Verdict
Summary
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a cheese-filled swashbuckler with a stand-out performance from Alan Rickman demonstrating a real penchant for comedy which would later be explored fully in the underrated Galaxy Quest. Kevin Costner is miscast and there are a few cringeworthy moments but it’s a load of fun and the music score is a classic.
Plot: When Robin and his Moorish companion come to England and the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham, he decides to fight back as an outlaw.
Review: After the passing away of Alan Rickman last week Cable screened the Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as a nice tribute to Rickman who of course played The Sheriff of Nottingham.
The movie is beyond cheesy and Friar Tuck breaking the fourth wall and talking to us at the end is unbelievably lame but it’s still a lot of fun and let’s not forget arguably the greatest cameo of all time. I watched it in the theatre in Glasgow and when Sean Connery came on to the screen we cheered as this was before the days where the internet spoils most movies before you see them.
Kevin Costner was popular at the time which is the only reason they would have cast him and he is more wooden than all of Sherwood Forest. Shame no Englishmen were available for the role at that time…
Costner also doesn’t exactly have any chemistry with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio either who plays Maid Marion. She’s fine in the role but a little bland too.
This is 100% Alan Rickman’s movie though; he sneers every line out and remains one of the most entertaining villains in cinema history.
Prince of Thieves also has one of Michael Kamen’s finest music scores which would end up being the intro music for Morgan Creek films.
The movie also has a fine supporting cast including Morgan Freeman who looks exactly the same as he does now and the ever underrated Michael Wincott who was the go-to bad guy of the 90’s. I want to see him in more movies again, please.
In terms of action there is plenty of swashbuckling and the forest battle against the Celts was impressively done. There are some nice stunts too helping to propel the action to the satisfying conclusion. It’s surprisingly coarse in places with the Sheriff pretty much trying to rape Maid Marion at one point; amazed it got a PG-13 rating at the time. I remember that scene was cut when it hit home video along with some extra swearing.
It doesn’t take itself too seriously with a very tongue in cheek script which works for the most part but some of the lines are a little lame.
Overall, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a cheese-filled swashbuckler with a stand-out performance from Alan Rickman demonstrating a real penchant for comedy which would later be explored fully in the underrated Galaxy Quest. Kevin Costner is miscast and there are a few cringeworthy moments but it’s a load of fun and the music score is a classic.
