Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner, The Untouchables) follows King Richard the Lionheart (Sean Connery, Goldfinger) on a crusade to the Holy Land, only to end up imprisoned in Jerusalem. After years behind bars, Robin escapes with the help of Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir (Morgan Freeman, The Shawshank Redemption) and returns to England. Things have gone bad in Robin’s absence. The evil Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman, Die Hard) rules as a tyrant, dreaming of wearing the crown. Alongside his vicious cousin Guy of Gisborne (Michael Wincott, The Crow), he steals from the poor and the defiant rich alike, including Robin’s father (Brian Blessed, Flash Gordon). The Sheriff also sets his sights on marrying Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Scarface).
What We Thought:
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is a film that grew on me. When I first saw it back in the early 1990s it wasn’t for me. It had some decent adventure elements, but I wanted more swashbuckling and action then. It was heavy on the romance and that Bryan Adams song was way overplayed. Over time I found myself enjoying it more, for one particular reason, Alan Rickman’s absolutely unhinged performance.
Does Kevin Costner’s accent come and go? Yes. Does Christian Slater stick out like a sore thumb in Olde England? Yes. Does Alan Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham threaten Robin Hood to cut his heart out with a spoon? ABSOLUTELY! Rickman chews the scenery throughout the film and it’s absolutely brilliant. Between this and Die Hard, Rickman solidified himself as one of cinema’s greatest villain actors.
If you watch the film for Rickman and Michael Wincott it’s fun. When the Sheriff says his spoon line to Robin Hood, Wincott’s character asks, “Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an ax or a sword?”. The dynamic between them is fantastic. Costner and Morgan Freeman are good together, but it’s the bad guys who steal the film.
What I also liked about the film, rewatching it the other night, is that it’s not a 2026 film. In today’s world Maid Marian would be side by side with Robin taking on the Sheriff’s men. Sure she’s capable in this film, but coming from the 1990s, she’s not a Mary Sue Girl Boss. She’s not a 100% Damsel in Distress, but she’s also not taking down men twice her size.
The new 4K of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves looks great and sounds even better. The score is loud and carries the tone of the film throughout. It closes with the Bryan Adams song which does sound quite good in 4K. The bonus features are pretty neat with multiple commentaries, an archival documentary, One-on-One with the Cast which I recommend watching the Rickman and Freeman ones for sure and more. It had been probably 20 years since I had seen the whole movie and the last time was most likely a cable edit so it was cool catching up with it. It’s not my favorite Robin Hood movie, but it did help get us the fantastic Men in Tights parody film. If you are a fan of the movie then the new 4K is…
RECOMMENDED!
Bonus Materials
- 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- 4K restorations of both the theatrical and extended cuts from the original negative by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation of both cuts in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original uncompressed stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with director Kevin Reynolds and actor Kevin Costner
- Audio commentary with actors Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater and writers/producers Pen Densham and John Watson
- Here We Are Kings: Making Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, a multi-part documentary featuring interviews with Densham, Watson, director of photography Douglas Milsome, editor Peter Boyle, costume designer John Bloomfield and many more members of the creati
- Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie, an archival 1991 documentary hosted by Pierce Brosnan
- One-on-One with the Cast, archival 1991 interviews with Costner, Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Slater and Alan Rickman
- Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” performance at Slane Castle, Ireland
- Music soundtrack cues
- Theatrical trailer
- TV spots
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring writing on the film by Jackson Cooper and Mark Cunliffe
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by José Saccone
- Six postcard-sized artcards
The Nerds Templar 