The Death of Robin Hood: He Didn’t Give to the Poor

Evidently, Robin Hood was really a hood. It is rather surprising that A24 and Northern Ireland Screen would be interested in deconstructing and de-legitimizing the legend of the highwayman who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Nevertheless, the film they distributed and supported tells viewers in no uncertain terms that a “redistributionist” is really just a thief and eventually every thief becomes a thug. Consequently, the notorious outlaw left a lot of dead bodies in his wake, many of whom had family who still seek vengeance in director-screenwriter Michael Sarnoski’s The Death of Robin Hood, which releases Tuesday on VOD.

The old hood just can’t help himself. He is pretty sick of the world and his violent place in it, yet he still kills to survive the prologue’s naïve young vengeance-seeker. Most of his gang—and they really were a gang—have gone on to their just deserts, but Little John, now known as Edward, managed to retire and start a family. Of course, he did so by killing a man and assuming his identity and farmland. As it always happens in their Medieval society, the dead man’s kin inevitably came calling after discovering Little John’s crime, so he enlists Robin’s help to save his wife and daughter.

The battle is particularly brutal, even by the low standards of the era and the participants. Eventually, Little John deposits the gravely wounded Robin into the care of Sister Bridgid, the Prioress of St. Clement, on a remote isle that seems isolated in both time and space. Soon, Little John’s young daughter Margaret also must take shelter at St. Clement. Clearly, she suffers from traumatic shock, but she instinctively turns to Robin, since she associates him with her father. Although not normally a sentimentalist, he would prefer to protect her from Little John’s enemies, but Robin is not the outlaw he used to be.

With a title like The Death of Robin Hood, you have to expect a darker take on the legend. In this case, the film is sort of like Hugh Jackman’s Gran Torino, in which a hardened old man reluctantly seeks redemption late in life. In fact, it works surprisingly well on that level. Sort of like Don Quixote, it also explores how the subject of legends (in Robin Hood’s case, you could call it “fake news”) respond to the narratives they are supposed to live up to.

Arguably, Hugh Jackman is more ferocious as Robin Hood than he ever was as Wolverine. He also looks grizzled and gouty. To his credit, he fully commits to Robin’s unsavory persona, which makes his softening towards little Margaret surprisingly poignant. Similarly, Faith Delaney contributes one of the best youthful performances of the year as Little John’s emotionally distressed daughter.

Song Sung Blue: A Musical Family Story

It is fitting this film had a Christmas opening, because Neil Diamond recorded two successful Christmas albums. He also released a moving rendition of the Kol Nidre on the Jazz Singer soundtrack. Obviously, his movie career was a bit spotty (again, see The Jazz Singer), but cinema has an odd affection for Neil Diamond covers and cover bands. First there was Saving Silverman and then Greg Kohs’ 2008 documentary Song Sung Blue, chronicling the tribute duo Lightning and Thunder. This is the narrative drama adaptation of Kohs’ doc. They “interpreted” rather than imitated, but life is hard for working-class musicians in any genre. That was especially true for Lightning and Thunder, as viewers see only too well in Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, executive produced by Kohs, which is now playing in theaters.

Lightning was Mike Sardinia, who initially covered the waterfront of tribute bands. It was Claire Stigl, to be known as Thunder, who suggested he specialize in Neil Diamond. Her Patsy Cline act worked okay, but when they teamed up, they started to make some headway in the Milwaukee club scene.

Obviously, Sardinia was the front man, but Stingl was still an important part of the band. Stigl was also an important part of Sardinia’s life, especially when they married. Both happened to have teenaged daughters from previous marriages: Angela Sardinia and Rachel Cartwright. Stigl also had a young son Dayna. Yet the step-siblings accepted each other and their new step-parents well enough over time.

The music business was still a grind for Lightning and Thunder, just like it is for everyone else. However, life dealt them several tragic blows. In fact, the timing of their tribulations seems cosmically cruel. Yet, we can’t blame Brewer for that, since his screenplay follows the facts of their lives.

Frankly, Focus really hasn’t marketed this film correctly, because it is truly a story about the loving bonds of family. It is also worth noting Sardinia’s experience as a Vietnam veteran plays a not inconsequential (and largely positive) role in this film. In fact, there is a scene shared by Hugh Jackman and Ella Anderson, in which Sardinia tries to impart some Marine Corps wisdom to his step-daughter that ought to make the film a blockbuster in Red State country. (You could even credibly describe the film as “pro-life,” so get onboard, Evangelicals.)

