BEAT SHEET: Robin Hood (2010)

Spoiler Alert: The following is an analysis of the movie Robin Hood and deals with most of the events of the movie. Consider the whole article a spoiler.

Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Brian Helgeland
Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow

Opening Comments:
Comparisons to Gladiator immediately spring to mind when we hear the pairing of Russell Crowe, Sir Ridley Scott and the legend of Robin Hood. Here we have a period piece involving epic battles and a hero standing up for the common people. Robin Longstride has even been given a similar look to Maximus, with close-cropped hair and a beard. Is Robin Hood as good as Gladiator? We shall see.

Genre:
I classified this as being in the Superhero genre. The following are the key components of that genre and how I think Robin Hood meets those requirements.

1. Special power – Robin Longstride is a great archer, but his ‘power’ is that he lives honestly
2. Nemesis – Godfrey is Robin’s nemesis. Unlike Robin, Godfrey is strong through deception and betrayal
3. Curse – Robin will be hunted, attacked and eventually outlawed because he lives honestly

The Beats:
This is based off one viewing of the movie, so it is entirely possible I have misremembered or misplaced some of the events of the movie. If so, I apologise. Also, I don’t have the timing for the appearance of the following beats. I was in the cinema to enjoy the movie, not to be drawn out of the story every few minutes to glance at my watch.

Opening Image
Once again, Sir Ridley Scott begins a movie with written titles to place the story in context. After the titles there is a slow reveal of green fields and trees leading up to a castle in the distance. English soldiers prepare to make war on the French castle. King Richard contemplates the price of the campaign he has waged.

Theme Stated
King Richard talks with a trusted advisor, Robert Loxley. King Richard wants to find an honest man whom he can ask a question and know that he will get a truthful answer in return, even if it is not what the king wants to hear. This movie is about living honestly, even if it means suffering for it.

Set-Up
So, who is our honest man that Richard seeks? Robin, of course. This is not, however, Robin Loxley, knight and son of a nobleman. This is Robin Longstride, common English Yeoman. Already, this is proving different to the Robin Hood legend we are familiar with. Back in familiar territory, however, we are shown that Robin is an expert archer. We are treated to a beautiful slow-motion extreme close-up of Robin firing an arrow, one of my favourite shots in the movie. During the English attack on the castle Robin has a Save the Cat moment when a young soldier gets trapped at the castle gate. Robin risks his life and braves the arrows and boiling oil unleashed by the defenders to rescue the young soldier. This Robin may be a commoner, but he is a hero, none-the-less.

We move from the battlefields of France to Nottingham, in England. A band of orphans, led by a child with a frightening mask, break into a barn and steal grain. We meet Lady Marion Loxley, wife of Robert Loxley, as she tries to scare the raiders away. She shoots a flaming arrow at the boy in the mask. He stands fearlessly as her arrow lands at his feet then slips into the forest. Marion checks the barn and finds the planting corn has been stolen. This is one of the six things that need fixing by the story’s end.

We meet the Queen-mother as she hurries to her son’s room. Outside Prince John’s room, a pasty young woman sits, crying. The Queen-mother barges into John’s room, where John is making love to a French woman. The Queen-mother tells John off for his infidelity. John says he wants a divorce from his English wife so that he can marry the French girl. John taunts his mother that Richard has not come back, and that she is left with him, the runt of her children.

Having met the English Royals, we also meet the French version. The French King plots to have King Richard assassinated, so that Prince John can be dealt with. We meet Godfrey, an English Knight with French loyalties. Godfrey is commissioned to assassinate King Richard as he rides ahead of the army to return to England.

Back in France it is evening. The castle gate burns and the English men wait at their tents. Robin and a giant of a fellow named John continue a rivalry from the battlefield. John watches as Robin dupes some money out of another person by playing the cup and ball game. Robin places a ball under one of three cups and moves them around the table. The person has to guess under which cup the ball lies. John tells Robin he has his figured out his trick – the ball is not under any of the cups. John lifts the first cup – no ball. He lifts the second – again, no ball. The hushed onlookers are convinced that Robin is getting his money deceptively. John lifts the third cup. As John sees the ball is under the cup a punch is thrown and a fight ensues. This reinforces the theme – Robin is honest.

