Robin Hood - Principe dei ladri

Although i turned my nose up at this film when first watched fifteen years ago, a second appraisal and a few grey hairs later forces me to see it for what it truly is; a great swashbuckling comedy romp.

As the pace built, my unease at the somewhat incongruous accents dissipated and i was left to enjoy a great film with some fine performances. Notably from Michael McShane as Friar Tuck and Alan Rickman as the evilly comic Sheriff of Nottingham.

The pace of the film rarely slackens, building up to a rip roaring finish.

Enjoy.

Robin Hood:Prince Of Thieves is an all-star rehash of one of cinema's oldest and most popular stories. Kevin Costner takes the title role and proves to be handsome enough and swashbuckling enough to do justice to the role during the action scenes. However, during the film's quieter moments, Costner's American accent grates a little amid the Sherwood Forest surroundings.

The story doesn't particularly need explaining, but for people who have lived on Mars for their whole lives here it is. Robin of Locksley, a young soldier, returns from the Crusades to find the city of Nottingham and its surrounding area terrorised by the evil Sherrif of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). Robin takes refuge in the nearby Sherwood Forest, where he gathers a band of woodland outlaws who are always stealing money and treasure taken by the Sherrif and giving it back to the poor. His dashing antics impress Maid Marian (Mary Elisabeth Mastrantonio), a childhood friend, and he quickly becomes popular with the poor and honest folk who nickname him Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves.

The film is very old-fashioned, but it occasionally gives away its 1991 release status with modern touches (the fancy camera-work in which the camera is seemingly fixed upon an arrow as it is fired at a target; the introduction of a Moorish warrior character [Morgan Freeman] to broaden the film's cultural reference; Rickman's self-deprecating pantomimic turn as the wicked Sherrif). On the whole, it is an entertaining film with a good balance between the action and the romance. The best performance - surprisingly - comes from Michael Wincott who oozes menace as the Sherrif's despicable cousin Guy of Gisbourne. There are some quite significant factual errors, the best (by "best" I mean "funniest") of which is when Robin and his Moorish companion stand at the foot of the white cliffs of Dover and Robin tells him: "by nightfall we will dine with my father!" Quite a feat, since Nottinghamshire is about 200 miles away and this pair are travelling on foot!

Two reasons to watch this film:

1) Alan Rickman

2) Robin and Marian falling into each other's arms, oh so dramatic, and he says in a very guttural/passionate Kevin Costner way, "I would die for you." Almost as good as Kevin Kline in "French Kiss," when he runs up to Meg Ryan in the hotel and says "I want you..." giving this little hand gesture which makes it obvious to everyone except Kate that Luc has surrendered to her charms.

In conclusion: a terrifically unerring cheesy romantic drama/comedy, with a hint of Christian Slater bad boy and a dash of Morgan Freeman cool. If you've still got the thirteen year old girl within, give it a shot. If not, Alan Rickman's still awesome.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is an action adventure film and is directed by Kevin Reynolds. The film stars Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Late Alan Rickman.

Robin decides to avenge his father who was murdered by Sheriff Nottingham. He joins forces with band of thieves to overcome the evils of the sheriff.

There might be some historical inaccuracies in the film but still i enjoyed watching the film and with a terrific storyline, superb execution filled with action, drama and pinch of comedy.

The screenplay of the film is superb and will keep you engaged on a major part of the film, the film indeed strays in the middle but comes beautifully on the track as the film progresses ahead.

Acting in the film is superb and Alan Rickman is the most impressive of them all and probably the main highlight of the film but is closely followed by Freeman, Costner and Slater. Geraldine McEwan as Mortiana who also was very impressive. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio looked cute and impressive.

The climax of the film is good but could've been little more refined and extended to give the film a perfect closure.

An entertaining film which should be watched atleast once.

The summer of 1991 was a lousy one for movies; there were only a few that stood out amid dozens of crummy releases. The only movies that summer that I admired were 'Terminator 2,' 'Thelma & Louise,' and this one, which still stands as one of the most entertaining action-adventure movies I've seen.

No, it isn't a masterpiece, on any level. Yes, I realize that Kevin Costner lacks a satisfactory British accent (he doesn't even attempt one). But the movie is still a fun, rip-roaring piece of escapism, sort of like 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' only without the special effects.

Costner may seem miscast as Robin of Locksley, but there's no doubt that he had the physicality and screen presence to convincingly hold our attention as a larger-than-life hero. He'd just come off 'Dances With Wolves,' and so it was a thrill to see him on horseback again (it still is, in 'Open Range'). I'm willing to concede that he's no Olivier, but in the action hero mold, he still cut an exciting figure.

I also enjoyed Alan Rickman's great, over-the-top portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Out of place? You betcha. Fun? Funny? Wicked? Hey, that's why we pay admission.

The sets are all dank and gloomy and wonderful. The action is well-staged and had audiences on their feet all those years ago. Sherwood Forest is appropriately dense and spooky-looking. OK, so the movie has Christian Slater in it. I didn't say it was perfect.

'Robin Hood' marked the beginning of the end of Kevin Costner's unanimous popularity with audiences. Everyone started playing the part of Hollywood bean-counter and worrying about 'Waterworld's' budget. But you know what I like about both these movies? No CGI. I am sick and tired of CGI movies. Popping the deluxe 'Robin Hood' DVD into the old player is a refreshing treat and a thumb in the eye of digital junk like 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'