Jackman is a regular star on Broadway, so his tuneful facility with the Diamond songbook should come as no surprise. As Sardinia repeatedly says, Jackman is “huge” as Lightning. Kate Hudson’s ability to successfully interpret Diamond and Cline is perhaps a bigger story, because it is so unexpected. They have real chemistry together. As a result, their rough patches hold real tension and discomfort.

Better Late Than Never: The Wolverine vs. the Yakuza

China recently surpassed Japan to become the world’s second largest film market.  Yes, China is number two with a bullet, but Japan is hardly chopped liver.  As an extra added benefit, studios do not have to debase their product or sell their souls to export films into Japan.  Yet, they seem to take perverse pleasure in kowtowing to Chinese Communist Party censors.  However, the latest Japanese-centric installment of the X-Men franchise surely understood where its international bread would be buttered.  Better than initial reviews gave it credit for, James Mangold’s simply titled The Wolverine (trailer here) is worth a look-see in theaters now.

As most guys between the ages of thirteen and fifty know, Logan is a mutant, whose uncanny healing powers were augmented with an adamantium skeleton and retractable claws.  You cannot kill him, because he simply heals too fast, but you can definitely tick him off.  At least that used to be the case.  While visiting the deathbed of Yashida, the Japanese industrialist who knew Logan during dark days past, his healing powers are drastically impaired by Yashida’s strange physician, Dr. Green, who also happens to be a rather nasty mutant known as Viper.

At Yashida’s funeral, an attempt is made to kidnap Mariko Yashida, the granddaughter and surprise heir to the Yashida empire.  Suspecting the yakuza assassins are in league with her somewhat disappointed father, Logan and Mariko go underground.  However, the anti-hero mutant just isn’t shrugging off shotgun blasts to the gut like he used.  At least, he still has the claws and the temper, which are considerable.  Nevertheless, he will need a bit of help from Yukio, a mutant orphan adopted by the Yashida family to serve as Mariko’s friend and confidant.

Wolverine works surprisingly well, because most of the time it is not operating as a superhero movie, but as a blend of the yakuza and ninja genres.  No longer immortal, Logan follows the tradition of other noir gaijin hard-noses, like Robert Ryan in Sam Fuller’s House of Bamboo.  The claws versus swords fight sequences are well staged and have real stakes.  Unfortunately, the film makes a tactical mistake in the third act, veering into Iron Man territory not in keeping with up-close-and-personal hack-and-slashing tone it had so nicely established.

Regardless, The Wolverine has a real ace-in-the-hole in the person of supermodel turned thesp Rila Fukushima.  As the trusted Yukio, she shows gobs of screen presence and wicked action chops.  Frankly, many fans will want to see her and Logan walk the earth together, “like Caine in Kung Fu,” but the franchise seems to have different plans for the future (judging from the stinger-tease).

Tao Okamoto (another model) is also quite engaging as the dutiful Mariko, but probably Royal Shakespeare Company and Lost alumnus Hiroyuki Sanda is the most recognizable face after Hugh Jackman, bringing Shakespearean heaviness to the homicidal father, Shingen Yashida.  Although clearly comfortable with the character by now, Jackman admirably digs into this grittier detour into mortality.  On the other hand, Will Yun Lee (so good in Witchblade and the cool b-movie Four Assassins) is woefully under-utilized as ninja-protector Kenuichio Harada, while Svetlana Khodchenkova’s Viper is a bland standard issue super-villainess.

Just like leaving New York for Match Point helped reinvigorate Woody Allen, the Japanese setting ought to jump start the Wolverine sub-series.  It should also herald Rila Fukushima’s arrival as an international action star.  Had Mangold not been so tied to the big set pieces-go-boom superhero climax, The Wolverine could have really been an impressive fusion of Marvel mythology and Asian martial arts and action movie aesthetics.  Despite the late adherence to convention, it is still consistently entertaining.  Recommended for Marvel and yakuza genre fans, The Wolverine is still playing in theater nationwide, including the AMC Empire in New York.