Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

★ 6.9 2h 23m 3,546 votes IMDb

Nobleman crusader Robin of Locksley breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of Moorish fellow prisoner Azeem and travels back home to England. But upon arrival he discovers his dead father in the ruins of his family estate, killed by the vicious sheriff of Nottingham, Robin and Azeem join forces with outlaws Little John and Will Scarlett to save the kingdom from the sheriff's villainy.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

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Cast

Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner as Robin of Locksley / Robin Hood Age 71 · Lynwood, California, USA Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Award...
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman as Azeem Age 88 · Memphis, Tennessee, USA Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. Noted for his distinctive deep voice, Freeman is known for his various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Througho...
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian Age 67 · Lombard, Illinois, USA Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (born November 17, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in the 1980 revival of West Side Story, and went on to appear in the 1983 film Scarf...
Christian Slater
Christian Slater as Will Scarlett Age 56 · New York City, New York, USA Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. He made his film debut with a leading role in The Legend of Billie Jean (1985). He gained wider recognition for his breako...
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman as Sheriff of Nottingham Died 2016 · Acton, London, England, UK Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (February 21, 1946 – January 14, 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b...
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan as Mortianna Died 2015 · Old Windsor, England, UK Geraldine McEwan (9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in theatre, television and film. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic st...

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 7/10 Dec 15, 2018
***Iconic Medieval adventure of the early 90s***

Released in 1991, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" stars Kevin Costner in the title role. While some have argued that Costner was too humorless and brooding for the part, this is a cinematic myth. There are quite a few places in the film where he can be seen smiling and having a good time, like when he makes it back to England after the Crusades or when he's spending time with Marian in Sherwood Forest. Thankfully, he's more three-dimensional than this and so you also see him desperate, angry, grieving, vengeful, strategizing, contemplative, etc.

To be honest with you, Costner was in his prime at the time and towers in the role; whether or not you like him is a matter of opinion. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian is memorable with her unique facial features and odd hairstyle even though she doesn't trip my trigger. Morgan Freeman as the Moor Azeem is an excellent partner for Robin Hood while Alan Rickman and Michael Wincott are effective villains as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisborne respectively. Christian Slater, Nick Brimble and Michael McShane are also on hand as Robin's sometimes merry men, the latter two being Little John and Friar Tuck.

I've always had mixed feelings about this movie due to its mixed tone and the fact that it loses its mojo in the last 45 minutes. Concerning the first, the flick is often serious and brutal, but it's also sometimes cartoonish and over-the-top. Rickman particularly hams it up, entertaining though he is. Another good example is Geraldine McEwan as the ee-vil witch Mortianna. Her portrayal is spooky and Gothic in a comic book horror kind of way, but it detracts from the many parts that establish the story as believable quasi-history. Still, she's excellent as the hideous witch. Another example is the semi-goofy, overly heroic action scenes, like Robin & Azeem being catapulted over the castle wall. Why sure!

Concerning the second criticism, the movie is overlong by about 25 minutes. When the Celts attack the camp at the 95-minute mark I always start to lose interest and the rest of the movie is a tedious blur. But there’s a lot of medieval action, if that’s your thang.

As far as medieval films of the British Isles go, I prefer the more serious and consistent tone of "Tristan + Isolde" (2006) and "First Knight" (1995). Nevertheless, “Prince of Thieves” is an entertaining Robin Hood adventure and is iconic of early 90's cinema. The entire first act is the best part followed by the many Sherwood Forest sequences. And the climatic cameo by a certain famous actor is a nice touch. I enjoy seeing “Prince of Thieves” every five years or so.

The film runs 143 minutes and was shot mostly in England, but also France. My wife loves the end credits’ song “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You” by Bryan Adams.

GRADE: B/B-
CinemaSerf 7/10 Aug 26, 2023
I've always been a fan of the baddie in films - and this film really belongs to Alan Rickman's "Sheriff" with a good supporting effort from Geraldine McEwan as his harridan witch cohort. They bring almost all of humour and menace. The bulk of the rest of the film is a pretty run-of-the-mill vehicle for Costner, Freeman and Mastrantonio - and moves along well enough as a pretty formulaic, very freely adapted, costume drama. Brian Blessed hams marvellously in the few scenes he has and the score works well into the fabric of the movie. Sadly, the writing and direction are nothing special. Errol and Basil have little to worry about.

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