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The Death of Robin Hood reimagines the classic hero as a remorseful killer seeking redemption. After years of brutal raids, Robin finds peace at a monastery but must confront his violent past when his former accomplice returns for vengeance. This dark, meditative thriller explores guilt, morality, and the legacy of violence.
The Death of Robin Hood, a hard-hitting new Middle Ages -set thriller drama, is available to watch in cinemas now. Set in 1247 England, a shocking opening prologue establishes that this Robin Hood never stole from the rich and gave to the needy.
Instead, he and his so-called 'merry men' (including Little John, played here by) brutally robbed the common people, raping and murdering them. Feeling immense guilt for these actions, Robin lives in the wilderness, having exiled himself from society. One day, however, he is approached by Little John, who requests his older mentor's help. Little John killed a farmer and then took his land, living under his victim's identity.
There, he met a woman and started a family. But when her family realised his deception, they banished him. Now, Little John plans to take his family and land back forcefully. Though reluctant, Robin joins him as backup.
The result is a brutal, violent set piece that sees the pair slaughter a farm's worth of people. The movie does not shy away from the violence Little John and Robin Hood inflict. In fact, several moments in the opening 20 minutes of the film provoked shocked gasps from the audience at a preview screening in response to the sheer brutality.
In the wake of the grim carnage, a severely injured Robin Hood is dropped off at the Priory of St. Clement, a secluded island monastery. Delirious, he begs to die, both because of the pain and because he feels he doesn't deserve to live for all he's done. Lady Margaret, the kind-hearted abbess (played by a lovely Jodie Turner-Smith, The Neon Demon), ignores his pleas.
She nurses him back to health and then encourages him to help with the running of the island. Robin grows to love the community at the priory (which also includes an excellent Murray Bartlett, playing a masked leper), from whom he hides his true identity. That said, how long can he keep up this ruse, particularly as the past continues to rear its ugly head?
The Death of Robin Hood was released in June in the United States to mostly positive, if not outright glowing, reviews. It was also not a big box office hit. It's easy to see why. It's a challenging movie.
The ultra-violence of its first 20 minutes, while viscerally staged and unforgettably ugly, risks turning off more casual viewers, as does the languidly, mostly actionless rest of the two-hour film. However, that middle section is where the film's true quality lies. Director David Lowery (A Ghost Story) and screenwriter J.D. Sarnoski have crafted a beautiful, thoughtful meditation on guilt, morality and the power of stories.
It doesn't hurt that the production design is stunning. The old-timey dialogue is beautiful. The candlelit gothic-style interiors, combined with the natural landscapes of Northern Ireland, stand in perfectly for Middle Age England. In the movie's middle section, Sarnoski places greater emphasis on creating a realistic, intense mood over delivering a consistently gripping story.
That said, as the film nears its endgame, it does deliver unexpected twists and properly compelling moral dilemmas. This is as it transforms into a beautiful, meditative tale about cycles of violence, living with yourself and redemption, as well as an exploration of why we tell stories in the first place, with the latter just about justifying the movie's connection to the popular myth.
What's most impressive about The Death of Robin Hood is that, for a film that begins so bleakly, you might find yourself shedding a tear at its bittersweet end
Please follow us on Google to support usRobin Hood Thriller Middle Ages Violence Redemption Guilt Monastery J.D. Sarnoski David Lowery
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