THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD is a far cry from the familiar myth of men in green tights, with a stern, wild-haired Hugh Jackman playing an aging Robin Hood who is far closer to the real northern England outlaws who inspired the legend in the first place, although the film ultimately is about a hopeful tale of a chance of redemption late in life.
But this is not a tale of that medieval outlaw in his prime, but an aged one. The film must first begin in a place of darkness, literally, to show us who this Robin Hood is. As the film’s tagline says, he’s no hero but a brutal robber and murderer who struck both rich nobles and prosperous farmers, leaving a trail of victims of his bloody deeds. Now, near the end of his life, he is pursued by relatives of his victims, seeking revenge.
In this very different take on the Robin Hood myth, THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD presents an intriguing dark-to-light tale of the possibility of late-life redemption after a life of crime and murder. Director/writer Michael Sarnoski reached back to the earlier Medieval roots of the beloved Robin Hood legend, tales likely first based on deeds of several northern England outlaws, famed for their skill as archers and known for robbing the rich nobles hated by exploited commoners. Folk tales grew up because common people relished stories of a fellow commoner defying rules to strike back at the rulers. In the early tales, this Robin Hood does indeed take from the rich but the “and gives to the poor” was added in later versions.
Hugh Jackman’s Robin Hood, fierce, calculating, wild-haired and ragged, is a bit like an aging gunfighters in an old Western. He is still formidable as an archer and fighter but now older and feeling the weight of time. He is now on the run after a life of robbing both rich nobles and prosperous commoner farmsteads alike, wandering the stark, dark, snowy landscape of northern England, he tries to evade the many people bent on revenge.
The historical basis and evolution of the Robin Hood myth has been a topic of interest recently, and this historical fiction drama fits right in with that. But this tale is about Robin Hood at the end of his life, not in his outlaw prime, so it leans more to contemplation of mortality and regrets. Director/writer Michael Sarnoski’s epic drama delves deeply into that history for this different, more historically-based fictional take on Robin Hood. In many ways, the story also is like a classic Western, with an aging but still famous gunfighter, struggling with his regrets and pursued by would-be challengers, and confronted by a growing legend that departs from fact.
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD is a tale of possible redemption ultimately but that tale begins with darkness and violence, as it must to establish who this Robin Hood is. That brutal, graphic start may discourage some more sensitive viewers but it is worthwhile to stay with this tale for the thoughtful, uplifting new direction the film takes after it’s turning point, as the film moves towards an emotionally deeper place and scenes suffused with light, with contemplation of human connections, mortality, and hope.
Hugh Jackman is masterful as this aging outlaw Robin Hood, now regretting the violence of his past but seeing no other path forward. The return of an old partner-in-crime, Little John (Bill Skarsgard), sets things in motion, as Little John, who has been living a quiet life as a farmer under an assumed identity, with beloved wife and child, seeks Robin’s help to recover that life after his secret had been discovered by her family and he was tossed out. Ever practical Robin sees little chance of success in Little John’s ambitious plan to take on all the men of that family, but he does see a chance for a death in battle, which he finds a fitting end.
Little goes according to plan, Instead, Robin finds himself gravely wounded but alive, and is taken to a priory on an island, where he is placed in the gentle care of the prioress, a nun played by Jodie Comer. Her gentleness and kind care has a profound effect on the old outlaw and, along with the wisdom of another patient, a mysterious leper played strikingly well by Murray Bartlett in a breakout performance, help lead Robin Hood to a different view of the choices before him.
Beautifully evocative cinematography by Pat Scola fills this dramatic epic film, from the gray, dim grimness of the action filled beginning portion of the film to the sudden light-filled beauty of the hopeful latter portion. Shooting in rugged Northern Ireland helped give director Sarnoski it’s striking visual style. The film literally moves from darkness to light, with sweeping epic cinematography. The film begins with scenes shot in low light, often illuminated only by firelight, and in shades of gray in a world of hard stone, cold mud and swirling snow in a landscape devoid of most color, apart from the fire. This early section is filled with scenes of violence, but after Jackman’s Robin Hood is gravely wounded and transported to the healing priory, the cinematography gives way to light-filled scenes of ethereal beauty on a peaceful island devoted to healing and humanity.
Hugh Jackman is outstanding as this man who has led a brutal life but is now filled with regret and without hope, who finds an unsought, unexpected second chance for a different end. Repeatedly, Jackman’s Robin Hood encounters people who want to tell him some tale from his own growing legend, tales that he brusquely tells the storyteller are untrue, even if they might be. He is especially angered by stories that frame him as heroic.
Jodie Comer is winning as the healer who cares for the old outlaw, who helps open his eyes to something beyond what this realist sees before him. Likewise, two other characters play a role in this late-life journey, Bill Skarsgard as Little John, Robin’s former partner-in-crime who found a new life in love as a husband and father under an assumed identity, and particularly Murray Bartlett, who strikingly memorable as the knowing, mysterious leper that Robin meets on the island healing refuge.
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD is a remarkable take on a familiar story, which brings out a new more human side, about regrets and redemption. With a sweeping epic style, often gorgeous or gripping photography, it is also filled with fine dramatic performances from a gifted cast. Hugh Jackman is really on a terrific path with one remarkable performance after another, with this film his latest step on that ladder.
DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD opens in theaters on Friday, June 19, 2026.
RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars
