Cast
Robin Hood: Kevin Costner
Azeem: Morgan Freeman
Sheriff of Notingham: Alan Rickman
Lady Marion: Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio
Friar Tuck: Micheal McShane
Will Scarlett: Christian Slater
John Little: Nick Brimble
Mortiana: Geraldine McEwan
Guy of Gilborne: Micheal Wincott
King Richard: Sean Connery
Story: Pen Densham. Screenplay: Pen Densham and John Watson. Directed by Kevin Reynolds.
Released: 1991
My Rating: ****. Position on Top Twenty: #18.
Plot
It opens during The Crusades. Robin of Loxley and his compatriots are in a Jerusalem prison, about to be dimembered.
Robin, displaying his trademark courage, allows himself, his friend, and a Moor to escape. His friend is killed, but the Moor and Robin go to England.
Once home, Robin finds his home overridden by the Shriff of Notingham, and his father dead.
Azeem, thr Moor, has sworn a life-debt to Robin, so he helps to fight against Notingham. After visiting Marion, the sister of Robin's departed comrade, the pair
are chased into Sherwood Forest. Its there that they meet John Little and his band of outlaws. Soon, Robin has trained the people to fight and are rebelling
against the Sheriff and his cousin, Guy of Gilborne.
It comes to a head when the Sheriff attacks Robin's forest hideout with Celts and captures ten men for hanging. we then learn that Will Scarlett is Robin's half-
brother, and that he nearly betryed Robin to the Sheriff. Robin leads a small band of men to the castle to stop Notingham from killing the ten captured, as well as from marrying
Marion, and therefore aligning himself with royal blood.
In an amazing final sequence, Robin and Azeem storm the castle, and kill Notingham and his witch, Mortiana.
My Comments
Like I said, I'm a sucker for these midievil movies. Swashbuckling adventures get to me. Aside from the lack of accent from Costner, and a definate lack of swordplay experience from
Rickman, this movie had it all. Classic plot, awesome action, romance, good acting. Rickman does steal the show as the Sheriff. He seems to revel in playing someone totally evil. Its not over the top,
and it gets the job done. I've seen this movie so many times, and its one of those that doesn't get old. Only a few other movies have tha same lasting power for me. Namely Star Trek VIII, Southpark, and
The Princess Bride.
Recently, they finally released a decent DVD version of this movie, with actual extras and junk. Plus, it adds 12 minutes of footage, mostly enhancing the storyline of the sheriff and Mortiana. Turns out, she's his mother! Pretty creepy, huh?
