Robin Hood (2010)

Why: Oh, come on, it's Ridley Scott, right? And I borrowed it from my brother-in-law.

On: DVD

I decided on the longer director's cut. I dunno. Maybe it was a bad choice. I think what they were going for here was the behind-the-castle-keep kind of political intrigue that worked in A Song of Ice and Fire (or the upcoming HBO series A Game of Thrones). There were several characters we were following in the first half-hour, to the point that I was wondering if Robin Hood was actually the main character, and if not, if the country of England was the main character, as seen through the eyes of several different characters in different positions. But that wasn't the case, either.

The concept was to explore the origins of the Robin Hood character. Unfortunately, the origins provided much of the backstory for the Robin Hood we know and love. So, as the film begins, we get a cypher of a man, the generic war veteran, ashamed of what he's done and only wants to get home, if only he knew where home was and where he belonged, other than in England. In the course of getting home, several things happen to him that push him in several directions away from his goal of running away. But they actually push him toward his real home, you see? Is that fate? Or convenient storytelling?

I liked some of the actors in the film. I've never been a big Russell Crowe guy, but I like Cate Blanchett. And I'd never seen Marc Strong before, but I see why people talk about him. And it was good to see William Hurt, Kevin Durand (this generation's Adam Baldwin), Mark Addy, Scott Grimes, and the lead singer of Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle. But ultimately I just didn't care. And that's death for a 2 1/2 hour film.

NetFlix rating: **