Hugh Jackman's new drama The Death of Robin Hood arrived on digital platforms last month as distributor A24 released director Michael Sarnoski's dark film.
The feature presents a bleak reimagining of the famous English outlaw, abandoning traditional heroic adventure in favor of a somber meditation on mortality, violence, and guilt.
A24, the American independent studio behind acclaimed titles such as Everything Everywhere All at Once and Civil War, has established a reputation where its logo functions almost as a genre marker. The branding promises familiar material presented in unconventional ways, and Russian national newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported in its review published on August 30, 2026, that Sarnoski's film fully lives up to those expectations.
Unnoble Outlaw and Final Heist
In Sarnoski's narrative, the traditional image of a noble thief is entirely absent. The Robin Hood portrayed by Jackman did indeed rob the wealthy, but he gave little to the poor, routinely robbing and murdering members of both groups throughout a deeply unrighteous life.
Near the sunset of his criminal career, the aging outlaw is visited by his longtime associate Little John, played by Bill Skarsgard. Little John proposes carrying out one final heist, but dramatic convention takes over and the operation quickly goes off plan.
Severely wounded and potentially near death, Robin is abandoned outside the gates of a local monastery. Local Abbess Brigid, portrayed by Jodie Comer, takes it upon herself to nurse the damaged outlaw back to health.
Slow Pacing and Dark Atmosphere
Following Robin's rescue, the production shifts into a markedly different film. Most of the remaining runtime focuses on the internal reflection and self-examination of a monster who did not shrink from killing women and children, and who only facing death begins to realize that his life was spent foolishly and in vain.
On paper, such a concept risks overwhelming boredom, and the review noted that the film uses every available directorial tool to reinforce those fears. Sarnoski fills the screen with lingering camera shots, long pauses, and slow glides over dreary landscapes dominated by wind, water, mud, stones, and physical dampness.
Director Sarnoski, who previously earned acclaim for his 2021 directorial debut Pig starring Nicolas Cage and his 2024 horror feature A Quiet Place: Day One, intentionally refuses to accelerate the narrative pace. The reviewer emphasized that individual episodes subjectively feel significantly longer than their actual duration, even when extra minutes of silent nature contemplation add little to character development or atmosphere.
At a certain point, the review noted, viewers might feel a strong urge to declare the entire experience a dreary bore and walk away, were it not for the strength of the principal cast.
Jackman and Comer Lead Cast
Jackman, who has spent the past decade playing aging men with varying degrees of physical and moral wear in films like Logan, reaches a career peak in this role. Concealed beneath a massive beard and thick hair, the actor is barely recognizable as a Hollywood star.
The script provides Robin with few long monologues, and he speaks far less than typical leads in two-hour dramas. However, Jackman carries a substantial portion of the film through facial expressions alone, conveying fatigue, hatred, fear, pain, confusion, hostility, and emerging self-disgust.
The reviewer observed that watching Jackman's gaze prompts one to wonder what painful events in the actor's own life allowed him to project such convincing, broken darkness and tap into deep reserves of existential dread.
Jodie Comer, the British actress celebrated for her Emmy-winning work in Killing Eve and her performance in Ridley Scott's historical drama The Last Duel, serves as an ideal dramatic partner. Her character Brigid forces a confrontation between human compassion and the unalterable weight of a lifetime of crime.
The reviewer described the dynamic between Jackman and Comer as an emotional game of ping-pong centered on the concept of redemption, noting that by definition there can be no winner. Crucially, the film avoids turning the old killer into a good person simply because death is approaching, emphasizing that repentance cannot erase past atrocities.
Supporting actors Bill Skarsgard, Murray Bartlett, and Faith Delaney receive less screen time but remain effective alongside the central duo. Skarsgard is known for his role as Pennywise in It, while Bartlett won an Emmy for The White Lotus. The review highlighted that surprisingly few acting scenes feel unnecessary or in need of acceleration.
Deconstruction of Outlaw Legend
Sarnoski's approach functions as a thoughtful deconstruction of the Robin Hood legend without descending into cheap horror tropes. Rather than turning a classic children's hero into a mindless slasher, the filmmakers use the familiar figure to examine whether true redemption is possible when a person who committed evil all his life only considers the consequences when no time remains to make amends.
The review noted that at a certain point, The Death of Robin Hood begins to resemble a medieval version of Russian director Pavel Lungin's 2006 film The Island. Where Lungin's acclaimed drama followed a repentant monk seeking forgiveness at an Orthodox monastery, Sarnoski's film centers on an aging outlaw whose guilt stems from a lifetime of misdeeds rather than a single tragic event.
While the directorial style occasionally threatens to act as a heavy sedative and the unrelenting bleakness can work against the drama, the reviewer found it difficult to turn the film off due to the compelling work of Jackman and Comer.
Describing the movie as a bleak winter story best viewed on cold nights when dark long hours prevail, Rossiyskaya Gazeta concluded that while the slow meditation on aging and death may not appeal to viewers expecting traditional archery and adventure, it delivers a powerful impact for those prepared for its somber tone, awarding the film three point five stars out of five.
