Robin Hood

OPENING: 05/14/2010

STUDIO: Universal Pictures

RUN TIME: 140 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
The untold story of how a man became a legend.

Opening Statement
The first thing you need to know before visiting Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood is that you shouldn’t expect a traditional Robin Hood film. For that matter, you shouldn’t expect much of anything resembling what you’ve ever heard or seen regarding Robin Hood. That’s a pretty big obstacle to overcome, but if you can manage it, you’ll find a reasonably satisfactory war epic.

Facts of the Case
We first meet up with Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) during the Crusades. Robin has been fighting alongside King Richard (Danny Huston) for ten long years, and he has grown weary of war. When the king is killed in battle, a soldier named Robin Locksley is asked to deliver the news back to the people of England, along with Richard’s crown. However, Locksley is murdered by the villainous traitor Godfrey (Mark Strong) before he can complete his mission. Robin Longstride determines to complete the mission in his stead, posing as Locksley and bringing the crown to Prince John (Oscar Isaac), who becomes king.

Robin then delivers the news of Locksley’s death to his widow Marion (Cate Blanchett) and father Walter (Max Von Sydow). Marion has possession of approximately 5000 acres of land in the town of Nottingham, and Walter knows that if it is discovered that Marion’s husband has passed away, her land will be stripped from her. So, he arranges a marriage between Robin and Marion, insisting that Robin should continue to pose as the late Robin Locksley. Things are rather tense between Robin and Marion at first, but as time goes by they learn to care for each other. Alas, before their relationship has time to blossom, war comes calling once again. The French are attacking, the English government is taxing the citizens to death and civil war seems as big a threat as war with the French.

The Evidence
As you may have guessed from that plot description, this Robin Hood places an emphasis on politics and war rather than the usual playful skirmishes between an impish local hero and a hapless villain. The Sheriff of Nottingham is merely a bit player in this large-scale drama, as Robin’s concerns are not just for the poor villagers in Nottingham but for all of England. The film is much closer in spirit to Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven than it is to any previous Robin Hood film, which may automatically disqualify it as a worthwhile movie for many. However, I think the film sort of has to be taken on its own terms, accepted for what it is rather than for what we want it to be. Removing all expections of who or what Robin Hood should be, the film works well enough.

Russell Crowe’s take on the character is a predictably serious one, as his Robin spends a lot of time brooding and gritting his teeth. Despite a few brief moments of levity and wit, there’s little time for playfulness in this film. Cate Blanchett’s Marion is an equally serious-minded figure, a steely woman who take a no-nonsense approach to everything she does (including joining Robin on the battlefield). On their own the characters may seem a little tedious, but when they’re together there’s a touching spark of mutual understanding that forms the film’s emotional core. This Robin & Marion have seen it all; they each have a world-weary quality about them that enables them to quietly communicate with each other without having to say much. The midsection of the film which centers on their relationship is the film’s strongest section, benefiting not only from the considerable chemistry between Blanchett and Crowe but also from a delightfully sprightly supporting turn from Max Von Sydow.

The first and third acts are dominated by epic scenes of battle, which are reminiscent of Kingdom of Heaven not only in construction but also in tone, as the moments of violence are pieced together by noble speeches about the futility of the crusades and the rights of man. It’s easy to roll your eyes at 12th Century characters being given rather modern values, but Crowe makes us believe that the words are coming from the character rather than the writer. Meanwhile, Scott’s impressive helming of the battle sequences is as professional and spectacular as one would expect from the veteran director, even if this stuff is starting to feel routine for him. I’m not sure that the film’s massive budget was entirely well-spent, but judging from what’s on the screen it was certainly spent.

The villains of the film aren’t particularly memorable, but they are effective. Mark Strong basically plays the same sort of businesslike bad guy he played in Sherlock Holmes and Kick-Ass, while Matthew McFayden snivels and stammers his way through a small part as the slovenly Sheriff of Nottingham. Oscar Isaac makes a strong impression as King John, filling the part with colorful sleaze but leaving just enough ambiguity to keep us guessing about what he might do next. William Hurt and Danny Huston both sport impressive beards in their minor supporting roles; while Mark Addy, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes and Alan Doyle are all appropriately colorful as the Merry Men (who don’t really get much to do in the film).

Closing Statement
I could pick at the problems contained in Robin Hood all day long, as there are a lot of legitimate gripes one could have with the film… but honestly, I have to admit that I enjoyed the movie for the sweeping spectacle that it is. As such, I’m giving it a cautious recommendation.

