The Robin Hood legend has been the subject of countless films. There’s the classic 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn; the 1991 version Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner as the famous archer and bandit; and Disney’s animated Robin Hood, where Robin is a fox. Even Mel Brooks did a comic twist on the character in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Now filmmaker Michael Sarnaski’s version The Death of Robin Hood finds an older Robin dealing with his past.
This Robin Hood tale opens in the Celtic hinterlands in the year 1247. An aged Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) is living alone in the wilderness, avoiding relatives of those he murdered years ago. It seems Robin wasn’t quite the big hero who robbed from the rich to give to the poor as the stories tell. Now, the brooding outlaw just wants to live out the rest of his life quietly.
This proves to be impossible when his old friend and ex-Merry Man Little John (Bill Skarsgard) seeks his help for one last battle. Unable to refuse the only friend he has left, Robin agrees. The fight is much bloodier and tougher than expected and Robin ends up badly injured. He wakes to find a kind woman named Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer) tending to him at a remote monastery on an island.
While he slowly recovers from his wounds, Robin befriends Margaret, a young girl whose father died in the battle. He also makes friends with a leper (Murray Barlett), who is covered in bandages and tends the fruit-bearing trees for everyone.
When one of the relatives from the battle also shows up on the island, secretly looking to avenge his fallen kin, Robin decides to protect Margaret and possibly become a sort of stepfather to her, if possible.
The Death of Robin Hood is a bleak, gloomy reimagining of the classic hero that transforms him into a brooding, former bloodthirsty cutthroat near the end of his life. It’s a tedious, ponderously long film that tries so desperately to be different than all the other film versions that it fails to entertain or be engaging. It’s a bore of a film.
Hugh Jackman, barely recognizable underneath long white hair and a beard, portrays the famous outlaw as a man who has grown to hate his own heroic legend but doesn’t necessarily regret the lives he took, just the unending hunt from blood relatives looking for revenge. Make no mistake, Jackman’s Robin doesn’t regret his murderous past nor is he looking for redemption. He’s just exhausted and tired of his own fame as a hero.
Unfortunately, Jackman doesn’t have much to work with the way the character is written. Despite his best efforts, his Robin never amounts to more than a grizzled, brooding brute. He is not a hero to root for or sympathize with.
The dark, cold, and gray cinematography of the lands and island adds a bleakness and unpleasant feel to the film. The painfully slow pacing is sure to have audiences wishing Robin had died during the battle so that the film could end much sooner.
Anyone looking for a swashbuckling, exciting adventure with Robin Hood and his Merry Men should avoid this dull version.
GRADE: D
Rating: R for strong bloody violence
Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes
Release Date: June 19, 2026
Written and Directed By: Michael Sarnoski
Studio: A24
