Review of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) by Filipeneto — 29 Jan 2021

Medieval-themed films are lovely, but rarely meet the minimum requirements of historical rigor, preferring to create a false idea of what the Middle Ages were like and how people behaved. This film is no exception, so if you want a film more historically respectful please look for another option. If your intention is just to have some fun, go ahead.

In fact, this film is a typical medieval blockbuster of entertainment, full of sword fights, epic rescues and a lady waiting to be saved. Inspired by the classic legends of Robin Hood, they tell a story invented around the characters we already know.

According to the script, Robin is the son of an English nobleman who traveled with his king on the Third Crusade, becoming a prisoner of Muslims. After escaping, with the help of a companion in arms, he is saved by that companion, who dies next. From there, accompanied by a Moor who becomes his bodyguard, he returns to England to find his home burned down, his father murdered and his lands taken by the violent, unjust and diabolical Sheriff of Nottingham. From there, marked as an outcast, he will join the bandits of the forest and devote his life to avenging his father by fighting the Sheriff, and also to protecting Lady Marion, the sister of the man who died to save him.

This film was made during the golden age of Kevin Costner's career. He had just been successful in "Dances With Wolves" the previous year, and will reach the top of his career the following year, with "Bodyguard". And in this film he does everything he has to do: to shine, be the hero, save the day and fight against evil, embodied by Allan Rickman, another great actor who excels in his task of being worthy of our hatred, playing his character in a sinisterly funny way. I'm sure he was having fun with it. In addition to them, we have an excellent interpretation of Morgan Freeman, with touches of humor. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is very boring and would never be my choice to play such a character, as she is unable to create any emotional depth or to have some chemistry with Costner. Christian Slater is annoying and serves almost nothing. Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane and Nick Brimble are good at supporting roles, having little to do.

As I have already mentioned, the film has nothing to do with the Middle Ages. It's just a modern film, with characters with very modern attitudes, but who dress like people from the Middle Ages. After all, this was already predictable in a film of this kind, where creative freedom weighs more than historical rigor. So, we have elements, some weapons, clothing and props from the 14th century in a film that is supposedly set at the time of the Third Crusade, in the 12th century. Incredible, they had time machines?! Nah, just a screenwriter deaf to the warnings of a good historical advisor. For this reason, I give a median note to the props, scenery and wardrobe: they may be beautiful, but they are out of place and out of season. The cinematography, however, is quite good and the soundtrack is memorable.