‘The Death of Robin Hood’ review: Long road of ruin

Michael Sarnoski delivers an unflinching, moving take on a folkloric legend in The Death of Robin Hood.

The Death of Robin Hood is an evocative title if I’ve ever heard one. When you hear the name of the classic legend Robin Hood, you think of a legendary hero stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Perhaps a band of merry men or even a cartoon fox, a la the classic Disney film, comes to mind. Yet, the title for the latest adaptation of the legendary character of English folklore, combined from the bleak imagery shown in the marketing material for A24’s latest, suggests a wildly different take on Robin Hood.

One wouldn’t be remiss to assume, especially with Hugh Jackman as the lead, that The Death of Robin Hood is a Logan-style, hyper-violent last stand for an iconic hero. This read is only partially correct, as filmmaker Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One, Pig) wields his trademark humanism like a hidden blade in a narrative that starts out unflinchingly brutal, only to reveal a contemplative, quietly moving core.

Functionally, The Death of Robin Hood is two wildly different films. The first, which takes up the first 30-45 minutes, is a gnarly descent into bloodshed. An aged Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) lives out in the wilderness, where his old compatriot Little John (Bill Skarsgård) finds him, asking for help in righting a wrong that has been done to himself and his family. What follows is downright operatic. In a mode audiences have never seen, Sarnoski, Robin, and Little John embark on a relentless quest for vengeance.

A tonal leap of faith.

Under the cover of shadow and a suffocating grey, broken only by the occasional flashes of fire and blood, communicated through the stylized lens of Pat Scola, The Death of Robin Hood contains shockingly well-choreographed action in its first bit that takes no prisoners. Robin shows no mercy as Jackman imbues his Robin Hood with a dead-eyed precision that reconfigures the hero we know from folklore into an unstoppable killer. There are moments here that are more shocking than the most brazen of action films and easily outclass any action seen in a film released by A24, not named Everything Everywhere All At Once or Civil War.

Jackman’s interpretation, paired with the mythic level of violence, helps set the groundwork for Sarnoski’s big rug pull, as The Death of Robin Hood shifts into another mode entirely. When his quest goes sideways, Robin ends up at a monastery of sorts under the tender care of Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). Accompanied by a wide-eyed, traumatized child, Little Margaret (Faith Delaney), Robin must surrender his lifestyle to one of peace and healing.

For a moment, this shift feels jarring in all the wrong ways. Although Scola’s cinematography makes a welcome shift to a brighter palette with the monastery’s gorgeous island location, full of beautiful greenery juxtaposed with the endless serenity of the ocean, Sarnoski seems to have no idea where to take the story. Scene after scene of speeches about bettering oneself, letting go, et cetera, et cetera- if one can even hear over the half-mumbled dialogue at moments- take precedence to the point where it feels like there is no destination in sight. At least Robin’s conversation with a friendly leper (Murray Bartlett) establishes a fascinating dynamic.

The bottom line.

Stick with it, though, and it becomes immensely clear that The Death of Robin Hood is merely lulling you into a false sense of security. Soon enough, Robin’s violent past comes back to roost. Robin, and by proxy the audience, has to contend with it. Moreover, he must contend with the reality of what he’s done versus the glory that’s been spread of his name. Sarnoski then begins to unveil what he was after all around: a thoughtful meditation on forgiveness, legacy, the stories we tell, and what a meaningful death looks like. The conclusion of which might just send tears streaming down your face.

The Death of Robin Hood, like its title, operates like a challenge to the audience. A powerful deconstruction that examines the withered husk beneath the legend, Michael Sarnoski and Hugh Jackman ask whether redemption and a good death are owed to us. Regardless of the outcome, the fact that it even asks these questions and arrives at an unforgettable answer makes it sneakily one of the most interesting pieces of revisionist fiction in recent history.

The Death of Robin Hood is out now in theaters. Watch the trailer below. 

Images courtesy of A24. 

James Preston Poole