This was another film which passed me by in 2010, but which I was keen to see, if only for the furore and hype surround the allegedly ridiculous accent of Russell of the Crowe. Being a big fan of all things Robin Hood since as far back as I can remember, I popped it in the DVD player with a sense of wonder and apprehension, hoping against hope that this would conjure memories of Errol Flynn, Bryan Adams, Disney foxes and even Tony Robinson on the TV of my youth.
After ten minutes I reached for the remote and fumbled to switch on the subtitles, a little baffled at why I couldn’t understand what that familiar looking archer was saying.
Reams have been written and spoken in defence of and against Crowe’s strangely fluctuating accent in this film, so I won’t go into the details of the linguistic journey he takes – suffice to say that he is less than consistent. Actually, after a few scenes you start to accept what he’s offering and are once again free to enjoy an engaging, exciting and innovative telling of a fantastic story. It brings a fresh imagining to the tale, which just about hangs together and sets us up nicely for the inevitable sequel. The one thing I hope, if and when that sequel happens, is that Matthew McFadden holds onto the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham. He steals every scene he is in throughout this film, and left me wanting more. Oh and Cate Blanchett is great – ballsy, strong and flawlessly accented. Mark Addy must return too. End.
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