The Death of Robin Hood

Framesofnick3.0

First movie to properly use the nemesis system since Warner bros patented it

Joel Haver5.0

I’ve now seen this movie three times! First as a rough cut a year ago, then a fine cut a few months ago and tonight the final cut projected on 35mm film. It’s come to mean a great deal to me.Firstly, this film is gorgeous. Far and away Michael Sarnoski’s prettiest film yet. The combination of beautiful locations, shooting on film and wonderfully excessive fog use makes for a nonstop slew of striking images.Secondly, the world isn’t ready for this movie’s opening act. The visceral brutality on display is a remarkable achievement. That alone makes a theater viewing with an audience a must if you can.Ever since I first saw The Death of Robin Hold, I have been curious how audiences will receive it. Its structure is very atypical, it starts big then settles into something far more meditative. I, for one, admire Michael’s insistence on that structure because it makes the movie incredibly unique in a landscape of predictable escalation. It’s made the movie damn near impossible to market, but the market is clueless anyways, so who cares!I’ve been seeing comments online preemptively getting upset that this movie’s goal is to tear down Robin Hood in a time where class warfare rages on. Funnily enough, I think a movie asking us to question the legends we’ve been told, and more importantly be aware of the illusory quality stories hold and how they can create false icons, feels more necessary than ever. A story is just something somebody wants to tell us, and it’s always worth asking why.

𝐉3.0

"this ain't your grandpa's Robin hood"