Movie · 2010 · Action, Adventure, History, Drama · 2h 20m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.4/10 (435.9K ratings)
Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions
Overview
When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draws the ire of the town's sheriff and King John's henchman, Godfrey.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.4/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 2.81/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
Metacritic: 53
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Ridley Scott
Production
Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media, Scott Free Productions
Cast
Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Matthew Macfadyen, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, Alan Doyle, Douglas Hodge, Léa Seydoux, Jonathan Zaccaï, Robert Pugh, Gerard McSorley, Velibor Topic, Ciaran Flynn
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A grim, expensive, and often inert revisionist take on the Robin Hood legend. It has strong production design, a serious medieval texture, and a few solid battle sequences, but the prequel structure drains the story of mythic momentum and the characters rarely catch fire.
Best for
viewers who like historical war epics with a grounded, muddy realism
fans of Ridley Scott’s large-scale period craftsmanship
people who enjoy swordplay, siege action, and political intrigue more than folklore
audiences open to a darker, less playful version of a familiar legend
Skip if
you want the classic swashbuckling Robin Hood vibe
you need a fast-moving adventure with memorable set pieces throughout
you’re looking for a warm romance or a charismatic hero’s journey
you’re easily frustrated by a long runtime that feels more dutiful than exciting
Overview
This is a revisionist Robin Hood that treats legend like a military origin story. The movie is handsomely mounted, with convincing armor, muddy battlefields, and a sense of scale that gives the production real weight. It also has a few effective action passages and a committed cast doing serious work in a very serious movie.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film seems more interested in being historically flavored than dramatically alive. By turning Robin into a prequel setup and sanding off the folklore, it loses the very qualities that make the character endure: wit, momentum, and a sense of outlaw fun. The result is often competent rather than thrilling.
Bottom line
If you admire big-budget medieval realism, there is enough here to appreciate. But if you want the legend to feel magical, romantic, or rousing, this version is more likely to feel like a siege than a story.
Top Letterboxd reviews
russman (2★) · 1701 likes
Russell Crowe is miscast. He looks nothing like a fox.
Patrick Willems (2★) · 913 likes
Ridley Scott: "Let's do a bold new take on Robin Hood where we take the classic story and remove anything fun or entertaining."
Ellie ✨ (1.5★) · 558 likes
oscar isaac should've been the one playing robin hood and that's the tea on that
dǝnis (2★) · 339 likes
he wasn’t even wearing a hood
Ben Hibburd (4.5★) · 274 likes
Once again, I seem to be at odds with the overwhelming consensus of the Letterboxd community because I absolutely loved every minute of Ridley Scott's revisionist take on the legend of Robin Hood. This time around, the story sees the French preparing to invade England, with a small advanced force causing mayhem under the guise of King John's approval, sowing the seeds for civil war, which would make invasion a lot easier for the French. Robin is forced to make… more Once again, I seem to be at odds with the overwhelming consensus of the Letterboxd community because I absolutely loved every minute of Ridley Scott's revisionist take on the legend of Robin Hood. This time around, the story sees the French preparing to invade England, with a small advanced force causing mayhem under the guise of King John's approval, sowing the seeds for civil war, which would make invasion a lot easier for the French. Robin is forced to make… more
2000 · Action, Drama, Adventure · 2h 35m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (3.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Kanopy, AMC, Philo
Shares the same large-scale, muscular historical filmmaking and a serious, vengeance-driven tone.
2021 · History, Drama, Action · 2h 33m · R · Curator 6.4/10 (550.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
A grounded medieval drama that values armor, politics, and brutality over romantic legend.
1952 · Adventure, Romance, History · 1h 46m · NR · Curator 4.0/10 (6K ratings)
A classic medieval adventure that leans into chivalry, romance, and tournament spectacle.
Topics
historical epic, medieval action, revisionist adventure, war drama, political intrigue, grim tone, sword combat, feudal England, period production design