King Richard approaches as John and Robin continue their fight. In the scuffle one of them knocks King Richard down. Immediately, Loxley bellows for everyone to bow to the king. King Richard asks who started the fight. This is a very important moment, thematically. Will Robin take the blame, despite the consequences? Robin admits to throwing the first punch. King Richard realises he has found an honest man, and asks him a question. Does Robin think the campaign will be looked upon pleasingly by God?

Catalyst
There are two contenders for the catalyst. I think a case could be made for either one, but I have opted for the one that appears earlier in the movie, as I think it makes for a stronger Debate section. Following the King’s question, Loxley gives Robin a subtle look – be careful how you answer. Robin chooses to answer the King honestly. He tells Richard that God will not look favourably on Richard’s crusade, because of a massacre by the English of 2000 Muslims. At that point, says Robin, the English became Godless.

Debate
In response to Robin’s answer, the King tells Robin he has given a typical English response –honest but naive. The following day, as the battle unfolds, Robin and his friends (some of the men who will prove foundational members of Robin’s band of outlaws) are locked in stocks, watching the battle from a distance. Robin plots to desert from the army, once they are set free. He has a taste of what living life honest to his convictions will cost, and chooses to flee the ‘curse’ of that responsibility. As far as the superhero genre is concerned, this idea of the hero’s ‘curse’ is essential. Robin’s decision to fore go the ‘curse’ at the first hurdle helps us see the change that will happen as he accepts his responsibilities.

Following a scene where the French boast about an army of cooks being able to defeat the English, we are treated to an ironic occurrence. A French cook brings food to the defenders. As the French soldiers eat the cook shoots a cross-bow at King Richard and pierces him through the neck. As King Richard dies the young soldier whom Robin rescued from the castle gates arrives and helps Robin and his friends escape from the stocks and flee the battlefield.

Loxley and a band of men ride back to England, taking the King’s crown with them. They are ambushed by Godfrey and his men and slaughtered. Godfrey finds out from the mortally wounded Loxley that the king is dead. He sees the kings crown in the saddle of Loxley’s horse, but the flighty horse escapes before Godfrey can recover the crown.

As Robin and his men escape through the forest, they come upon the ambush scene. Robin and his men kill the French soldiers. As Godfrey rides away Robin shoots him, but the arrow glances off Godfrey’s cheek. The white horse returns and Robin is commissioned by Loxley to take the crown to England and to deliver Loxley’s sword to Walter Loxley. Robin is hesitant to accept the commission. Again, he is faced with the question and must respond. What will Robin do?

Break Into Two
Robin gives Loxley his word that he will deliver the sword to Loxley’s father. In an interesting take on the theme of honest living, Robin and his men dress as the knights who were slain. Robin tells his men that knights are just ordinary men. The only way people know they are knights is because they are dressed as knights. They hope that dressing as knights will give them a better life in England. Robin poses as Robert Loxley and boards a boat bound for England. On board the ship, Robin examines Loxley’s sword. He unwinds a loose part of the handle, revealing the words ‘UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS’ on the grip. This triggers Robin’s memory, but we don’t yet know why.

We now enter the world of Act II, the world of Synthesis. In Act I Robin was a common yeoman. He harboured resentment toward his father, who he believed abandoned him. He had an unpleasant past, a present that was dire, and no future to speak of. Now, in Act II, Robin has prospects. Those prospects, however, are tied to deception.

B Story
The B story of Robin Hood is about Robin’s relationship with Marion and Walter Loxley. Marion comes to the church to pray. She pleads with the outgoing priest not to send all their corn to York. If he does, they will have no corn left to plant. The priest dismisses her concerns. Marion meets the new Friar – Friar Tuck. Marion also has an unpleasant encounter with the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Fun and Games
Posing as Loxley, Robin and his men arrive in England. Robin returns the crown to the Queen-mother. Prince John is made King John and offers Robin a reward for his service. In an interesting foreshadowing to later events, John takes back the reward he offered as compensation for back taxes that are owed by Nottingham. Robin spots Godfrey in the crowd, with stitches to his face where Robin’s arrow hit. Robin also meets William Marshal, a high ranking official. As Robin talks with Marshal he is observed by Godfrey.

