Cannes 2010: 'Robin Hood'

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott's Robin Hood may have looked like a thankless task from the outset, but the duo's origin story finds new angles on a familiar tale by weaving the notorious outlaw through history and taking him out of the familiar surroundings of Sherwood Forest. Robin's woodland home is barely seen in this new take, instead it's extended battles in the Crusades and reassimilation into the land he left behind to serve as an archer for King Richard.

The death of Danny Huston's Richard and his right-hand man Robin of Loxley (Douglas Hodge) sets in motion Robin's (here known as Longstride) mission as he assumes the latter's identity to return the king's crown. The ruse continues as Loxley's father Sir Walter (Max von Sydow) insists that Robin take on Loxley's name and share quarters with his widow Marian (Cate Blanchett). Before long, he's in the thick of medieval politics and war as the treacherous Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) plots to turn England against the newly-crowned King John (a scene-stealing Oscar Isaac) and lead a French invasion.

Scott's film isn't the total reinvention of the myth that he once promised (Sheriff = good, Robin = evil), but he's so in command of the sweeping spectacle and has his Gladiator star on top form that it doesn't particularly matter. The classic Hood elements are in place - the Merry Men, a daring Marian rescue, uniting the people - so there's a whiff of familiarity. The house is essentially the same but Scott has moved around the furniture. This incarnation may lack the fun and silliness of Erroll Flynn's Technicolor Adventures and Costner Prince Of Thieves, but there's no Lincoln tights or Bryan Adams ballad in sight. Sequels are almost a certainty.



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