Robin Hood: Where Are All The Arrows?
Okay, there were actually a lot of arrows in this movie, but Russell Crowe's character did not loose very many of them. This one he's got nocked? It was one of the two or three really dramatic arrow shots in the film.
The first, to my memory was the one that put an end to [REDACTED -- SPOILER ALERT] who, in a nod to historical accuracy, actually was ended by an arrow in 1199.
I don't know 12th-century European History from a Holy Grail, and my knowledge of Robin Hood myths is limited to pop-culture treatments, ooh-de-lally. For exactly that reason, this movie totally worked for me. I don't know if Ridley Scott is rewriting history or setting the record straight, but this film felt like a dramatization of stuff that actually happened.
It also didn't feel much like a Robin Hood film. That scene from the trailers, in which the Sheriff of Nottingham is posting a warrant and asks for a nail? You know the one, right? The one where an arrow then sails out of the woods and pins the warrant to the tree? Yeah, THAT scene. In a proper Robin Hood film, this scene would take place in Act I, or maybe Act II.
SPOILER ALERT. It takes place late in the third and final act. In fact, when it takes place you've already been in your seat for over two hours. If you're waiting for that scene to start the movie for you, brace for disappointment.
Imagine a Superman movie where he doesn't get his job at the Daily Planet until after the credits have rolled. Oh, wait. That's Smallville. You know what? That metaphor works, mostly. Robin Hood is to Robin Hood as Smallville is to Superman. Lots of name-dropping, but the story is not one we're familiar with.
And that's fine. This ain't an Errol Flynn, Walt Disney, or (thank goodness) Kevin Costner joint. This is Robin Hood in the modern, 21st-century age of well-told origins stories and carefully constructed franchises.
I had a great time watching this film, and it's in 4th place as of this writing. Why? It kept surprising me. And looking back over this review, I don't think I've given enough away to keep it from surprising you.