The Death of Robin Hood Review: Hugh Jackman is great in this dark deconstruction of the legend

PLOT: An aging Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman), gravely injured, recovers at a priory where he is nursed back to health by a nun, Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). Enjoying a peaceful existence for the first time in decades, he is troubled by the knowledge that, at some point, his past deeds will come back to haunt him.

REVIEW: The Death of Robin Hood isn’t the first deconstruction of the Robin Hood myth on the big screen, but it is the most radical. I was reminded of Richard Lester’s 1976 film Robin and Marian, which starred Sean Connery as an aging, illiterate Robin Hood whose feats of derring-do were long behind him. Yet, in that film, he was still a mostly heroic figure. In The Death of Robin Hood, Hugh Jackman plays him as an outlaw who mocks the fantastical myths being spread about his adventures. From what we see, they are grim and devoid of heroism — his Robin Hood is a killer with very little to look forward to beyond a potential death in battle.

While not presented as a fundamentally evil man, Robin, as portrayed by Hugh Jackman, is indeed a murderer, killing those who come after him without mercy. He’ll kill whomever he has to — be they men, women, or children. Jackman is terrific as this grim version of Robin Hood, with his casting having a strong impact because, in his prime, Jackman certainly could have played the role in a more straightforward adaptation. That gives Michael Sarnoski’s film the feeling of a legitimate addition to the legend, albeit a dark one.

Sarnoski — who impressed me with Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One — does a terrific job evoking a dark, grim tone for his elegiac Robin Hood story. It’s interestingly structured, with the first forty minutes playing as an action-driven epic, as Robin and Little John (a nearly unrecognizable Bill Skarsgård) mount an attack on a clan the latter has run afoul of. Shot in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the film features some exceptionally well-executed action, with Jackman fearsome in the combat scenes, portraying a man for whom killing has become second nature.

However, action isn’t the focus of The Death of Robin Hood. The perspective shifts once he arrives at Sister Brigid’s priory, where he’s given refuge after surviving near-fatal wounds. His brush with mortality leads to a more introspective second half, with the aspect ratio opening up to 1.66:1 as Robin gradually becomes humanized through his interactions with the saintly Brigid, who cares for a large group of orphaned children. He also experiences stirrings of paternal affection for a young girl he’s been left to care for, Margaret (Faith Delaney). However, when a wounded young man, Arthur (Noah Jupe), arrives, Robin begins to realize that his past is never too far behind him.

Sarnoski’s film does its best to present a different version of the Robin Hood myth. At the same time, he’s never portrayed as a straight-up villain, having been hardened by the fact that the people he’s killed inevitably have descendants who want revenge. He’s like the aging gunslinger in a classic Western whom every young upstart wants to challenge. He’ll never have peace — only endless conflict with those who seek to test him.

Jackman’s chemistry with Comer is terrific, with the actress excellent as the caring nun who’s probably the kindest person Robin has ever met. The entire cast is strong, with Skarsgård delivering an excellent — and largely unhinged — take on Little John. The standout, however, is Murray Bartlett, who plays a leper with whom Robin develops a surprising kinship. Wrapped in bandages that reveal only his eyes, Bartlett (who broke out in The White Lotus) is moving as a man cut very much from the same cloth as Robin.

Meanwhile, Sarnoski directs the film very much in the vein of Pig, meaning it’s deliberately paced and mournful. The action in the first act is surprisingly epic, however, and Sarnoski handles it so well that if he ever tackled a straightforward historical action film, he’d likely nail it in much the same way Robert Eggers did with The Northman. Still, this is a much quieter, more intimate movie.

While it may get overshadowed amid a sea of summer blockbusters, The Death of Robin Hood is well worth seeking out. The cast is excellent, with Jackman in fine form as the aging Robin. For those seeking more substantial, grown-up fare over the next few weeks, this is a must-see.