The French continue their intrigue. King John, unaware of Godfrey’s betrayal, forces Marshal’s resignation and replaces him with Godfrey. John commissions Godfrey to use force to extract the taxes that are owed to the crown.

Robin and his men travel to Nottingham. Robin knows he cannot pose as Loxley here because people will recognise his deception. Robin delivers the news of Robert’s death to Marion. Robin returns Loxley’s sword to Walter and the old man realises his son is dead. Walter reacts strangely when he hears Robin’s full name, Robin Longstride. Then Walter proposes something unexpected. He wants Robin to continue to pose as Robert Loxley.

Robin accepts. Marion and Robin must share the same room, to convince the servants Robin is the real deal, however, Robin sleeps on the floor while Marion sleeps in the bed. Marion shows Robin around Nottingham, ‘reacquainting’ him with his land. They prepare the soil for planting and everything seems to be going well for Robin and Nottingham.

Midpoint
At this point, though, church officials come to collect the corn. Robin tries to convince Friar Tuck not to let them take it, but Friar Tuck is unable to convince his superiors to leave any. It seems that the fate of Nottingham is tied up in the bundles of corn to be carted off to York. This is a false defeat, however, as Robin and his men, supported by the good Friar, don hoods and attack the wagon of corn. They return to Nottingham and plant the corn overnight.

Bad Guys Close In
Meanwhile French troops secretly disembark on English soil and assist Godfrey as he attacks the northern counties, seeking to stir up dissension towards the English crown. His plan works, as the noblemen gather their armies together to start a civil war. Godfrey’s troops press towards Nottingham. Meanwhile, Marshal has been notified of the presence of the French troops by a spy. Marshal informs the Queen-mother, who convinces King John’s French wife that she must act if she is to be Queen of England, for if she does not act, there will be no England of which to be Queen. The Queen stands up to John, and convinces him that Godfrey has betrayed him and is actively seeking to overthrow him.

Back in Nottingham Walter tells Robin about the meaning of the words on the handle of the sword (“RISE AND RISE AGAIN UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS”). This jogs Robin’s memory. Robin was not abandoned by his father, after all. Instead, Robin’s father was a stonemason who tried to bring about social change in England. He was beheaded for his efforts, although a number of people supported his charter to give the people of England rights that could not be revoked by the King. Robin sets out to find the memorial of his father where he first saw the words engraved on the sword.

All is Lost
The armies of England meet, apparently set for civil war. Marshal tries to tell the northern nobles about the French plot, but they do not believe him. King John arrives and talks with the nobles. Robin, having found his father’s memorial, is the one to convince the people of the need to fight together, fulfilling his father’s dream for England. The nobles agree to fight for King John, under the condition that John sign a charter giving the people of England the rights they want. This is a victory for Robin and for the people, but alas it is a false victory. The main army heads to the coast to fight the French, but Robin heads back to Nottingham.

Godfrey arrives at Nottingham and attacks. Marion is locked in a building with one of Godfrey’s nasty French lieutenants. The people from the village are herded into a building and the building is set on fire. Godfrey taunts and kills Robin’s mentor, Walter Loxley.

Dark Night of the Soul
Robin arrives at Nottingham, but he is too late. Nottingham has been destroyed and the people will soon be dead. Robin and his men fight, regardless. Marion stabs her assailant and kills him. The orphan boys who were a nuisance and menace to the village earlier help rescue Marion. Robin’s men rescue the townsfolk and the French troops are captured. Godfrey, however, escapes.

Break into Three
Robin and his men rejoin the main English contingent at the cliffs of Dover as the French fleet prepares to land. King John asks what their strategy should be.

Finale
Robin and Marshal formulate their strategy. The archers will attack from the cliffs while the cavalry will attack at the beach. A helmeted knight arrives late, with a band of ragamuffin youths. The knight lifts their visor – it is Marion. Robin tells her to join the formation and fight.

Sir Ridley’s direction of the finale battle sequence is epic, but the focus is very personal. This is about Robin, Marion and Godfrey and that is the fight that is focused on. Marion is injured in the fight and Robin is almost defeated. Godfrey, seeing that the battle is going poorly for the French, mounts his horse and flees. Robin, in a bookend close up of the initial super slow-mo’ extreme close-up fires his arrow. It flies straight and true, piercing Godfrey through the neck.

