The first time I saw this movie as a 9 year old, I thought it was one of the greatest films ever made, although I found the first fifteen minutes terrifying. While I still enjoy it quite a bit, and am no longer frightened, certain parts of this movie are actually more laughable than anything else. In Prince of Thieves, Robin returns to England with Azeem to find his father dead, his estate in ruins and his country in shambles, succumbing to the will of the sinister Sheriff on Nottingham. This is a movie that is still really enjoyable to watch, but that as an adult, I realize is only about as well done as most Kevin Costner films. I will say, the cast of Robin Hood is actually pretty impressive. Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater and Sean Connery all turn in excellent performances that help overcome the Postman. The best acting in this films comes from the Sheriff, played by Alan Rickman. He does such a great job as this neurotic, power-hungry Englishman that no matter what else I see him in, the first thing I think of is the Sheriff of Nottingham. I used to think Kevin Costner was great in this role, but that was also when I thought that Christian Slater had a promising career ahead of him. I find it telling that Costner does not even attempt an English accent. He overacts in this role so heavily that I found myself constantly laughing. I admit that Kevin Costner has made some really good movies, and Robin Hood is definitely up there, but he is an atrocious actor. Prince of Thieves is a really fun movie to watch, but the story is not the classic Robin Hood tale. Prince John does not exist in this version, and a lot of it revolves around the Crusades. It does not negatively impact this film, I just found the director's decisions to be pretty interesting. My wife watched this movie with me, and while she found a lot of it as ridiculous as I did, we both like Robin Hood. This film is played on TV on a semi-regular basis, and I imagine that the next time it airs, depending on what else is available, I will at least flip with it. I give Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 3 stars.
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