It’s interesting to look back at Russell Crowe’s career. He had a great 12-year-run of films, between 1997 to 2009, with memorable turns in “L.A. Confidential,” “The Insider”, “Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind”, “Master & Commander”, “Cinderella Man,” “ 3:10 to Yuma” and “American Gangster”.
It all went haywire after that. The decline started with Ridley Scott’s botched epic “Robin Hood.” The reviews were not good, neither were the audience scores, and, despite making $321 million worldwide, Crowe would eventually fall out of the ranks of Hollywood’s A-list actors.
Have we taken “Robin Hood” for granted all these years? Much like most of Scott’s films, there is a director’s cut (which I have not seen) and Crowe recently went on X to bang the drums for it, almost 14 years after its Cannes premiere.
In the post, Crowe singles out Scott's director's cut of “Robin Hood”, explaining why it's the superior cut of the film and adds some much-needed depth to the story.
What I really like: The directors cut of “Robin Hood”. It’s some 17 minutes longer than the theatrical release, but it’s a crucial 17 minutes. Gives the whole movie another layer of clarity, humour and emotional depth.
Has anyone seen the director’s cut?
Released in 2010, “Robin Hood” marked the fifth collaboration between Crowe and Scott. This was a darker and grittier depiction of the iconic figure. Looking back on it, the cast was stacked and included Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, William Hurt, Léa Seydoux, Max von Sydow, and Mark Strong.
“Robin Hood” had its budget increase to $237 million during its tumultuous production. Universal most certainly lost a lot of money on it. Is a reappraisal in store for this film? I haven’t seen it since it was first released, and have had no desire to revisit it since.
I can't tell you what it is — but most of our readers can figure it out. There's a social embargo until the 22nd, and reviews aren't permitted to run until 48 hours before release.