When I first saw the trailer for this film I thought- Oh no , ridley scott and Russel crowe again its going to be like Gladiator 2, but when I saw the film I was surprised how good it was, its not fantatsic mind, but better the I expected.

The main reason fom this is that Scott starts the film from a diferent angle then the story we are used to. Our hero is not Robin of Loxley the nobleman, its Robin Longstride a commoner archer.

Synopsis: Robin Longstride is an archer is King Richard 'the lionshearts' crusades. After decades of fighting in the middle east, Kinrg Richard needs to return to england to raise funds and loyalty. On the way back through europe, he stops and pillages for treasures. In a running battle for a castle on the western coast of france, the king is mortally wounded. Now dead his crusade is over and his crown must be returned to England so that his brother John, a dcadent and irresponsible royal, can be coronated. Robin Longstride and his chums Little John the infantaryman, Allan adayle an archer and musician and Will scarlett the archer decie to mak a run for the coast before the rest fo the army do and the passage to england becomes expensive. On the way back they run into a contingent of french, who , led by a triator english noble, godfrey have ambushed the english envoy with the crown. Godfrey has done a dal with the french king to depose the weak and decadent english throne and desperse the rest of the northern barrons, leaving the country open to french invasion. But as longstrides men takes out the ambushors they return the crown themselves and longstride has to assume to identity of the noble robin of loxley. One John is coronated, longstride goes to nottingham where sir loxley tkaes him in as his son returned from the crusades. But in the knowledge that godfrey hadsd esigns for a french king, longstride joins forces with King John and the barons to depose the french invasion. After the invasion is beaten away, King john renegs on his deal wiht longstride for the rights of his subjects to be increased and eclares longstride an outlaw. This is where the regular robin hood story begins.

Casting:
Apart his terrible accent , which sounds more west country then middel egnland , Russel crowe is quite good as is cate blacnchet, her accent is less intense and this seems to work. But bless em for trying, Kevin costner didnt. Kevin Durant is excellent as little john, he plays the physical character as usual but his accent is great and hes really coming on from his last films in xmen origins and wildhogs. Scott grimes is great as will scarlet, I think his accent is welsh ! and Matt Macfayden is fantatsic as the gutless bystande sheriff of nottingham, not the violent nucase version alan rickman portrayed. Max von syndow is good as the eccentric blind sir loxley as is william hert as marshal.

Direction.
The battle scenes filmed in HD digital have the movment and pace of those in gladiator, lots of extras and forward running shots, as well as slow mo action shots. Good CGI was used for some of the effects and a couple of nice aerial shots lik when Godfrey gets it. Some of the dialigue scens are a bit too slow, but the dialogue is interesting enough to keep you engaged. The only problem is that the film is two and a half hous, so Id say its 30 mins too long really.

Costumes and locations were very good, lots of shots through the woods and the costumes dont look too tattered and so a bit ungenuine.

Soundtrack might have been good but the dialigue and soudeffects took the foreground but this might have been the DVD