Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) returns to Sherwood Forest from the Crusades with his compatriot the Moor, Azeem (Morgan Freeman), to discover that his father has been killed and his lands confiscated by the treacherous Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) and his minions. Worse, the people are buckling under the the yoke of Nottingham's greed, so he sets about assembling his merry men and starting his mission of robbing from the corrupt to give to the poor, while winning the respect and love of Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio).
On its release, this version of Robin Hood was a box office hit, but received middling critical response. Nowadays, you will find a respectable number of people who fondly recall the film with a good deal of sentiment. Part of the problem is that many critics of the time zeroed in on the miscast leading man and acted like that was the be all and end all of the film. It is not. Other charges, such as it being filled with anachronisms and not being serious enough, are laughable charges since those same things apply to The Adventures of Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn), which is considered a classic and the best adaption of the Robin Hood legend.
Prince of Thieves is more serious than the Errol Flynn film - no one is swinging about in green tights. Director Kevin Reynolds keeps the action grounded and moving at a robust pace, but slows it enough to give his cast and characters time to reflect and shine. Plus this version is certainly a towering achievement over the dour version released the same year with Patrick Bergen, the misguided adaptation with a long-in-tooth Russell Crowe, and the recent debacle with Taron Egerton. For each rousing moment, we get sequences like the exchanges between Robin and Marian in the forest, where we are taken by surprise by how smart and thoughtful some of the dialog actually is.
The cinematography is impressive and Michael Kamen's stupendous old-style adventure score is a highlight. While some may carp over the inclusion of a witch as an advisor to the Sheriff or the changing of the roles of Will Scarlett (Christian Slater) or the outcome of the fight with Little John, I do not believe that these impact the tone of the film and allow it its own identity away from the 1938 classic. I also like the addition of the local bishop being corrupt and in cahoots with the villains and confronted by the heroic Friar Tuck.
The supporting cast is terrific. Slater is underused as Scarlett, but the remainder of the merry men are vividly cast. Mastrantonio is a lovely and gutsy Marian and Freeman provides a rich and mature presence as Robin's friend and mentor. The film is all but stolen by the grand Rickman, hamming it up delightfully as the nasty Sheriff. His one-liners may not be period appropriate, but they do bring down the house.
The film's biggest stumbling block is Costner as Robin. He is not awful and carries the action solidly, but not for a moment do you forget he is miscast. He initially starts the film with a weak stab at a British accent, which sounds more surfer than Surrey, but then that token effort vanishes. Costner's career was at its peak, so it is understandable why filmmakers wanted a box office presence to head the picture, but he just seems all wrong. His stirring speeches to rouse the troops lack fire and passion. He has good chemistry with both Freeman and Mastrantonio, but his reaction to the revelation of Slater's true identity is jarringly off. Even moments he would seem suited for, he ultimately fails to deliver on, including the much ballyhooed nude swimming scene where Marian catches an eyeful of the naked Robin bathing. This would seem a given for Costner who bared quite a bit in the prior year's Oscar winner Dances With Wolves, but he opts to bestow this moment on a stand-in. So one honestly wonders how much better the film would have been with a British actor (or an American actor who could better simulate a Brit accent) who could deliver on all the requirements.
That said, the film succeeds despite the faults of its lead. It is a rousing and entertaining spectacle. Certainly the last Robin Hood film worth its salt that actually reminded us of why this legend was worthy of mythic status.
On its release, this version of Robin Hood was a box office hit, but received middling critical response. Nowadays, you will find a respectable number of people who fondly recall the film with a good deal of sentiment. Part of the problem is that many critics of the time zeroed in on the miscast leading man and acted like that was the be all and end all of the film. It is not. Other charges, such as it being filled with anachronisms and not being serious enough, are laughable charges since those same things apply to The Adventures of Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn), which is considered a classic and the best adaption of the Robin Hood legend.
Prince of Thieves is more serious than the Errol Flynn film - no one is swinging about in green tights. Director Kevin Reynolds keeps the action grounded and moving at a robust pace, but slows it enough to give his cast and characters time to reflect and shine. Plus this version is certainly a towering achievement over the dour version released the same year with Patrick Bergen, the misguided adaptation with a long-in-tooth Russell Crowe, and the recent debacle with Taron Egerton. For each rousing moment, we get sequences like the exchanges between Robin and Marian in the forest, where we are taken by surprise by how smart and thoughtful some of the dialog actually is.
The cinematography is impressive and Michael Kamen's stupendous old-style adventure score is a highlight. While some may carp over the inclusion of a witch as an advisor to the Sheriff or the changing of the roles of Will Scarlett (Christian Slater) or the outcome of the fight with Little John, I do not believe that these impact the tone of the film and allow it its own identity away from the 1938 classic. I also like the addition of the local bishop being corrupt and in cahoots with the villains and confronted by the heroic Friar Tuck.
The supporting cast is terrific. Slater is underused as Scarlett, but the remainder of the merry men are vividly cast. Mastrantonio is a lovely and gutsy Marian and Freeman provides a rich and mature presence as Robin's friend and mentor. The film is all but stolen by the grand Rickman, hamming it up delightfully as the nasty Sheriff. His one-liners may not be period appropriate, but they do bring down the house.
The film's biggest stumbling block is Costner as Robin. He is not awful and carries the action solidly, but not for a moment do you forget he is miscast. He initially starts the film with a weak stab at a British accent, which sounds more surfer than Surrey, but then that token effort vanishes. Costner's career was at its peak, so it is understandable why filmmakers wanted a box office presence to head the picture, but he just seems all wrong. His stirring speeches to rouse the troops lack fire and passion. He has good chemistry with both Freeman and Mastrantonio, but his reaction to the revelation of Slater's true identity is jarringly off. Even moments he would seem suited for, he ultimately fails to deliver on, including the much ballyhooed nude swimming scene where Marian catches an eyeful of the naked Robin bathing. This would seem a given for Costner who bared quite a bit in the prior year's Oscar winner Dances With Wolves, but he opts to bestow this moment on a stand-in. So one honestly wonders how much better the film would have been with a British actor (or an American actor who could better simulate a Brit accent) who could deliver on all the requirements.
That said, the film succeeds despite the faults of its lead. It is a rousing and entertaining spectacle. Certainly the last Robin Hood film worth its salt that actually reminded us of why this legend was worthy of mythic status.