Review of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) by Kyle S — 16 Jul 2010

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner as Robin, Morgan Freeman as Azeem, and Alan Rickman as Sheriff of Nottingham, is the story we alI know because Robin Hood has been remade countless times. So I'll just get straight to the review of the movie.

I had heard mixed things about this movie from friends. Being made in 1991, the CG at the time was not up to par with what this movie's aims were. And I heard that the movie was on a very tight shooting schedule and budget, so time was not on their side. But the film still looks good, with Sherwood Forest very lush and vivid, and the set designs for the castles, while murky and dark, are still up to par with other films at that time.

Kevin Costner as Robin, well, the fact that he doesn't have an English accent may turn off a lot of viewers, but I did not mind it. However, Costner isn't given much to work with, the script seems to give all the good dialogue to Freeman and Rickman's characters. Morgan Freeman plays Azeem, a Moorish friend of Robin who is a devout, loyal, and kind man and really is the soul of the movie. Rickman, by contrast, is the scene stealer of the movie. He gets the best lines, and takes them well beyond what is required for his role. The performance may seem campy to some, and it is, but I feel without him the movie would have been very boring and not nearly as entertaining. Is this a spoof, no. But Rickman seems to think that it is with his over-the-top delivery and performance.

The plot does get lost in the middle of the film, when Robin and his pals are sitting around at their camp avoiding the law. And some of the performances detract from the film (Christian later was a terrible casting choice). The climax is a tad rushed, and could have been lengthened a good 10 minutes with more fighting. Is this movie an oscar winner, no. Is it entertaining and funny, yes. The action is decent, and the acting from Freeman and Rickman save the movie from being unwatchable.