Robin Hood - B+

On DVD and Blu-ray.

For the patient viewer, there's a lot to like in the latest Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe collaboration, much more than their last since it favors Scott's strongest suit (action scenes) as well as Crowe's (a wronged man with purpose). Like Gladiator, the story begins on the battlefield where Scott stages an exciting assault on a castle. There is an element of been there-seen that with Crowe sporting his Maximus haircut but the medieval warfare techniques still intrigue. After King Richard is killed in battle, Robin Longstride (Crowe) and some fellow archers (Little John, Will Scarlett) scheme their way back to England. When they return, they find their country in disarray as the new young, inexperienced king makes lots of mistakes and French relatives of the new queen conspire to take over . . .

Crowe has excellent chemistry with Cate Blanchett (Marian) and their courtship in the middle portion of the film is surprisingly witty and romantic. During the last half, when Robin is forced into battle to save his people and country, the film becomes exciting and sweet revenge is the name of the game. Scott's climactic battlefield scene set on a beach surrounded by cliffs is expertly staged. Max von Sydow and William Hurt put in excellent supporting work. Blanchett is superb, but her inclusion in the climax feels forced rather than era-appropriate.The major flaw of the film is its familiarity but gone are the long-winded political chats in Gladiator and the preachy defeatism in Kingdom of Heaven is nowhere to be found either. Robin Hood discusses appropriate modern recession-era topics like overtaxation and the importance of employment (especially by young males). Crowe gives an excellent speech about building communities and countries from the ground up. The populist politics work exceedingly well since everyone is shown struggling under the overreaching power of an out-of-touch leader. We've seen too much of that during the past 10 years from both sides of the aisle. B+

Note: I watched the Director's Cut only (156 minutes!) figuring that I'll have an easier time catching the theatrical cut (140 minutes) at a later date. Wish I had the time . . .