The Death of Robin Hood

Verdict

A bleak, revisionist Robin Hood tale with striking imagery, serious thematic ambition, and committed performances, but it sounds deliberately slow, repetitive, and emotionally austere. Best approached as a mood piece and character study rather than a crowd-pleasing adventure.

Best for

• Viewers who like grim myth deconstructions
• Fans of slow-burn character studies
• People drawn to atmospheric, foggy period filmmaking
• Audiences open to violent but reflective action

Skip if

• You want swashbuckling Robin Hood escapism
• You dislike meditative pacing and long stretches of introspection
• You need a tightly plotted adventure
• You prefer lighter or more heroic takes on folklore

Overview

The Death of Robin Hood looks like a myth stripped down to guilt, injury, and the possibility of redemption. Michael Sarnoski seems less interested in arrows and outlaw romance than in the wreckage left behind by a life built on violence, which gives the film a bruised, elegiac quality that fits the title perfectly.

Worth noting

The strongest signals here are visual and tonal: fog-soaked landscapes, harsh textures, and a medieval setting treated less like pageantry than a moral wasteland. That approach should appeal to viewers who like revisionist genre films that use familiar legends as a way to talk about regret, identity, and the stories people tell themselves.

Bottom line

The tradeoff is pace. The reviews suggest a film that can feel repetitive and deliberately withholding, with a middle stretch that tests patience even when the craft is strong. If you’re in the mood for an austere, reflective take on a famous outlaw, it sounds rewarding; if you want momentum and spectacle, it may feel more admirable than exhilarating.

Top Letterboxd reviews

Framesofnick (3★) · 1045 likes

First movie to properly use the nemesis system since Warner bros patented it

Joel Haver (5★) · 753 likes

I’ve now seen this movie three times! First as a rough cut a year ago, then a fine cut a few months ago and tonight the final cut projected on 35mm film. It’s come to mean a great deal to me. Firstly, this film is gorgeous. Far and away Michael Sarnoski’s prettiest film yet. The combination of beautiful locations, shooting on film and wonderfully excessive fog use makes for a nonstop slew of striking images. Secondly, the world isn’t ready… more

𝐉 (3★) · 633 likes

"this ain't your grandpa's Robin hood"

davidehrlich (3★) · 563 likes

It would be very easy to confuse “Pig” director Michael Sarnoski’s “The Death of Robin Hood” for a gray and gritty new take on the Prince of Thieves, but that would technically be inaccurate on all counts. For starters, this movie isn’t “gray” so much as its first act looks like it was shot directly onto volcanic ash, and “gritty” feels a bit insufficient for a medieval character study that has less in common with the glowering intensity of “The

Kit Lazer (3.5★) · 531 likes

Uses the deconstruction of myth to tell a story about, well, stories—their place in our culture, in our relationships, the ones we tell ourselves, and their proximity to lies. If you live long enough you’ll start to be disgusted by your own bullshit, doggedly pursued by regret, but when you look closely you’ll find you still have a purpose.

Themes

redemption, regret, myth deconstruction, violence and consequence, identity, salvation, medieval outlaw legend, memory and storytelling

Topics

revisionist folklore, slow burn, medieval drama, bleak tone, atmospheric cinematography, violent redemption, period thriller, character study, foggy visuals, mythic deconstruction