392 – Robin Hood (2010)

What this episode covers

We’re back to discussing the filmography of director Ridley Scott this week, though this episode was recorded… before the news of his Honorary Oscar. Nope, there is also a new riff on a Robin Hood this week, so we’re talking his ongoing collaboration with Russell Crowe and their 2010 take on the fable. Arriving at the beginning of the summer, the film did respectable business but failed to match the respect and Academy love for their first epic together Gladiator. This episode, we discuss the film’s intended origins as a Sheriff of Nottingham film and its final approach as an ensemble piece of political intrigue. We also talk about Oscar Isaac’s eyeliner-forward performance, the miscasting of Cate Blanchett as a Marion more derivative of other female action characters, and Scott’s stretch of darker movies post-Gladiator. Topics also include the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, the non-controversy of The King’s Speech’s set locations, and slow mo bow and arrows.