The Death of Robin Hood (2026)
The greatest Robin Hood movie is 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. It's sprightly, visually colorful, and a swashbuckling good time. The total antithesis of that fine film is The Death of Robin Hood. The new film stars Hugh Jackman as the title character, is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig, A Quiet Place: Day One), and is pitch black in tone.
Jackman's Robin Hood is a complete and total villain. He's a greedy thief and murderer who doesn't even think twice about killing a child. This guy is no Prince of Thieves.
After a violent confrontation with people seeking revenge on his murderous ways, Robin ends up recuperating from severe wounds on a sanctuary island for orphans and the sick, which is overseen by Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). While keeping his true identity a secret, Robin, going by the name of Randolph, is befriended by a philosophical leper (Murray Bartlett) and seems to seek some redemption from his monstrous past. Will this past, however, come back to haunt him?
The graphic violence in the movie borders of fetishistic, but once the bloodletting settles down, Sarnoski's picture becomes an interesting character study with a hell of a performance from Jackman. There are scenes where Jackman comes off like the Devil himself, but he also gives the character believable tender moments with Margaret (Faith Delaney), the young daughter of his friend Little John (Bill Skarsgård).
The movie even has some unpredictable moments, like a third act revelation from Sister Brigid, which this critic actually didn't see coming.
Because of
the scenes of extreme gore and murder, The Death of Robin Hood is not
for the faint of heart, but this is rewarding for those adventurous enough to
ponder a different take on the character than we generally see in the movies.