The Verdict
7/10

Body of Lies

OPENING: 10/10/2008

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Trust no one. Deceive everyone.

Opening Statement
A government satellite looms above the earth ominously, slowly zooming in via fast-cutting and swooshing noises. As we zoom closer and closer to our earthbound destination, a portentous percussion score informs us that we have entered the realm of the international thriller. It is a world of espionage, lies, spies, bureaucracy, and cover-ups. This sounds very much like the tongue-in-cheek bookends to the new Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading. That film was, among other things, a very funny and sharp satire of paranoid thrillers. Sadly, what we’re about to witness this time is precisely the sort of movie that the Coens so mercilessly lampooned with Burn After Reading, and I’m afraid that it doesn’t offer a whole lot to redeem the recently ridiculed genre.

Facts of the Case
The film is called Body of Lies, and it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Roger Ferris, a sort of super-secret CIA agent who is making a valiant attempt to win the war on terrorism all by himself. He works for the U.S. Government, but he receives minimal backup and support. Despite this, it seems that almost everything that means anything is placed on Roger’s shoulders, and he bears the burden reasonably well. Roger’s direct superior is the cheerfully antagonistic Hoffman (Russell Crowe), who calmly calls the shots over the telephone while Roger does all the grunt work.

Roger’s responsibilities are so diverse that I am hard-pressed to tell you exactly what all of his objectives are beyond “thwarting terrorism”. However, there is one plan that comes into focus in the middle of all the chaos. Roger schemes to create a “fake terrorist organization,” and blow up an expendable portion of a U.S. Embassy in Turkey. Roger thinks that this move will smoke out the Bin Laden-inspired terrorist he is seeking. You may be wondering the same thing I was at the time: “How, exactly?” Well, Roger reckons that such a plan would make the real terrorists totally jealous, and that they would attempt to contact this new group (actually Roger) in an attempt to either crush them or join forces with them.

The Evidence
The plot sounds kind of silly on paper, but for a large portion of the film, it doesn’t feel that way. Director Ridley Scott is a talented guy, and the facade he provides Body of Lies is almost convincing enough to cover up the fact that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. His locations are immensely convincing and realistic; the attention to detail is quite impressive. The dialogue also goes a long way towards selling things. These are literate characters who sound like they know precisely what they’re talking about. However, these scenes reflected another element that Burn After Reading pointed out: in this sort of film, characters are frequently saying things that seem reasonable on the surface… but the more you actually think about what they are saying, the more you realize just how absurd it all is.

Setting aside the fact that the film is a lot less credible than it wants us to think it is, the movie is also weakened by a tendency to lean towards action movie conventions. There is a moment towards the end of a film that mirrors a similar scene in The Kingdom, in which a inescapably grisly and painful scene is averted thanks to the sort of last-second heroics that seem to only happen in the movies. The weight of Scott’s statements about the corrupt way in which we conduct ourselves in modern warfare is diluted by his aversion to letting his film enter the real world on a more significant level. It’s just another sugar-coated Hollywood ending. Actually, as gritty as this thing tries to be before succumbing to convention, it’s more like a mud-coated sugar cube.

I mentioned in my review of Appaloosa that it can be difficult for actors to make goodness compelling. Characters who are evil or have some level of moral ambiguity often tend to be more interesting by default. Sadly, Body of Lies is unable to overcome that hurdle. DiCaprio is the actor who puts the most effort into his performance here. He’s trying really hard, and he has all the challenging scenes. Despite the actor’s best efforts, the character is just really dull. DiCaprio is capable of carrying a film, but Roger is not. Meanwhile, Russell Crowe turns in one of the lazier performances of his impressive career, doing little more than sporting an easy-going southern accent and looking over his glasses on a regular basis. Despite this, Crowe makes the film considerably more engaging every time he appears, just because his character is naturally quite interesting. Relatively little-known actor Mark Strong ends up stealing the film as a Jordanian intelligence boss, simply because he offers a strong performance of an interesting character.

Closing Statement
If you see the film, you will probably find more pleasure in individual parts than in the final completed product. There is a love story that is honestly little more than padding, but it is handled so nicely that I liked it better than much of the main plot. The sense of detail and atmosphere is effective. Mark Strong gives us a character worth remembering. Some of the action scenes are pretty exciting on a purely fundamental level. I’m running out of nice things to say. Sadly, after a reasonably stellar outing with American Gangster, Ridley Scott has slipped back into mediocrity with his latest film. Considering the talent involved, this one is a big disappointment.

The Verdict

5/10