Robin Hood ranks alongside Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and the Three Musketeers as one of the most frequently adapted fictional stories, and since it exists in the public domain, there will be more Robin Hood movies coming, as Disney announced recently that a reimagining of the 1973 animated film was in the works at Disney+. Even if it's the most interesting thing in the film, it feels stale considering how similar the role is to Mendelsohn’s performances in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Ready Player One. The 2018 Robin Hood tries to exist in the mold of a superhero origin story, and Ben Mendelsohn’s performance awkwardly attempts to combine a tragic backstory referencing childhood abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church with more exaggerated haminess inspired by Rickman’s interpretation. Ridley Scott’s 2010 Robin Hood was initially conceived of as a reimagining from the Sheriff’s perspective, but the eventual film reverted to a more familiar take with Matthew Macfayden in the role.
Just as Errol Flynn created a gold standard that later Robin Hood actors would desperately try to emulate, subsequent attempts at depicting the Sheriff were caught in Rickman’s shadow. He’s a fairly impressive swordsman and the sword fight is fun, but it lacks the energy of the standalone moments save for his gloriously hammy death. At this point the rescue and subsequent battle for Nottingham Castle can only play out as expected, and Rickman has to engage in the actual story and not be left to his own devices.
The film’s conclusion in which Rickman and Costner duel once the latter arrives to rescue Maid Marian ( Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) is actually the least interesting part of the film. Viewers brave enough to explore the 155-minute extended cut released in 2009 will discover even more snappy lines from the Sheriff that were initially left on the cutting room floor. The amount of new dialogue was significant enough that it sparked friction within the production, with Costner famously asking for Rickman’s role to be diminished, as he feared his title character was being overshadowed in his own movie. Rickman can only hilariously react to his own incompetence, driving him to make more outrageous threats like his assertion that he’ll cut out Robin’s heart with a spoon (a detail that he extends for several more jokes).ĭirector Kevin Reynolds famously reported that no one on set was aware of Rickman’s additions ahead of time, allowing his co-stars to react authentically. The Sheriff dispatches forces to Robin’s family home in Locksley Castle, and then the next moment his supply lines are raided. It’s structured so that watching Rickman conceive of a strategy should add tension to the scenes of Robin gaining allies, but they end up playing for laughs as the Sheriff watches all of his tactics crumble. The Sheriff and Robin don’t actually trade blows until the film’s final moments, so for the most part Rickman is left on his own in Nottingham Castle concocting villainous schemes. “They love him for it?” His confusion is priceless. “Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public,” he proclaims. It’s hilarious watching the Sheriff attempt to explain Robin Hood’s appeal, ponderously musing as to how he’s disrupted his operation of Nottingham. It wasn’t just that Rickman was playing for camp, but he pointed out the tired mythology.
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