Product Description

THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MEETING UP WITH LITTLE JOHN AND FINDING HE HAS A LONG LOST HALF BROTHER. HE ALSO FALLS FOR HISBESTFIENDS LOVELY SISTER MARIAN. TOGETHER THEY FIGHT THE EVIL SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM TO PROTECT KING RICHARD'S LAND.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2576 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 1997-10-01
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 143 minutes

Features

• Academy AwardO winner* Kevin Costner triumphs as the legendary Sherwood Forest outlaw leader in this epic adventure bringing a 12th-century medieval world to spectacular screen life. Enhancing the sheer fun of this audience rouser are 10 added minutes of footage not seen in theatres, especially more of the juicy malevolence and sinister background of Robin Hood's archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingh

Amazon.com
Kevin Costner's lousy English accent is a small obstacle in this often exciting version of the Robin Hood fable. That aside, it's refreshing to have a preface to the old story in which we meet the robber hero of Sherwood Forest as a soldier in King Richard's Crusades, coming home to find his people under siege from the cruelties of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). After Robin and his community of outcasts and fighters take to the trees, director Kevin Reynolds (Fandango, 187) is on more familiar narrative ground, and he goes for the gusto with lots of original action (Robin shoots two arrows simultaneously from his bow in two directions). Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as Marion, makes a convincing damsel in distress, and Morgan Freeman brings dignity to his role as Robin's Moor friend. Alan Rickman, however, gets the most attention for his scene-chewing role as the rotten sheriff, an almost campy performance that is highly entertaining but perhaps a little out of sorts with the rest of the film. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker
A dull, dutiful trek through the legend of the bandit of Sherwood Forest, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Watching this picture is about as much fun as paying taxes, and far less stirring emotionally. We never feel that anyone involved in making this multimillion-dollar, two-hour-and-twenty-one-minute spectacle had any real affection for the story. The screenplay, by Pen Densham and John Watson, is a mishmash of halfhearted dramatizations of episodes from the legend and equally halfhearted nods to contemporary attitudes. If the movie had an exuberant spirit-as the 1938 "Adventures of Robin Hood," with Errol Flynn, had, in near-manic overabundance-we'd be more inclined to overlook the script's incoherence. But there's not much joy in evidence here. The direction, by Kevin Reynolds, is stolid and impersonal, and Kevin Costner seems miscast as Robin: he's not a forceful enough actor for this role. The merry men are an unmemorable lot; even Little John (Nick Brimble) and Friar Tuck (Michael McShane) don't make strong impressions, because they haven't been given anything interesting to do. (In this version, Little John loses his famous battle with Robin in the stream.) The audience seems to perk up only when Alan Rickman, as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, is on the screen. He gives a florid, theatrical performance-there's real glee in his malice. Also with Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Michael Wincott, and Brian Blessed (who's so vivid in his brief scenes as Robin's father that we wish the movie were about him instead). -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Historically inaccurate but still a fun viewing experience..
Over the years, it seems that the Robin Hood saga has been a favorite of sorts for film makers to re-invent, manipulate, and showcase again and again. No doubt due to global appeal and the premise of a hero taking from the rich, giving to the poor, and fighting the good fight.

Of all the Robin Hood films ever produced, it's readily apparent that Prince of Thieves relies less on genuine historical accuracy and leans more toward Hollywood flair which still makes for an entertaining film. Despite using no English accent (which appears to grate on some reviewers for some reason), Kevin Costner presents himself well in the role of Robin Hood. Coupled with fine performances from Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman, Christian Slater, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, (to name just a few), the story moves at an exciting pace and hits the mark as a stand up adventure movie that doesn't disappoint.

As for the new 2 disc special edition release of this movie, it just got a whole lot better. Not having to flip the disc over any more to see the entire feature like in the first release, you now have a new digital transfer and a remastered DTS 5.1 soundtrack and both are outstanding. On disc 2 you have great bonus material enhancing the value and enjoyment even further. Included is a decent documentary on the making of Prince of Thieves, Bryan Adams performing his music video of '(Everything I do) I do it for you', an interactive mediaeval weapons gallery, cast and crew bios, production notes, interviews with cast and crew, and trailers and t.v. spots.

You don't really have to be a die-hard Robin Hood fan to enjoy this movie. The film has a few flaws and stretches the historical aspect somewhat but it plays out well with plenty of action, adventure, humor, and fun. This special edition release would be a good addition to any DVD collection and I recommend it to everyone.

Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves
I was at [local store] one day and saw the extended Robin Hood DVD on sale. I decided to buy it. I thought that I liked all the swordplay, action, fantasy tales. I have to tell you. It was a great buy! It was only [$$] for such a great extended movie.

Plot - Our famous Robin Hood is in a Jerusalem prison. He escapes with a moor, Azeem (Morgan Freeman), and his friend, Peter. Peter doesn't make it, but wants Robin to promise that he will protect his sister, Marion. Robin agrees and finds his way home with Azeem. They discover Robin's father dead and their servant blinded. The Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman, who is perfect in the role) killed Robin's father and is doing horrible deeds to the poor people in the area. Robin and Azeem end up in Sherwood Forest and meet its occupants, including John Little and Will Scarlett. They all team up and decide to fight back against the Sheriff. (94/100)

Acting - A lot of people hate how Kevin Costner speaks in this movie. I really didn't notice a change in his voice at all. So it didn't really bother me! I thought Kevin did well as Robin. Christian Slater and Alan Rickman were the two who stole the movie. Christian was great as the mysterious and confusing Will Scarlett. Alan Rickman was hilarious and nasty as the Sheriff. They both were great and should have deserved great credit for their positions. Also, there is a short cameo by Sean Connery. (96/100)

Action and Violence - There is a lot of action and violence in this movie. It could have been rated R. There is a lot of swordplay, arrows being fired into faces, fist fights, and blood. I think any action man would like this movie. Notable Action Scenes : Overrun By Celts, Fiery Assault, Cheating The Hangman, Storming The Castle, and Final Duel. To check out these scenes, buy the DVD and access them through Scene Selection. (95/100)

Sexual Themes - There are some sexual themes in this story. There is a scene where Marion is about to be raped from the Sheriff. Also, Robin swims around nude under a waterfall. So there is some sexual content. I don't really think it was needed though. (89/100)

The Two Discs and The Extended Version - The extended version is very good. It explains a lot more about the Sheriff. There is also some action put into some places. It is worth the money.

The extended version comes with two discs. Thankfully, you didn't have to "turn the disc over" to watch the "whole" movie. So I was happy that I could just watch the whole feature film on one disc. The other discs are loaded with extras. There is commentaries, documentaries, making of features, galleries, trailers, and more.
Extended Version (98/100) The Two Discs (94/100)

Overall, this movie is very well done. It is very good and worth the money to buy. Don't get the original disc. It isn't worth it! Just buy this. It has tons of action, romance, some comedy, beautiful sets and landscapes, and just an all around great feel to it.
Overall - 94 A

The extended version is supposedly UNRATED.
UNRATED for strong violence, action, sexual themes, and brief strong language.

Let me straighten some things up....
"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" is a rolicking adventure ride that will please most people. If ya can't get past the accents, then miss out on a good movie.

Let me clear a few things up:

1. "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" was on a tight production schedule. There were three (count 'em, three) Robin Hood movies being produced at the same time, and the one to come out finished first would be the one released in theatres. One production gave up and backed out. That left two Robin Hood movies - one with Kevin Costner, and one with Patrick Bergen.

2. Because of the tight schedule, Kevin Costner's accent was dropped to be "dubbed over" in post production. They simply didn't have the time to worry about accents if they wanted to get the movie finished.

3. Filming complete, the dubbing was dropped because of lack of time and the movie was finished. "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" was released theatre-wide, whereas the Patrick Bergen version was slated for TV.

Now that I have the little niggling thing about accents straightened up, get passed it and watch the movie for what it was intended: pure entertainment.

There is plenty of humor - from Little John's river fighting antics and his wife's bantering, to the Sheriff of Nottingham's humorous frustrations ("why a spoon, cousin, why not an ax" - "Because it's dull, you twit, it will hurt more!"), the viewer is not disappointed. The entire cast was enjoyable to watch, and the costuming was superb. The lush green of the forests (the movie was filmed in the forests of Nottingham - which proved to be a problem - the airport is nearby) is captured wonderfully on film, as well as the forest "homes" Robin Hood and his Merry Men have taken refuge in.

I rather enjoyed this movie because Kevin Costner's Robin Hood was a Robin Hood for the 90's. He was intelligent, witty, and funny, the way we picture him to be. Go ahead: rent the movie and lose yourself in a great adventure flick.