Robin Hood (Ridley Scott 2010)
Posted on June 19 at 10.02, 2010 by Eric Mahleb
It has been a long time coming but now, it’s official: i have lost what little respect i had left for Ridley Scott.
Much has been said about the historical distortion around which this story of Robin Hood was written. I don’t necessarily approve of such inaccuracies - after all, cinema, as with most visual media today, is a powerful tool with much reach and impact that can influence minds and values - but i can live with them if the movie holds solidly on all other cinematic foundations. Unfortunately, in the case of Robin Hood, it doesn’t.
As i mentioned in my review of Body of Lies, the films of Ridley Scott are usually well-crafted. It is clear upon viewing that one is watching the work of an experienced filmmaker who knows his trade. Yet, in his drive towards the false epic and the commercial saga, Scott has let plenty of weaknesses creep in. Superficial, predictable, stereotypical and clichés characters who can not possibly surprise us with their actions and emotions (except when ridiculous things happen such as Cate Blanchett appearing out of nowhere to fight with the others on the beach, or when we are confronted several times with the face of a screaming Russell Crowe rising out of the water in slow motion - didn’t someone poke fun of this cinematic cheesy faux-pas? Perhaps it was Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder or Mike Myers in Austin Powers. I can’t quite remember - ), a carelessness towards making sure that the actors speak with proper accents, an over reliance on what is now starting to seem like a ‘passé’ camera and editing style for his battle scenes and last but not least, a dependence on the limited Crowe as lead actor.
I think Scott has squeezed the last drop of moaning and groaning and growling out of Russel Crowe and there is only one thing left to do, as suggested wisely by The Onion, and that is for Scott to trade Crowe for Johnny Depp. And also to abandon his delusions of grandeur and go back to simpler, more artsy and intelligent films where his craft as a director can shine.
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