Eye for an Eye — A Beautiful and Bloody Death
- Valerie Cameron
- 18 hours ago
- 5 min read
The Death of Robin Hood
In theaters June 19, 2026
By Valerie Cameron
We all know the legend and fable of the mighty, clever and heroic Robin Hood. With every hero story you have the truth and some people don't like the truth, especially when it shows the red in the ledger of the legend. The Death of Robin Hood shows us that we are all a hero to some and a villain to others. It all depends on the story being told.
There have been so many movies and shows built on the Robin Hood story. From the swashbuckling Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), to the animated Disney classic (1973), to Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn in Robin and Marian (1976), Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (2010), Taron Egerton with Jamie Foxx in Robin Hood (2018), and most recently Sean Bean in the MGM+ series Robin Hood (2025) — this legend has never stayed off our screens for long. Every generation gets their Robin Hood, and every one of them has something to say about who he really was.
Hugh Jackman brings a weight to this Robin Hood that we have not seen before. This is not the charming rogue with a smirk and a quiver full of one-liners. This man is tired. He is worn down to the bone, carrying the bodies of every person he has ever crossed, and you feel every single one of them. Jackman plays it slow and deliberate, and it works — because for the first time, Robin Hood actually looks like a man who wants it to be over.
I know I say he is carrying the bodies of every person he ever crossed with him — don’t get me wrong, I am not asking you to feel bad for this man. He has crossed many and the bodies have piled up.
You may be telling yourself right now that you are not one of those people that want to see their favorite hero dismantled into a murderous villain. If that is true, this movie is not for you. However, I would challenge you to change your mind and take this movie in as a tragic tale where redemption may be possible, but only if you let it happen. You will watch this movie with the bias of one of your favorite childhood cartoons. You will watch this movie with a love story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian in the back of your mind, with sunsets and brotherly love. You will have that with you the entire movie, even when you see Hood do horrible things, and he does do horrible things.
Hugh Jackman comes into a prized role of actors that are Hollywood’s best looking men. Jackman plays an older Robin Hood that wants to be done with the life he has set up for himself. Needless to say, yes he is Hugh Jackman, but he is not the sexiest man alive…well, maybe yes — with long silver hair and a face full of weariness and sin. Jackman plays this role well and he melds himself into the character. He is unapologetic and mesmerizing. When he is on screen you want to know what he is thinking and what his next move will be. I could not predict most of this film — his moves were sometimes unimaginable. I had to look away a few times during several of the character kills. From his hair, makeup, costuming and movement, this Robin Hood was immaculately created to make you want him to be good, then gasp when he isn’t. Look closely at all of the details of him and what the production team created.
Speaking of production and what things look like — this film is bloody, but beautiful. It will be in my top 10 films for cinematography, coloring, sound and score for 2026. When watching the film, please notice how the scenes at the beginning go from cold whites and greys to make you feel miserable, to muddy blues and browns to help you feel the defeat and sorrow, to sunny, golden yet blown out moments to make you feel hope. Color plays a big part of this film’s story.
Something else that is beautiful is the casting for this film. The performances were strong, haunting and some of the best of the year. Jodie Comer is fantastic in every role she plays, yet here she plays a calm, quiet and redeeming character. She plays Sister Brigid, a prioress on a remote island who has made her life into a refuge and place of healing for those who need it — the wounded, the orphaned, the dying. She carries multitudes in this role, warm on the surface with something much deeper and darker underneath. When you find out her purpose to the film and her connection to Robin, your opinion of both of them may change in one quick inhaled breath. Bill Skarsgård sneaks in there with a heroic and quietly dynamic performance that adds one more layer to this pungent onion of a story. And that brings me to Little John — which is exactly who Bill Skarsgård is playing — and I want to leave that for you to discover on your own.
He plays a big part of this story and I do not want to give it away. In the background of the film you will see homages to the other Robin Hood movies and stories you know. Keep your eyes peeled for those nuanced moments. All in all I like this film the more I think about it. I said before, not everyone wants to see a hero deconstructed, and now Hugh Jackman has done two movies that do it. There is a lot of chatter about this being a lot like him playing Logan. The items that are the same — the character kills people, is old and has regrets, oh and is played by Hugh Jackman. If someone else played Robin Hood, those comparisons would not even exist. Don’t put that in the back of your head. This is a Robin Hood film, showing you that everyone has demons and we all see what we want to see when it comes to our heroes.
As much as I loved this film, it is not something I will be watching again anytime soon. It is heavy, bloody and you need a little time to breathe after your first watch. Don’t let your Oo-de-lally feelings steal you away from experiencing this gritty piece of art.
Grade: B+
Rated: R (Strong Bloody Violence)
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett, Noah Jupe, Faith Delaney
Writer: Michael Sarnoski
Studio: A24 / Ryder Picture Company / Lyrical Media
Comments