‘The Death of Robin Hood’ Review: Hugh Jackman Terrorizes Nottingham in a Ferociously Grim Character Study About How Legends Are Forged
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- The Death of Robin Hood is directed by Michael Sarnoski and stars Hugh Jackman as a savage Robin Hood, with Jodie Comer as the blood‑letting prioress Sister Brigid.
- The film opens with Robin Hood murdering a child and being wounded in battle, after which he spends the remainder of the story at a priory tended by Sister Brigid.
- Pat Scola’s cinematography employs 35mm film to render the first act in a volcanic‑ash texture, alternating sweeping wide shots with extreme close‑ups of Jackman’s forearms.
- Jim Ghedi’s score provides a wheezing, suffocating sound design that makes arrows and hatchets feel like cannonballs.
- A24 will release the film in theaters on Friday, June 19.
- The review describes the film as a grim character study that eschews legend for a “history of revisionism,” likening its tone to Aleksei German’s “Hard to Be a God” and Robert Eggers’ uncompromising style.
- Supporting cast includes Bill Skarsgård as Little John, Noah Jupe as the one‑eyed boy Arthur, and Murray Bartlett as a leper, illustrating Robin’s attempts at redemption.
Why it matters: By recasting the iconic Robin Hood as a brutal, historically grounded outlaw, the film reshapes audience expectations of legendary narratives, giving viewers a stark alternative to romanticized folklore while positioning A24 as a champion of daring, genre‑defying cinema and may draw critics and cinephiles eager for uncompromising period pieces.
