This is a much darker and less action packed telling of the famous legend. Hugh Jackman stars as the aging Robin who is tormented by his past killings as an outlaw and is living in self imposed exile. When he is wounded, Robin takes refuge in a priory, where he befriends the prioress.
The idea of making an out and out bad guy, with the romantic stories about him helping the poor entirely fictitious, is a novel one. Hugh Jackman embodies his world weariness really well and Jodie Comer is very good as the kind prioress who is haunted by her own past. Pat Scola’s cinematography of the bleak landscape is excellent, but that just about covers all the positives.
The story, adapted by director Michael Sarnoski, is grindingly slow, with the plot points signposted well in advance, including, for obvious reasons, the ending. There are some glimmers of interest as Robin befriends a leper, who turns out to be an old comrade, but after that, I found it a real slog.
Rating: 5 out of 10