moorish battles attempt to be a statement on the Iraq (and probably Afghanistan) wars. Muslims are the bad guys, and Christians treat them brutally, decapitating prisoners out of sheer hatred. Robin is reduced to the role of George Soros in this film. He is the wealthy Lord who empowers the commoner to revolt. I say Soros, because the people don't merely revolt. They are transformed into an antifa mob, attacking the Sheriff's own military (which I believe the King of England himself must envy) with Molotov cocktails and face-masks. The "class warfare" element is so threadbare, we literally get the dialogue "redistribution of wealth" delivered in case you are so utterly clueless that you can't comprehend the statements being made. It is too bad that political relevance trumped storytelling here. Robin Hood of the past managed both. The writing here was sophomoric at best. It is obvious this is Chandler's debut film. I think producers will take a more reflective look at his work next time.
I did like the cast. It is a shame all of this talent was wasted. I am not a big fan of Jamie Foxx, but he was solid in this role. Taron Egerton's stock is rising in my opinion. I liked him in The Kingsmen and figure we will continue to see him in popular films. He has a strong presence on film. Eve Hewson is starting to rise as well. She has had smaller roles in recent films like Papillon. She was strong in this role, although I was not completely sold on the role itself. I am a huge fan of Abraham, who was a cornerstone of the Homeland series and is likely the most accomplished of this cast. I can't help but view this cast as wasted talent.
Robin Hood is a weak story with a one hour, 56 minute run time. It received a PG-13 rating for violence, but is probably find for older children and above. But I would not recommend this film to anyone. It is bad. The story is so confused and muddled that political statements are often made completely out-of-context and without any further vetting. The editing was as bad as the story itself, adding to the sense of chaos that this film presents. It is sloppy, silly and ill-conceived. The anachronistic elements could have worked with a bit more intellect. Rather than feeling like an alternate history, it comes across as an attempt at a steampunk retelling of the Robin Hood story with a very shallow storyline that attempts to do too much and manages to accomplish nothing. 4/10.
