Director: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgard, Murray Bartlett, Noah Jupe
Screenplay: Michael Sarnoski
122 mins. Rated R for strong bloody violence.

Michael Sarnoski, coming off his unusual critical darling Pig and his franchise work on A Quiet Place: Day One, is headed to the world of the legendary Robin Hood for an adaptation of the ballad Robin’s Hood Death. In it, Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine) dons the faded costume for a powerful character piece surrounded by a story that loses steam in the back half and ends a bit of a whimper.

When he’s injured helping his old friend Little John (Bill Skarsgard, Nosferatu) to reclaim his home, Robin Hood is taken to a priory in order to rest up and heal current and old wounds. There, he finds a community that can benefit from his skill, forming a shaky bond with Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer, 28 Years Later) and a leper (Murray Bartlett, Opus) who reside there. He’s kept his identity a secret, but he knows that eventually his past will catch up to him.

The performances and characterization of Robin Hood and the people encircling him are truly excellent. Hugh Jackman, while never really feeling like an older Robin Hood, nevertheless crafts a performance of a man who has killed so many in his life that he cannot entirely fathom which ones existed and which ones were conjured from myth. He warns a possible enemy not to return, or he will “cut your throat and never think of you again” because it’s just another death to him. In his quiet moments, Jackman gives Hood an intensity that shows that even in peace, there is a battle raging in the distance. Skarsgard also shines as Little John, now going by Edward, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Hood and the leper, played by Murray Bartlett. Comer’s performance is far more reserved, but when she gets the chance to shine, especially near the end, she takes it.

Sarnoski crafts the time period and environments of the 1200s with a ferocious and fantastical eye. This is a world of pain and more pain. The violence is shocking and gratuitous and mean, and this movie opens with some of the most disturbingly gruesome action that I’ve seen in a major release. It’s gorgeously shot, and beautifully lit. I love so much of the visual eye of The Death of Robin Hood and, outside of some mixing issues where the musical score overtakes the dialogue, this is a pristinely crafted film.

Unfortunately, The Death of Robin Hood gets all of its best ideas into play in the first half, and far too much time is taken at the priory, all but imploding the generally strong pacing in the latter half and running out of steam before its ending. The last few scenes undercut the film and it just sort of whimpers away. Seeing the various versions of Robin Hood’s last days, it appears that Sarnoski took a risk in which ones to depict and how, and I don’t think it pays off for him in the story department.

The Death of Robin Hood is a gorgeously shot, well-acted, and gruesomely bloody and mean movie that works best as a character piece on the titular character. If you’re looking for a compelling story, this one doesn’t have enough to carry through, but as a visceral experience, there’s enough here that works in the character journey and the relationships forged.

3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe