Luke
stu-kicks
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves
October 12th 2006 06:39
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Ah, such a classic. Like 'Home Alone', I struggle to think how anyone could not get enjoyment out of a film like this. Okay, so Kevin Costner is a yank, but does it really matter when the film achieves exactly what it sets out to do... entertain through it's combination of thrills, high-adventure and amusing dialogue?
An all-star cast joins Costner for a somewhat inaccurate ride through medieval Britain; the Robin Hood myth gets reinvented for a new audience... no mean feat in itself. 'Prince of Thieves' set an influential benchmark for historical adventure - films such as the 90s version of 'The Three Muskateers', 'Braveheart' and 'Gladiator' all owe a stylistic debt to it, whether they'd perhaps like to admit it or not.
The film uses various subplots and takes liberties with well-known characters (Will Scarlett, Sheriff of Nottingham, Azeem, etc, etc) to great effect. There's not a dull moment to be had throughout, and it stands up to a lot of re-watching (well, as far as I'm concerned anyway). The dialogue is great, especially between Robin and Azeem, and Alan Rickman is delightfully over-the-top as the Sheriff. It would've been great to have seen more of Friar Tuck and Little John (given their importance in the standard Robin Hood myth), and Prince John doesn’t feature at all, but I guess there's only so much you can fit into a movie like this without overcrowding it.
There are some people in the world who haven't seen 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'. I feel sorry for these people, this movie is so fun and entertaining - something that seems hard to pull off these days.
HIGHLIGHTS: As mentioned before, so many great lines. I'll spare myself the agony of choosing a few from a large group to reproduce here.
TRIVIA: Costner and director Kevin Reynolds (who directed Costner here in ‘Prince of Thieves’) had a falling out over their second film together, 'Waterworld'.
Sean Connery was paid $1 million for his cameo as King Richard. Also, look out for crazed British thespian Brian Blessed as Robin's father, best known for shouting his way through the first series of 'Blackadder' and various other British films and television series.
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Comment by Justin
Cinematrix
From memory it really elevated Mary Stuart Masterton (but IMDB tells me her real name is (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, must be my fuzzy memory) as the love interest to the rising star of Costner likewise. I think it's a great film with a bunch of elements that all work coindcidingly with each other brilliantly.
Special mention to one of the coolest actors in the biz too, Michael Wincott who plays Guy of Gisborne, the underling to Alan Rickman. I still remember his line upon finding the irrepressibly good Robin Hood on the Sheriffs land and persuading him at sword-point:
Guy: "Would you be as so kind as to tell me your name, before I run you through."
Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
yeah I used to get Mary Stuart and Mary Elizabeth always mixed up, they were both from around the same era, same kind of roles, same kind of mediocrity.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
He has a certain charm though.
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
Alan Rickman, amazing.
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
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As far as old films go, it doesn't get much better than this.
I watch it every six months or so.
This was by far the best version ever made.
10*
Lilla.