Foxx and Egerton Star In Lionsgate's 'Robin Hood'

By Darlene Donloe

The new Robin Hood (Lionsgate), starring Jamie Foxx and Taron Egerton, is a fast-moving film with no shortage of action sequences.

There is back-to-back-to-back, non-stop action. The film is a mix of the original Robin Hood, Ben Hur, and The Italian Job.  There is a chariot-like race and a moment when something huge is blasted through a floor.

The action and fight sequences are quite entertaining.

The film stars two charismatic leads, namely Jamie Foxx and Taron Egerton, who have terrific chemistry on screen.

(l-r) Jamie Foxx and Taron Egerton in Robin Hood 

Egerton is Robin Hood. Admittedly, he’s a different kind of Hood. He doesn’t have a huge presence on screen, but he’s likable.

When the film opens, Robin Hood is fighting in the Crusades.  When he witnesses senseless killings, he rethinks why he’s there, as well as the focus of the Crusades. He becomes disillusioned by it all, so much so that he tries to stop one of his commanders from killing a young boy, who happens to be the son of John, a Moor played by Jamie Foxx. While Robin Hood is gone, word gets out that he’s been killed.  After some time his woman, Marian (Eve Hewson), takes up with another man.  When Robin learns of this, he’s plunged deeper into despair.  

(l-r) Eve Hewson and Taron Egerton 

Eventually John and Robin Hood/aka Lord of Loxley team up to bring down the local government, which is starving and stealing everything from its citizens and indulging in other treasonous acts. Ben Mendelsohn plays the nasty Sheriff of Nottingham. John teaches Robin Hood how to fight and how to speed up his arrow game. Robin becomes adept at not only speed but accuracy with the arrows. Robin decides to infiltrate the government by pretending to be on their side. He dons a mask, steals from the government and returns the booty to the residents of Nottingham. His mask isn’t much of a disguise – Marian recognizes him right away. How no one else does is baffling.

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan plays Will Scarlet, a Nottinghman community activist, who now is the love interest of Marian.

Tim Minchin brings a little levity as Friar Tuck, while F. Murray Abraham plays a deliciously evil Cardinal.

Robin Hood, directed by and written by, stars Jamie Foxx, Taron Egerton, Jamie Dornan, Eve Hewson, Tim Minchin, and F. Murray Abraham.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Robin Hood gets an O (oh, yeah).