Movie · 1991 · Action, Adventure, Drama · 2h 23m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.9/10 (323.3K ratings)
For the good of all men, and the love of one woman, he fought to uphold justice by breaking the law.
Overview
Nobleman crusader Robin of Locksley breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of Moorish fellow prisoner Azeem and travels back home to England. But upon arrival he discovers his dead father in the ruins of his family estate, killed by the vicious sheriff of Nottingham, Robin and Azeem join forces with outlaws Little John and Will Scarlett to save the kingdom from the sheriff's villainy.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.9/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.27/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Metacritic: 51
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Kevin Reynolds
Production
Morgan Creek Entertainment
Cast
Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane, Brian Blessed, Michael Wincott, Nick Brimble, Soo Drouet, Daniel Newman, Daniel Peacock, Walter Sparrow, Harold Innocent, Jack Wild, Michael Goldie, Liam Halligan, Marc Zuber, Merelina Kendall
Curator Review
Verdict
A big, earnest, highly watchable early-90s adventure with strong star power, a memorable villain, and a rousing score, but it’s also bloated, tonally uneven, and often too glossy for its own good. If you want swashbuckling comfort food with a few iconic moments, it delivers; if you need tight plotting or historical authenticity, it may frustrate you.
Best for
fans of glossy studio adventure epics
viewers who like charismatic villains and scenery-chewing
people in the mood for nostalgic 90s blockbuster energy
audiences who can forgive camp, anachronisms, and runtime
Skip if
you want a historically grounded Robin Hood
you’re sensitive to uneven accents and dated blockbuster excess
you prefer lean action over long, sprawling adventures
you dislike earnest, old-school Hollywood heroics
Overview
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is one of those movies that survives its own flaws by sheer force of momentum. It’s overlong, occasionally clumsy, and not exactly subtle, but it has the scale and confidence of a true studio adventure film. The forest hideout, the prison escape, the castle assault, and the villainy of the Sheriff all give it enough forward motion to keep the ride entertaining even when the script starts to wobble.
Worth noting
What really makes it stick is the supporting cast and the movie’s willingness to be larger than life. Alan Rickman’s Sheriff is the kind of gleefully nasty performance that can define an entire movie, and Morgan Freeman gives the story a welcome sense of dignity and warmth. The film also benefits from a sweeping, sentimental score that knows exactly what kind of emotional movie this wants to be.
Bottom line
It’s not a clean or especially disciplined adaptation, and it often feels more like a 1991 blockbuster wearing medieval clothes than a true legend retelling. But if you’re open to a big, messy, sincere adventure with romance, rebellion, and a few genuinely iconic bits, it still has plenty of charm.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (3★) · 947 likes
So many things about this movie aren't good but I still kind of like it because it's having fun and we don't get movies like this at all anymore.
Ian West (4★) · 458 likes
There was a brief stretch in the early 90's where I watched this every other day and it was absolutely my favorite movie lol. Not gonna lie… this dumb and very long film still holds up for me, Freeman and Rickman are wonderful, I love Michael McShane as the boozed up friar tuck, and it’s always a pleasure seeing Michael Wincott and his raspy voice play a scuzzball during the 90’s.
Also, the Michael Kamen score is amazing.
Richard T (4★) · 457 likes
"Locksley! I'm gonna cut your heart out WITH A SPOON!"
I'm pretty sure that if I watched this for the first time today, I wouldn't like it. I'd detest all of the inaccuracies, plotholes and dodgy accents.
But I didn't see this for the first time today. I've seen this countless times since I was a kid and back then it was only the film's sense of adventure that mattered to me and still does now.
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, to this very day, never fails to transport me back to my 12 year old self.
jourdain searles · 369 likes
alan rickman was a very hot man
Ashton (2★) · 349 likes
i thought he was only supposed to steal from the rich why’s he out here stealing two and a half hours of life from my poor ass???