Robin carries Marion along the beach as the French surrender. King John, exuberantly fighting, is restrained by Marshal – the battle is over. The English soldiers give Robin the heroic reception that King John desperately craves. This is enough to turn John against Robin.

Back in the capital, King John addresses his subjects. He holds the charter he promised to sign. Instead of signing it, though, John burns it, proclaiming his kingship as his divine right. King John then proclaims Robin an outlaw.

The Sheriff reads the King’s proclamation of Robin’s ‘crimes’ to the people of Nottingham. The sheriff presses the notice to a tree and calls out for a nail and hammer. An arrow pins the notice to the tree. The Sheriff looks up, terrified as the townsfolk laugh at his discomfort.

Final Image
The final image reflects the opening image. We are in a green forest, but instead of a French castle, there are rough dwellings. This is the new home of Robin, Marion and those who are allied with them. The orphans, too, are part of this extended family. Ironically, it is Robin’s commitment to his honesty and ideals that have made him an outlaw.

Final Comments:
Despite a few issues with the sound at the cinema where I watched Robin Hood I enjoyed the film quite a lot. There were a couple of things I think did not work, though. I think that at the end, when Marion and the orphans join the fight with the French on the beach, it detracts from the film. I would not have an issue with Marion joining the fight, but there was something a little silly about the orphans riding on their horses and mixing it up with the big boys.

Another thing that I think could have been improved is the dialogue. The dialogue is not bad; it just lacks memorable quotes. Now this could quite possibly be my defective memory, rather than the fault of the script, but after watching Robin Hood, I am struggling to think of any stand out lines. This is my reflection after a solitary viewing, so perhaps given another viewing there could be some quotes that stick in my mind.

There were some awesome shots and sequences and I thought the movie worked as a whole. I thought the characterisations were very good. I was ready to despise Prince John right from the start – after all, this is the evil Prince John from the Robin Hood legend. He was portrayed very sympathetically, though and I found myself supporting him quite a lot. There is a very good story reason for painting John in a more positive light.

Godfrey is the key antagonist in this version of Robin Hood. Had John been too detestable it would have lessened the impact of the Robin verse Godfrey section of the action. What was done exceptionally was how, right at the end, John becomes the villain we know him to be in the legend. By burning the charter and showing his dishonest nature it not only tied into the theme, it also heightened the stakes. The charter was something Robin’s father gave his life for, and John burning it now sets up a very personal confrontation between Robin and John.

Another thing that I really liked about the movie is that, despite this being the origin of the Robin Hood legend, we still got to meet many of the characters that we are familiar with. We met Robin and Marion, Little John, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John. I also think it stayed true enough to the Robin Hood legend, while adding some surprising nuances that kept the story fresh. For instance, King Richard’s death very early on set up the fact that this was going to be quite a different Robin Hood than we have previously seen.

So, the question I posed in the opening comments – Is Robin Hood as good as Gladiator? I think Gladiator resonates more, due in part to some memorable dialogue – not just from Maximus, but Commodus and others, too. Who can think of Gladiator without remembering Maximus’ response when Commodus demands he take off his helmet and reveal himself?

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

That has to be one of my favourite quotes of all time. Besides more memorable lines in Gladiator, I also felt the Hans Zimmer’s score for Gladiator is more moving than the music from Robin Hood.

The other thing I think Gladiator does better has to do with what is at stake in the respective movies. In Gladiator, Maximus’ has, as Blake Snyder would say, a more primal goal. It is more personal for Maximus than it is for Robin. I know that Robin eventually finds out why his father was killed, but it takes most of the movie to get to that point. With Gladiator, the whole reason for Maximus’ existence (to avenge his family) is right up front and I am there with Maximus the whole way, hoping he achieves his goal. Robin Hood, however, has a far more difficult job to accomplish than Gladiator.

Where Gladiator is entirely self-contained –we see Maximus’ origin as a gladiator and his victory over Commodus in the end, Robin Hood has to set up the legend as we know it, without really getting into the legendary events. It cannot possibly have the closure at the end because at the conclusion of the movie, the events of the legend are only just beginning.

I think that Robin Hood does what it set out to do very well. It is no Gladiator, but then, it is not meant to be Gladiator. What it is, is Robin Hood.