Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Review

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Release Date: 27th June 1991 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Morgan Creek Productions

Genre: Adventure

Rating: M

Runtime: 143 minutes
                155 minutes
                (extended cut)

Budget: $48,000,000

Box Office Gross: $390,493,908 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

After escaping from the

Turks during the Crusades,

Robin, son of Locksley

and a warrior, Azeem,

returns to England, only

to find that the corrupt

Sheriff of Nottingham has

taken over the lands that

belonged to Robin's father

and has murdered him.

Vowing to avenge his father

and with Maid Marian unable

to help him, Robin flees to

the Forest of Sherwood,

home to a band of outlaws

banished from their villages

by the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Uniting the forces of the

outlaws, Robin and his merry

men began a crusade

against the Sheriff of

Nottingham, which would

not only put an end to the

corruption that he spread

in the English countryside

but stop him from taking

over the throne of England's

rightful ruler King Richard.

Cast

Kevin Costner - Robin of Locksley

Morgan Freeman - Azeem

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - Lady Marian

Alan Rickman - Sheriff

of Nottingham

Geraldine McEwan - Mortianna

Christian Slater - Will Scarlett

Brian Blessed - Lord Locksley

Michael Wincott - Guy of

Gisborne

Nick Brimble - Little John

Mike McShane - Friar Tuck

Soo Drouet - Fanny

Daniel Newman - Wulf

Daniel Peacock - Bull

Harold Innocent - Bishop of

Hereford

Walter Sparrow - Duncan

Jack Wild - Much

Michael Goldie - Kenneth

Liam Halligan - Peter Dubois

Marc Zuber - Interrogator

Merelina Kendall - Old Woman

Imogen Bain - Sarah

Jimmy Gardner - Farmer

John H. Francis - Courier

John Hallam - Red Headed Baron

Douglas Blackwell - Gray Bearded Baron

Pat Roach - Celtic Chieftain

Andy Hoxley - Ox

John Dallimore - Broth

Derek Deadman - Kneelock

Howard Lew Lewis - Hal

John Tordoff - Scribe

Andrew Lawden - Sergeant

Susannah Corbett - Lady in Coach

Sarah Alexandra - Small Girl

Christopher Adamson - Soldier

Richard Strange - Executioner

Bryan Adams - The Balladeer (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Sean Connery - King Richard (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Crew

Director - Kevin Reynolds

Story/Screenplay/Producer - Pen Densham

Screenplay/Producer - John Watson

Executive Producers - Gary Barber,

David Nicksay and James G. Robinson

Producer - Richard Barton Lewis

Co-Producer - Michael J. Kagan

Project Consultant - Stuart Baird

Production Consultant/Producer (Uncredited) -

Kevin Costner

Casting Directors - Noel Davis,

Ilene Starger and Jeremy Zimmermann

Production Designer - John Graysmark

Supervising Art Director - Alan Tomkins

Art Directors - Fred Carter and John Ralph

Assistant Art Directors - Reg Bream

and Giles Masters

Set Decorator - Peter Young

Costume Designer - John Bloomfield

Supervising Makeup Artist - Paul Engelen

Supervising Hairdresser - Colin Jamison

Director of Photography - Douglas Milsome

Steadicam Operator - John Ward

Camera Operator: Second Unit - Mike Brewster

Production Supervisor - Malcolm J. Christopher

Production Manager/Coordinator - Michael Hartman

First Assistant Director - David Tringham

Second Unit Director - Mark Illsley

Second Unit Director: Action Sequence -

Max Kleven
Sword Master - Terry Walsh
Stunt Coordinator - Paul Weston

Special Effects Supervisor - John Evans

Film Editor - Peter Boyle

Editors: Additional Sequences - Marcus Manson,

Peter Hollywood, Carmel Davies and

Michael Kelly

Supervising Sound Editor - Robert Grieve

Sound Mixer - Chris Munro

Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Jenkins,

Anna Behlmer, Doug Hemphill, Paul Massey,

Mark Smith and Otto Snel (Uncredited)

Foley Artists - Dan O'Connell,

John Roesch, Alicia Stevenson and

Ellen Heuer

Music - Michael Kamen

Writer/Performer: "(Everything I Do) I Do It

For You" - Bryan Adams

Awards

1992 Academy Awards

Best Music, Original Song "(Everything I Do)

I Do It For You" - Michael Kamen, Bryan Adams

and Robert John Lange (Nominated)

Review

In the newly written recap of my latest critique, I state that the mythological figure of Robin Hood has been in numerous cinematic versions. One of which, in 1938, was The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn. Then, in 1973, in justifiably Disney style, the title character was a fox fighting for the poor against the rich, along with his fellow animal characters in their animated universe. Recently, in 2010 came Ridley Scott's version with Russell Crowe in the lead role. Having experienced the Disney version, I found it more entertaining than Scott's effort. PRINCE OF THIEVES, though not as endearing as I expected, it's still promising but imperfect on a grand scale. Aside from anything in the film, Kevin Costner will never be Robin Hood, given his non-British accent. He was miscast for the role because of his looks.

Alan Rickman and Morgan Freeman were the only ones I know who did very well in their performances. For Rickman, it was the deliciously funny and menacing lines for the Sheriff of Nottingham. Freeman performs a character who was a great ally to Robin Hood but was never part of the original mythology. One of the underlying factors for this film is that only a few historical accuracies are in the plot. Some have changed, like replacing Prince John with the Sheriff as the main antagonist. Unless you're a stickler for a historical fact, inaccuracies are unnecessary. The background music went along great, especially the instrumentals done by Michael Kamen and the Bryan Adams song. It evokes the swashbuckling rehash in a resonated splendour.

I give PRINCE OF THIEVES a 7 out of 10 for being a good movie. While not quite firing the arrow, it's usually a movie worth watching with love and adventure by its side.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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