Robin Hood like you’ve never seen him before | The Death of Robin Hood (2026)

I am Jason Kleeberg, this is Force Five, and today I’m going to give you 5 reasons you might like The Death of Robin Hood, and you’re going to want to pay attention to these ones because this movie certainly isn’t going to be for everyone…but you should have a good idea if this one is for you by the end of this video. I liked it quite a bit.

Reason number 5, if you like movies that reimagine and recontextualize characters you’re already familiar with, this might be one of my favorite examples. We’ve seen Robin Hood played as a swashbuckling adventurer, a romantic leading man, a revolutionary folk hero and even an animated fox. This isn’t that Robin Hood. This Robin Hood isn’t merry and he’s not interested in robbing the rich to give to the poor. This Robin feels the Grim Reaper closing in on him after years of essentially terrorizing the region and reckoning with the weight of that while stories circulate that he is some kind of virtuous man. I’ve seen comparisons made to Logan, which is an easy one as Robin is also played by Hugh Jackman and also deals with a man coming to terms with a violent life, but I think it has more in common thematically with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which examines the gap between a legendary outlaw and the person behind that legend.

Reason number 4, this movie is beautifully photographed by cinematographer Pat Scola. This takes place during a medieval landscape that’s layered in mist, mud, fire, stone and forests. Contrary to the bright green storybook England of The Adventures of Robin Hood, this one is full of grey skies and the land feels cold, wet, dangerous and exhausting to inhabit. If you liked the look and feel of The Revenant or the mud and fire brutality of The Northman, you’ll find a lot to admire here. There’s also a really interesting visual contrast once Robin Hood ends up in an island monastery, where Robin is shifting from a hostile and punishing existence to one that promotes peace.

Reason number 3, if you like actor-driven historical dramas, you’re going to love the acting here, even if much of the acting is intentionally restrained. Like I mentioned, Hugh Jackman has played the wounded aging warrior before in Logan but this performance feels even more haunted. The film starts off showing us Robin’s merciless side while in search of an honorable death. He even thinks he’s found one at one point until that is ruined. When he wakes up, he’s on an island monastery and is faced with the chance for a fresh start, under the name Randolph. Jackman plays the character with quiet strength and you can smell how disgusted he is by the heroic reputation that has grown around him. Jodie Comer is just as compelling as Sister Brigid, the person who heals Robin in the monastery. You can see her intelligence and compassion in each scene and you can see how she assesses this man covered is scars who ended up in her care.

Reason number 2, this is a slow burn and I feel like I need to set the proper expectation here. This is not two hours of Robin Hood firing arrows at the Sheriff of Nottingham. There are no spectacular, choreographed battle scenes. Michael Sarnoski has instead opted for a quiet, introspective film built around guilt, morality, storytelling, and closing a loop of violence. There are long stretches built around conversations, fruit trees and physical recovery. There even seems to be a tease of something greater coming that amounts to nothing, maybe intentionally, so set your expectations. I liked this patient, mournful storytelling but it’s certainly not going to be for everyone. It kind of reminded me of another Sarnoski film that I thought was a masterpiece, Pig, starring Nicholas Cage.

Reason number 1, if you like brutally realistic medieval violence, you’ll certainly like parts of The Death of Robin Hood. The violence is only shown sparsely, but because of that, it gives those explosions of brutality much more power. The violence reminded me of The Revenant, Valhalla Rising and even The Nightingale. There’s no exciting wish fulfillment here. Every wound hurts and every death is messy. There’s only really one longer fight and it’s two scrappy guys trying to get the upper hand by any means necessary. You can see this history of violence on Robin Hood’s body because he’s carrying the physical and emotional consequences of everything he’s done. And that may be the movie’s most powerful idea, that legends make violence sound heroic, but the people who lived or survived it have to live with what actually happened. 

If you like revisionist takes on familiar heroes, gorgeous historical cinematography, committed performances, patient storytelling and violence that feels dangerously brutal, give The Death of Robin Hood a look. If you’ve seen it, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below. 

If you have a movie you want me to do a 5 reasons video for, email me at forcefivepodcast@gmail.com. Finally, down below you’ll find the link to order the film on Physical Media as well as links to my other socials. 

Life is short. Spend it with the people, and the movies, that you love.