The Death of Robin Hood - A Disappointing Take on Robin Hood's Final Days

I noticed this movie in the Coming Soon section of various Indonesian cinema chains websites and application and thought it looked interesting. Plus the lead actor was a famous star that I thought looked suitable as the main character. When it was finally available yesterday, my wife and I went to the cinema nearest to our home and saw this in the afternoon show. Well how was the movie then? I'll just get right on it.

Brief Story Line

Set in the year 1247, an aging Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman - Deadpool & Wolverine, The Greatest Showman etc) was feeling tired after years of killings and was living all by himself. When one of his oldest friend Little John (Bill Skarsgård - Nosferatu, Barbarian etc) sought his help to free his family from old adversaries, Robin decided to help him despite his earlier reluctance. 

Unfortunately Robin was later heavily injured and was brought to a Priory where its Prioress Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer - The Last Duel, Killing Eve TV series etc) was known for her ability to heal. Although Robin seemed to have found a fresh new life there, his dark past would soon caught up with him. 

So how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

Well that was totally unexpected. I knew from the genre mentioned in the cinema apps that it was an action drama but I thought it would still got some great action as after all it is a movie about the famous (or I should say infamous) Robin Hood. Apparently it was not as I hoped it would be. The early part actually was quite promising with a bloody violent scene that seemed to hint there would be more later. And subsequently it was pretty awesome with brutal fights that were not pretty at all but really set the mood. Sadly though after that the film switched its gear completely. 

What came after that was a drama heavy story telling with lots and lots of dialogues that sorry to say made my wife and I really sleepy and some of audience felt bored. My wife and I even had to eat sweets to avoid falling asleep, though we could not help dozed off a bit here and there. Nevertheless, both of us were still thinking there would be more, especially when an unexpected character appeared later. However, the ending was really anticlimactic. I might actually be OK if I did not have any expectation for a grand ending cause from neutral point of view, it was quite beautiful in a dark way. But because of the anticipation, it made me feel disappointed.

From what I read, this film was adapted from 17th century ballad Robin Hood's Death which after further reading, I found out that the main story and ending did not deviate too much. So I guess it was my fault for not getting more info first, cause if I did, I would be able to manage my expectation. The movie itself was written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One, Pig). It has duration of 122 minutes which felt really long due to the slow pacing and did not have any mid or post end credit scene. Looks like critics were OK with it though it did not receive high scores. Audience on the other hand were not impressed with many seemed to have same experience as we did. It could also be seen from its Box Office performance which was very low compared to its modest budget.

The performance of Hugh Jackman here was very good and convincing as the tired old Robin and looking for good death. Jodie Comer was OK too, though there was one scene that my wife and I felt out of place when she was alone in a solitary place (not sure the reason for such scene to be shown). Aside from the above names, there were also other characters like the Leper (Murray Bartlett - The White Lotus season 1, Beach House etc), Arthur (Noah Jupe - A Quiet Place Part II, The Night Manager TV series etc), Little Margaret (Faith Delaney) and few additional cast in minor roles. I think the cast performance was also praised by critics.

In the end this is a not an action drama film for me, but rather a drama movie with little action about the last days of Robin Hood. Do not expect this to be similar to Logan (despite having same lead actor) which gave us satisfying ending. So if you are in the mood for a character study kind of film about one of the most well known outlaw from British foklore during his latter days, then you are welcome to give it a try. You might enjoy it too if you like such genre and know what to expect. But if you prefer a different kind of movie, then like me and my wife, most probably you would not have the best time and even feel disappointed. The choices is yours.

Mike's movie moments rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars