There is something quite attractive about the gruff, testosterone filled Russell Crowe. I think that his appeal ( well to me anyhow) is that, as a film actor, he knows how to use his masculinity to such good effect.......so in a similar vein to the likes of Robert Mitchum, he commands the screen and attention in a typical alpha male power house kind of way.Having said that, Crowe (like Mitchum) is not just manly eye candy! both men have acted quite wonderfully; indeed Crowe's performances in productions such as LA Confidential, The Insider, 3.10 to Yuma, and State of Play are some of the best I have seen in recent years......
Ok, Ok...I am a fan...can't you tell?...perhaps I am acting just a little like my female turkeys? I am a sucker for a pretty masculine face!
Anyhow back to Robin Hood!Hummmm.......well let's point out the good points!
Crowe gets his kit off (albeit briefly)...
Spunky old Cate Blanchett does a wonderful South Yorkshire accent
and Max Von Sydow is rather sweet as Robin's adoptive father
oh and some of the action sequences of this rather original retelling of a tried and tested story are exciting and worth the price of a cinema seat alone.
However.....there is plenty to test even a Crowe fan like myself....
That old chestnut of the time taken travelling from the coast to Nottingham (165 miles) is , as it was in all preceding Robin Hood movies, ignored totally; a small point , I know, but it is one that grates.
Russell's accent ( supposedly a South Yorkshire accent----one I know well) is truly awful. Most of the time he sounds Irish and his attempt at the flat Yorkshire vowels is very distracting. However Scott Grimes ( remember Archie Morris is ER?) is the worst culprit in the accent stakes....his Welsh accent has to be heard to be disbelieved!)
..............................and most importantly the love affair between Crowe and Blanchett, (they have some rather sweet little scenes) is only touched upon oh so briefly, which is a shame.
Robin Hood, is a nice Sunday afternoon epic. It is neither great or average......and unfortunately lies somewhere between the two!
I gave Russell a manly 9/10
Robin Hood I gave a slightly disappointing 7/10
Down Boy! You are very generous to Crowe and the movie. Haven't seen it myself.....just going by the local review. Crushes are so cute!
ReplyDeleteRussell Crowe is definitely great eye candy. We will probably see the movie when it becomes a DVD or whatever. I used to drool over Mel Gibson, but you know what? That fella has gotten OLD! :)
ReplyDeletePeople that don't have a certain accent, never get it right. I about die from laughter when I see a movie about the North OR the South, it really has to come natural, I think. Fargo and Steel Magnolias really cracked me up.
Gosh, that's a long way, just to see a movie!
I'm off to see this next week (maybe), but I just can't picture crowe as robin hood, the sherrif of nottingham yes. I like my tall dark, handsome and rugged man on the villiany side. I fell madly in love with gisbourne in the bbc version, still makes me feel quite faint and weak in the knees. Gotta love the bad guys
ReplyDeletexx
I adore, adore Crowe myself, didn't get a chance to see the movie over the weekend.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when fake accents get in the way of great acting?
I love his as it is-a part of his true appeal.For this here married girl, anyway.
I adore, adore Crowe myself, didn't get a chance to see the movie over the weekend.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when fake accents get in the way of great acting?
I love his as it is-a part of his true appeal.For this here married girl, anyway.
I AM NOT ONE OF HIS FANS!! Okay, I like a few Crowe movies. He's not too bad. Oddly enough, my family says Mike looks like Russell. I haven't seen the new Robin Hood. It's a bit overdone, in my opinion. Enough is enough. Get some fresh ideas. But Crowe can't seem to play any other character! It's like Jean Claude Van Damm or Steven Segal! Granted his movies are quite better than theirs, but get a new role already!
ReplyDelete~Randy
I have long said that Russell Crowe seems to be one of the last manly men in Hollywood . . . much to my chagrin -- I'll take a gruff exterior to a pretty boy any day. And a great actor to boot. I loved him in Cinderella Man.
ReplyDeleteI think the worst attempt I ever saw at an accept was Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly. Eeeeeck!
A good review.
ReplyDeleteR.Crow is a pretty interesting interview also.