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Hugh Jackman leads bleak reinvention of famous outlaw in The Death of Robin Hood
MICHAEL Sarnoski’s The Death of Robin Hood has little interest in the noble outlaw who robbed the rich, aided the poor and fought tyranny with a band of merry followers. Its Robin Hood is a murderer whose reputation has been polished by stories that bear little resemblance to the man himself.
Hugh Jackman plays Robin as an ageing and exhausted killer, haunted by decades of cruelty. He has robbed anyone he could, maimed innocent people and killed men, women and children without remorse. The heroic tales surrounding his name were partly created by Robin himself, allowing his crimes to pass into legend as acts of rebellion.
Now living alone and surrounded by the graves of those who tried to avenge his victims, Robin has become trapped by the reputation he built. People continue to seek him out, either to challenge the legendary fighter or punish the man who destroyed their families.
Violence without glory
The Death of Robin Hood’s opening section is drenched in mud, blood and misery. Robin remains a fearsome fighter but every movement reveals the toll that age has taken on him. He can still kill with ruthless precision, although each confrontation brings him closer to the death he appears to want.
Bill Skarsgard plays Little John, Robin’s former companion and perhaps the only person capable of matching his depravity. John is younger and retains the energy for violence that Robin has begun to lose. He also clings to Christianity while committing horrific acts, making his faith appear closer to self-delusion than genuine morality.
Sarnoski refuses to romanticise either man. Their raids contain no sense of adventure, camaraderie or righteous rebellion. They are simply violent men who have spent their lives taking whatever they wanted.
After Robin is gravely wounded, he is brought to a remote priory and adopts the false name Randolph. Sister Brigid, played by Jodie Comer, treats his injuries without knowing the identity of the man in her care.
A life Robin never knew
The Death of Robin Hood slows considerably once Robin reaches the priory. The brutality of the first half gives way to quiet routines, open landscapes and the daily care of orphaned children. Robin also becomes responsible for Margaret, the young daughter of Little John, after she is left orphaned by the violence surrounding her family.
For perhaps the first time, Robin witnesses a community built around care rather than fear. He hunts for food, teaches Margaret how to use a bow and begins to understand the kind of life that his younger self never considered possible.
This does not become a simple redemption story. Robin knows that a few good deeds cannot erase a lifetime of murder. His growing affection for Margaret reveals he remains capable of humanity but the film never treats this as proof that he deserves forgiveness.
Jackman gives the character considerable depth. The role inevitably recalls his performance in Logan (2017), another story about a worn-down killer protecting a young girl while confronting a violent past. Wolverine eventually found purpose through sacrifice. Robin’s path is harsher because he recognises that redemption may be beyond him.
Comer brings restraint and gravity to Brigid. Her scenes with Jackman carry a constant threat, since the fragile peace of the priory depends on Robin’s identity remaining hidden. When the truth emerges, the consequences connect his new life directly to the suffering he caused long ago.
Man behind myth
Sarnoski, who previously directed Pig (2021) and A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), again uses familiar genre material to tell a quieter character drama. The film may have been presented as a brutal action story but its main concern is regret, storytelling and whether a person can ever escape the harm attached to their name.
The Death of Robin Hood‘s final stretch is sadder and more intimate than the battle Robin once imagined would kill him. He cannot rewrite his life, although he can decide which version of the story Margaret carries forward.
The Death of Robin Hood is bleak, slow and deeply mournful. Its most compelling idea is that the myth may eventually become more valuable than the man who inspired it.
Jackman’s layered performance helps turn this cruel Robin into one of the most distinctive interpretations of the character yet.
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