MovieFreak.com - Robin Hood: Price of Thieves

"Where I come from, we talk to our women. We do not drug them with plants." - Azeem

After being captured by Turks during the Crusades, Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) and a Moor, Azeem (Morgan Freeman), escape back to England where Azeem vows to remain until he repays Robin for saving his life. Meanwhile, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) has murdered Robin’s father and when Robin returns home he vows to avenge his father's death. Even though Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), his childhood friend, cannot help him, he escapes to the Forest of Sherwood where he joins a band of exiled villagers and becomes their leader. With their help he attempts to cleanse the land of the evil that the Sheriff has spread.

There have been numerous film versions of the legendary Robin Hood, even a prominent spoof on this film subtitled Men in Tights, directed by Mel Brooks. At a time when Hollywood worked on several Robin Hood films, this is the only one that pulled through. Coming off the successful Dances With Wolves, Kevin Costner teams up once more with director Kevin Reynolds, both worked on Fandango, for Warner Bros.’ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The script, by Pen Densham and John Watson, moves in a comfortable pace despite the long running time of this extended version (with 12 added minutes). Kevin Reynolds’ direction is pretty good considering the amount of production value in the film. This update of the legendary Robin Hood is as Hollywood as it can get. There’s action, romance and jokes.

There are great action pieces, which are choreographed nicely, such as the forest attack and the town square climax. However, the swordplay looks a little uneventful, especially the one between Costner and Rickman. All they do is jump around or fall to the ground, hitting everything else but each other. Some of the more fun sequences in the film consist of the numerous heists in the Sherwood Forest in which Robin and the exiled villagers steal money and food, but for a good purpose as legend has it. Yet the rebellion and unity of all these people is somewhat lost to the lack of spirit; something this film doesn’t capture. The romance in the film is a necessary ingredient of a story like this, because all adventure stories end with a happy ending. In this case, Robin saves not only the land, but also his love Marian. It’s all very good, except when the romance doesn’t click on all levels. Their relationship feels forced mainly because it comes about so immediate.

In terms of jokes, the film heavily relies on Morgan Freeman’s Azeem, an Arab whose vow to save Robin’s life is the sole reason for his being in the story. He provides the occasional laughs by sometimes drawing comparisons between England and his homeworld, such as the line, "Where I come from, we talk to our women. We do not drug them with plants," among others. What is a little disconcerting, however, is Azeem isn’t referenced in any other Robin Hood feature and merely serves as Robin’s skilled sidekick. Freeman does the best he can and somehow he manages to make the character the most intriguing of all the others.

Kevin Costner speaks without an English accent when the rest of the villagers he unites all have that witty accent. Witty, because I think it’s fun to listen to, especially when you have all kinds of neat curse words. Despite the absence of an accent, Costner’s performance is decent. It’s not as commanding as I thought it could be, but his on-screen familiarity and charm, if you will, creates a practical Robin Hood persona. While not nearly as diabolical as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham is a good villain and his performance sells the part. Playing Marian, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has little quality to work with except when the third act permits her to be a little more alive. Oh, Christina Slater is also in this film, playing Robin’s brother, Will Scarlett. He does an OK job.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a fun adventure story with some good action pieces and exciting heist sequences. Despite the lack of spirit, the film delivers and that’s why a viewing is recommended.

Warner Bros. presents Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. For some reason, however, the image looks more like 1.66:1, but then I’m no expert. Either way, this presentation presents some problems. Improvements from the first DVD release are not quite apparent here. First up, the first twenty minutes of the film come in poor print quality. I noticed constant dirt spots, grain, and weak black levels. For some reason, the image presentation improves during other scenes, but that might be due to better lighting and daylight.

There are exceptions with the important scenes when the quality is pretty good. The color palette is used nicely, but color detail is not as consistent as it should be. Dark tones and black level are overall not that great. The problems with the print could be the cause of poor source material, or it just might be a lethargic transfer. Whatever the cause may be Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves deserves much better quality than what Warner Bros. presents here.

Warner Bros. presents Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround. Michael Kamen’s wonderful score is what comes through here in the loudest and most respectable fashion. The film’s sound effects make their way to the rear speakers, but only on occasion. Dialog scenes are easy to understand. Surround usage is present, but not on a consistent basis. The Dolby Digital track doesn’t have the strength as the DTS track. Overall, the audio presentation is decent, but again, the film deserves better quality.

Commentary by Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater and Producers/Writers Pen Densham and John Watson – Morgan Freeman speaks up in parts and his comments are nice and complimenting. Christian Slater is silent through most of the track, but says a few things in the second half of the film. On the other hand, Densham and Watson dominate the commentary by talking about issues of the production (not in a bad sense) and whatnot. They’re well spoken and keep the track conversational.

Commentary by Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds – There’s some awkward silence throughout this track, and it's obvious why; Waterworld, anyone? However, they do reveal some interesting information and production trivia, but overall it’s a bit disappointing.

Robin Hood: Myth, Man, Movie (~31 mins)– Hosted by Pierce Brosnan, this network special visits the production on location and recounts the lore and legend of history’s hero of Sherwood. It’s everything you might expect, from a detailed history of the Robin Hood character to a behind-the-scenes featurette. Brosnan does a good job here, by the way.

Vintage Interviews – Recorded in the early 90s at the time of production, the featured interviewees are Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Alan Rickman. If you like the film, their comments might interest you, but overall these are a little too outdated, like, twelve years!

Production Design – This area features some text-based essays, which are broken down into parts concerning the following aspects of the film: Creating 12th Century England, The Legend of Robin Hood, Robin Hood in the Movies and Why Tell the Story Again?

Publicity Gallery – Here you will find the film’s Theatrical Trailer (non-anamorphic widescreen), six TV spots, trailers for other Morgan Creek titles and a Photo Gallery.

Rounding out the special features is Bryan Adams’ live performance at Slane Castle in Ireland singing (Everything I Do) I Do It For You and a menu where you can listen to Michael Kamen’s score in remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 (I found this to be a rather nice addition as the score is simply top notch). Lastly, there’s the interactive Weapons of the Time gallery, extensive production notes and cast & crew biographies.

You can select to view the film with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. The DVD features interactive animated menus and scene access. The 155-minute feature is organized into forty-six chapters.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is an exciting adventure fare. Despite its lack of spirit and a weak romance angle, the film delivers some fun action pieces. Both video and audio presentations lack quality and care, but the special features are nice to have around. If you’re a fan of the film or legend, you might want to consider adding this DVD to your collection. For anyone else, this should make a first-rate rental. Overall, the DVD comes recommended.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	6
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	7
OVERALL (not an average)	7