"Robin Hood" is a mere 140 minutes, so it falls 10 minutes short of the two and one-half hour mark. More importantly, it is a rather enjoyable movie. Russell Crowe is impressive, as always, as Robin Longstride, and Cate Blanchett offers her usual wonderful cinematic presence as Marion Loxley, later to be known as Maid Marion. However, the treat of this movie is once again seeing cinematic legend Max von Sydow on the silver screen as Sir Walter Loxley, Marion's elderly father and the patriarch of the Loxley clan. At close to 80 years of age when this movie was filmed, von Sydow certainly has had a storied career. 

Let's face it: There will never be another Robin Hood to equal the one portrayed by Errol Flynn in the 1938 film classic, "The Adventures of Robin Hood," one of the best action adventures of all time. I'm biased, so shoot me at dawn, preferably by arrow. The many screenwriters for this film decided to do a Sherwood Forest "prequel," which is to say, how Robin Hood ended up being an outlaw in that forest. Unfortunately, someone made the decision that this prequel is so compelling that it needed 40 more minutes of film time than the 1938 version. 

The film starts out with King Richard (Danny Huston) marching across France with his army, looting as he goes to find provisions for his men. Robin Longstride, a noted archer in the army who has been to Jerusalem and back with the King, insults the King in disguise by complaining that he should've stayed home to run his country where his people need him. He ends up in the stockade at a critical time when King Richard is mortally wounded in the neck by an arrow. The army goes into panic and everyone flees as best they can. 

Sir Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge), Marion's husband and a close confidante of the King, is entrusted to smuggle the crown back to England. However, on the way he is ambushed and killed by Godfrey (Mark Strong), a spy for the French king who also serves as a trusted adviser to Prince John (Oscar Isaac) when he is at court in London. 

Seeing the troupe under Loxley ambushed and killed, Robin and his band charge in and chase the Frenchmen away. Loxley extracts from Robin a deathbed promise to deliver his sword to his father, the only remaining male left in the family. After Loxley dies, Robin finds the map of the directions to the cove which holds the ship waiting to rush them back to England, and he carries the crown with him as a sure guarantee for his safe passage. Meanwhile he marvels at the code of honor carved into the hilt of Loxley's sword. 

All of the plot pieces are in place. Longstride has a reason to go to the Loxley estate, the Loxley estate is without a protector due to the absence of Sir Walter, and Godfrey knows that Robin Longstride might blow his cover as a French spy. In addition, Marion has to fend off the lecherous Sheriff of Nottingham, while none of the nobles are able to afford the taxes demanded of them by the rapacious Prince John. A historical footnote here is that the original Magna Carta was signed in 1215 by the same Prince John, then King John, less than two decades after the purported time frame for this movie.

This script for this film appears to have been written by committee, which it was, since there is more than enough here for two or three movies. In addition, many will feel that Crowe merely reprises his role in "Gladiator," and there is some truth to this. The press releases claim that this film is more historically accurate than all of the other Robin Hoods to date, but historical accuracy is a poor tradeoff for the swashbuckling films of yore. There's too much history here, and, besides, Russell Crowe with all of his power and surliness will never be a match for the charm and insouciance of Errol Flynn. 140 minutes, and rated PG-13 for intense scenes of violence, including warfare.