The Death of Robin Hood

In this rewrite of the legend of Robin Hood, Robin doesn’t steal from the rich to give to the poor, he steals to take what he can for himself and Little John and kills for fun.

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It’s a strong choice, but that tweak is important for this telling of the end of Robin Hood's story.

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This retelling is super violent and bleak and there are very few moments of lightness to balance the darkness. The acting is superb, the cinematography and directing are exceptional, and the script has faults but does have a nice symmetry  to it.

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The premise is that Little John enlists Robin to engage in a final battle. A menacing family has taken over John’s property and has his wife and daughter held hostage. The savage, muddy, night-time blood-bath kills people on both sides and leaves orphaned children. Robin is gravely wounded and is totally accepting of his impending, certain death, but he survives because of John’s quick thinking. He triages the worst of the damage and drops Robin off on a nearby island that is presided over by a skilled prioress who nurses him back to health.

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[Warning: spoilers] The first half of this film is wall-to-wall violence, while the second half is Robin Hood falling in love and deciding to die.

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I initially felt that Robin's choice not to lean into the love and choose death was cowardly. But being Robin Hood is a heavy story to carry. He tired of it and of having to deal with the consequences of his actions, which was more senseless death. It's totally understandable that he'd had enough.

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How and with whom he chooses to die is actually an act of love and a desire to balance out one of the deadly capers of his past. It’s not a hero’s death but it feels right.

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I was disappointed t the gratuitous masturbation scene that does nothing to further or add to the plot, but this film is visually arresting and makes us consider the weight of the story one creates about oneself.

If one can get past the gory, blood-splattering fight scenes, it's worth watching.