Critic Reviews

This “Robin Hood” transitions into contemplative, philosophical registers while never slacking in suspense. It is, at its core, a redemption story, simple in persuasive ways yet richly complicated by difficult personalities and atrocious revelations. Coincidences that would seem narratively convenient in lesser narratives are imbued with a classical feeling of fate.

Anchored by a powerful performance by Hugh Jackman, writer-director Michael Sarnoski’s The Death of Robin Hood is an excellent movie that takes a wrecking ball to the conventional story of a popular legend.

Sarnoski’s script doesn’t needlessly insert darkness into Robin Hood. It’s always been there, and his version of the outlaw is in communion with all those other retellings.

For once, a Robin Hood film has come along that challenges us to think about what redemption costs.

Not since Richard Lester’s underrated Robin and Marian has there been a more clear-eyed, metatextual investigation into the stories that comprise the legend.

[Sarnoski's] greatest accomplishment is crafting beautifully intimate portraits of these earnest subjects, set within aesthetically pleasing arenas that highlight impressive craft and alluring performances. It’s an inventive take on Robin Hood to strip away the merry men, nasty sheriffs, and pining love interests. This presentation is much more somber, yet in a way that conveys a far greater significance. It’s what turns what could have been a needless adaptation into a profound experience.

Bold, brutal yet surprisingly sensitive, it’s about as far away from Errol Flynn’s Technicolor tights or Kevin Costner’s mullet as you can imagine.

It's a strong third film by Michael Sarnoski, even if it has some shaggy edges that could have been improved. Filmed with a moody sense of atmosphere and bolstered by strong performances, The Death of Robin Hood has terrific depth and thematic richness that keeps the movie from ever feeling too downbeat to stop being compelling.

[Michael Sarnoski's] latest isn’t deep enough or captivating enough to make the same impact as his previous movies, but it’s a mature work that makes a valid point, and Hugh Jackman gives an excellent lead performance.

The Death of Robin Hood isn’t revisionist history — it’s a history of revisionism. One that fittingly creeps further into fiction with every claim it makes towards “the truth,” as Sarnoski’s ultra-austere effort to cut through a millennium of myths can’t help but create a hard-to-swallow fable of its own along the way.