Hollywood revisionism to make historians wince

Taron Egerton has loads of charm, but he can’t save this wretched remake.

Robin Hood

K (out of 4) Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx and Ben Mendelsohn. Directed by Otto Bathurst. Opens Wednesday at theatres everywhere. 116 minutes. PG

Robin Hood rehashed?

There’s not much good to say about the latest remake about the legendary (and possibly fictional) nobleman who becomes an outlaw in medieval England to fight tyranny and aid the downtrodden.

This is Hollywood revisionism at its worst, taking liberties with the original story that will make traditional folk wince and historians wail.

Sure, there are some decent action scenes, and star Taron Egerton has loads of insouciant charm. But that’s about it. The rest is sporadically engaging drivel.

This time, Robin of Loxley is packed off to the Crusades and his stately manor seized to pay the Sheriff of Nottingham’s ruinous “war tax.” There he encounters and bonds unexpectedly with an Arab adversary named John, who follows him back to England. At home, things have gone from bad to worse as the Sheriff and the church exact even greater hardship on the locals.

Believing Robin to be dead, his lady love Marian (not Maid, for obvious reasons) has taken up with another, a milquetoast activist named Will, who tries to rally the people with mere words. But people want action, and Robin, under the tutelage of his new Black friend, becomes a super-archer/outlaw.

Gone is the traditional Lincoln green in favour of a cooler, bluer garb for outlaw Robin, who’s often casually referred to as just plain Rob.

Gone also are any pretence of sticking to the original story or any semblance of historical accuracy.

Egerton sports a waifish smile throughout. Jamie Foxx exhibits none of his usual onscreen charisma. Ben Mendelsohn does a reasonably decent job as the villainish (and agnostic) Sheriff, but not even an actor of the stature of F. Murray Abraham can salvage much from the role of the evil Cardinal.

Action fans may cheer, but most of us will see this Robin Hood redux as a wretched disappointment.