Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, 1991.
Directed by Kevin Reynolds.
Starring Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.
SYNOPSIS:
This is the same Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 4K Ultra HD release Arrow Video put out in the UK in 2022, so if you have that one, you don’t need this one, since 4K Ultra HD discs are region-free. Like the earlier edition, this release has all the physical swag, along with the same bonus features that include an excellent 67-minute documentary about the making of the film. This one is a mixed bag for me, but if you’re a fan, you’ll want it.
1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves has always been a mixed bag for me, and it has remained so after my latest rewatch for this review. Kevin Costner’s plain way of speaking as the title character bugs me (yes, I know, he tried to adopt a British accent and it didn’t work, and, yes, a modern British accent wouldn’t be historically accurate anyway) and Alan Rickman’s performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham sometimes veers into campy territory.
As always, of course, your mileage may vary, and if this film is one of your favorites, you’ll want this new 4K Ultra HD edition from Arrow Video. The theatrical and extended versions have both been remastered by Arrow and look great, with a quality level that’s likely on par with what showed up in theaters in 1991 (There’s no way to accurately replicate the original theatrical experience without a time machine, of course).
You also get the usual swag, including a reversible sleeve, two fold-out posters, six postcard-sized artcards, and a booklet with essays by Jackson Cooper and Mark Cunliffe. There’s only one disc found here, though, and, yes, this is the same platter issued by Arrow in the UK in 2022. Since 4K Ultra HD discs are region-free, if you have that one, then you don’t need this one.
On the bonus features front, Arrow commissioned a new 67-minute making-of documentary, titled Here We are Kings, that does a great job of digging into the production of the film from start to finish. While no cast members show up, a lot of people from the other side of the camera do, and composer Michael Kamen, who died in 2003, gets a nice remembrance.
You’ll learn even more about the making of the movie in the pair of commentary tracks found here; they play over the extended version of the film. They both hail from 2005, and one features “The Kevins” (Reynolds the director and Costner the star) looking back on the production while the other serves up cast member Christian Slater and co-writers/co-producers Pen Desham and John Watson for more of the same. Unfortunately, the second one lapses into silence a little too often, but it’s still a worthwhile track.
Everything else found here is archival too, starting with the 31-minute Robin Hood: The Myth, The Man, The Movie, a 1991 TV special hosted by Pierce Brosnan. (I imagine that today’s youngsters probably don’t even understand the words “TV special.”)
You also get interviews with the key cast members, also shot in 1991, that run just under 20 minutes total, the music video (remember those?) for Bryan Adams’ silly theme song, 50 minutes of Kamen’s soundtrack cues playing over stills from the film, the theatrical trailer, TV spots, and a pair of image galleries.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
