Barnes & Noble

Kevin Costner's action-packed 1991 retelling of the Robin Hood legend was the subject of some bad-mouthing in its day, but since then it has acquired a patina of respectability and is now recognized as the thoroughly entertaining swashbuckler it was intended to be. This revisionist take on the bandit of Sherwood Forest reflects not only a more fastidious approach to historically accurate period depiction, but also Hollywood's latter-day penchant for updating mythological themes to conform with contemporary notions of political correctness. Therefore, Robin's paramour, the lovely Maid Marian (played by the dazzling Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), is considerably more feisty and independent than in previous screen incarnations, and the hero's most trusted sidekick is a wise, battle-hardened Moor (Morgan Freeman) who seems far more intelligent than the valiant champion he ostensibly serves. The basic story remains the same: Robin is the disgraced nobleman who fights for justice when a usurper seizes control of England while the king, Richard the Lion-Hearted, is off fighting in the Crusades. Director Kevin Reynolds labors mightily (and, it must be said, not always successfully) to keep his actors' accents consistent, and he stages the film's numerous action sequences with brio. His handling of the story makes the plight of the oppressed Britons more palpable and, in a way, more contemporary; but he harks back to the 1938 Errol Flynn version of the story by allowing Alan Rickman to play the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham in a sneering, leering, delightfully bravura fashion. Although it takes nearly an hour to set the stage and build momentum, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves eventually becomes a veritable juggernaut of rousing thrills and robust adventure. It'll have the whole family cheering for more. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

This film is a '90s version of the classic Robin Hood story, with Kevin Costner starring as the good-guy thief. Costner is joined in his efforts against the murdering Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) by Morgan Freeman who plays a philosophizing Moor, and by Nick Brimble, who plays Little John (anything but little). After Robin barely survives a watery skirmish with Little John, the two become allies and Robin joins forces with Little John's band of robber thieves to overcome the evils of the dastardly Nottingham sheriff. ~ All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 085392378029
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 2:35:00
• Sales Rank: 10,037

Features:

DVD MENU