Robin Hood: Men Not In Tights

Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!

Saturday I want to see the 2010 version of Robin Hood (Russell Crowe, etc.). This is the fifth version of the Robin Hood legend I've seen as a movie. In order, my favorites (and who played Robin Hood in each) are:

#1 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Errol Flynn)
#2 Robin Hood (2010) (Russell Crowe)
#3 Robin Hood (1973) (Brian Bedford - Voice; Disney Animated)
#4 Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) (Cary Elwes)
#5 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) (Kevin Costner)

While the new movie gets 2nd overall, I think Russell Crowe is a dead heat with Errol Flynn for best Robin (Hood/Locksely/Longstride...). They play somewhat different takes on the role, naturally.

Russell Crowe isn't your typical Robin Hood. The movie has chosen to blend portions of the original legend, the "standard" legend as seen in several of the above movies, historical events, and their own brainstorms to create a new story. The result is a satisfying and worthwhile movie which is clearly positioning itself for a sequel.

Robin Longstride (Crowe) is an archer in Richard Lionheart's army, fighting its way home from the crusades. When Richard is killed in a siege, Robin and three of his fellows (including Little John and Will Scarlet) decide there's no point hanging around and split off to make their own way home. Along the way accident causes them in come upon a group of Frenchmen who have ambushed a party led by Sir Robert Loxley, who was bringing Richard's crown back to England. Robin sees an opportunity: take the dead men's equipment and use the crown as their passport back to England. Robin pretends to be Sir Robert, but clearly has no interest in the crown or his assumed title beyond its ability to get him a ship home.

After delivering the crown and seeing Prince John crowned as the new king, Robin, somewhat on a whim, decides to head in the direction of Sherwood, where Sir Robert came from. As he travels he eventually decides to return Sir Robert's sword to his father (the knight's dying wish), and his companions decide this suits them as well as anything else might.

And now The Plot intervenes. The Loxley's (including Sir Robert's wife... err, widow Marion) will loose their lands if Sir Robert's father Sir Walter dies without an heir. Sir Walter thus asks Robin (whose history is known to him) to play the part of Sir Robert for a time.

What is Robin's history? His father wrote what looks suspiciously like an early draft of the Magna Carta. No, I'm not kidding. He got executed for that and related actions (no real shock there). Sir Walter appears to have been one of his followers/comrades.

Marion is at first rather understandably upset, but slowly comes around as Robin takes some actions on behalf of the local peasants (including stealing some grain from the church with the assistance of Friar Tuck).

Meanwhile, King Phillip of France has suborned one of King John's trusted knights, Sir Godfrey. Godfrey persuades John to let him raise money from the barons by force, and then commits atrocities to turn the barons against John, thus weakening England in advance of a french invasion. Naturally they wind up raiding Nottingham and get clobbered in the process by Robin's forces. King John, aided by Sir William Marshal, persuade the barons to support him against the invaders by agreeing to sign a Magna Carta-esque document once the crisis is over. All the English come together (yes, including Marion - it is Hollywood, after all) and fight off Phillip's invasion in a climactic battle.

If they'd been trying for a stand-alone movie they'd probably have ended it there. But one more twist: John, upset by the potential loss of his royal power, goes back on his promise and warns the barons they are lucky to keep their lives. Robin Longstride is declared an outlaw and sentenced to death. Robin, however, has already slipped off to Sherwood Forest with Marion and his friends.

What makes this movie stand out is the complexity. John isn't a black-and-white character, nor is Robin. No one in the entire movie can match the virtue of Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. The various story arcs mesh nicely together with the character development to turn in a movie which is about much more than fancy archery and banditry in the woods (though both are present).

I look forward to the next installment in this new franchise.