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.
25% ★☆☆☆☆ (31,134)
The Death of Robin Hood
Where to watch: In Theaters
Movie · Adventure · Drama · R
2026 · 2h 3m · ★ 25% (31K)
He was no hero.
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård
Overview
Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last. In the hands of a mysterious woman, he is offered a chance at salvation.
Director
Michael Sarnoski
Production
Lyrical Media, Ryder Picture Company
Cast
Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett, Noah Jupe, Jade Croot, Faith Delaney, Tabitha Smyth, Beau Thompson, Alfie Lawless, Asher de Silva, Elijah Ungvary, Fintan Shevlin, Katie Breen, Michael Hanna, Andrew McCracken, Clive Russell, Amy McElhatton, Maeve Connelly, Maggie Hayes
Curator Review
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.