Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Here we go with another adaptation of Robin Hood. The Robin Hood tale has been told many times over and over. The edition that made the biggest bucks at the box office is Kevin Reynolds’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. In my opinion, it barely squeaks by with a passing grade. There are moments of fun and lots of adventure. The action is pretty good and well-choreographed. It is certainly more graphic than I have imagined it would be. Most of the performances, especially those from Alan Rickman and Morgan Freeman, are good. I also consider Michael Kamen’s score to be magnificent and one of his most epic, lushest scores. Even to this day, Bryan Adams’s ballad “Everything I Do (I Do It for You) remains a popular, soulful hit. Unfortunately, there are some glaring issues. After Kevin Costner delivered an emotional engaging performance in Dance with Wolves, he delivers the complete opposite here. His accent would be right at home in LA, certainly not in medieval England. In addition, the screenplay is really silly. In fact, Rickman was allowed to come up with his own lines because he found the screenplay loathingly bad. I hope someone taught the screenwriters how to write good dialogue because many lines had me unintentionally laughing. I did like this version’s interpretation of the legend. Robin Hood is portrayed as more serious, more socially conscious unlike the earlier Errol Flynn versions.

 

Pen Densham and his producing partner John Watson originally came up with the idea to create a version of Robin Hood who learned to be a more socially conscious person while imprisoned during the Crusades. The studio felt the screenplay was screaming with magic and was fast tracked into production to avoid clashes with dueling Robin Hood features. After all, the first one released is usually the winner as in the case of this feature (at least financially). Reynolds and Costner originally worked together on a smaller film seven years previously. Reynolds also assisted Costner during the challenging buffalo hunt scene in Dance with Wolves. Costner was going to turn down the film unless Reynolds was at the helm because he was more suited to direct the epic action. Production was quick because of Costner’s hectic schedule. Most of the film was shot on location so the audience got to see some great shots of some English forests along Hadrian’s Wall. A quick shout out to Douglas Milsome’s exceptional cinematography. Sadly, Reynolds left the project at the tail end because of studio interference, which also explains the poor editing choices. The studio wanted to cut some Rickman scenes because they did not want him to overshadow Costner. I mean, didn’t that happen anyway?

 

Robin Locksley (Kevin Costner) fighting for Richard the Lionheart (Sean Connery) in the Crusades returns to England after escaping from a dungeon along with his intelligent Moor friend Azeem (Morgan Freeman) who fights alongside Robin to pay off a debt. Robin learns that his father has been murdered by the evil, corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). He flees to the Sherwood Forest where he vows to go after the Sheriff. With the help of his merry men that includes the likes of Will Scarlet (Christian Slater), they aim to take down the Sheriff and his political ambitions.

 

Costner has had better roles. Even if his accent is not bothersome, his performance just feels…off. He has no romantic chemistry with Marion (played good as possibly can by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). It felt like they were familiar with the story and had to fall in love because that is necessary. The supporting cast is where the performances shine. Freeman fit right in with the tone. He used humor when appropriate and is a good friend to Robin Hood. Rickman outdoes everyone when he plays the villain, isn’t that right? First in Die Hard, and now here. Rickman’s interpretation of the Sheriff of Nottingham is the best part of the movie. He was evil….yet he was also hilarious. I am glad he got permission to create his own lines because they were much needed.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Outside of Rickman’s magnificent villainous performance, this version is rather forgettable. But it is fun to watch in the two plus hours on screen. Stay for the supporting performances, the action (especially the final action set piece), and Michael Kamen’s awesome orchestral score. If only the screenplay was not dumb and Costner had a better lead performance, this might have been a classic. Might have been! Oh well, this is still plain ol’ dumb fun.

 

My Grade: B-