The half hour or so first act of Michael Sarnoski‘s surprising new film The Death of Robin Hood basically makes Game of Thrones look like child’s play. In full widescreen dark hellish color palettes we are taken to the Celtic fringe of 1247 AD, where Sarnoski proceeds to destroy any previous cinematic incarnation of the legendary Robin Hood and smash it to bits. You will instantly forget Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Errol Flynn, Mel Brooks — you name it, basically anyone who has presented this man in a heroic way. This is no hero.
In this completely original take, the band of Merry Men are long gone, the bow and arrows are as lethal as an AR-15, and a grizzled, gray-haired, muddied Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) presents himself in the farthest reaches of a battlefield where combatants simply beat each other to death in brutally violent fights. One of those is soon to be Robin Hood, set up for his final moment by a longtime friend, Little John (Bill Skarsgård), who is as down and dirty as they come, a bandit convincing Robin to have a go at it one more time. The conditions here are unimaginable, and Robin is beaten to a pulp before re-emerging at a priory run by Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer), an unexpectedly compassionate woman who takes on the task of bringing Robin back to some semblance of life for what will turn out to be his own final act, a very different one than what he has been living.
Sarnoski, who has impressed with Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One, merges what he has achieved on indie and studio budgets to give us a Robin Hood who robbed and stole, a wicked thief and not a person with any visible redeemable qualities — a wreck of a human being who takes no prisoners. Whatever decency he might have had is not apparent, not even a remnant. This is a man with a scorched-earth soul, that is until Sister Brigid opens the door to understanding who he was, could become, and to rescue any ounce of humanity within. Robin Hood, in this very meditative state, reflects on the past, regrets, but also what may still be there in his dying days — a path to redemption as a person who can find empathy, almost relearning what it is to be vibrantly alive.
Into this world he is befriended by a virtually mummified-looking Leper (Murray Bartlett) and the bright light of a young girl Little Margaret (a wonderful Faith Delaney), and even a young man named Arthur (Noah Jupe) in over his head as he enters this place of peace with a blood lust against Robin in revenge for his family. It becomes more complicated for him.
This all — no spoiler alert, as the film’s name indicates — is the end of the road of a legend who knows he does not deserve the title or honor, who is the polar opposite of what Hollywood and literature has told us for decades is a hero leading all those merry men, robbing from the rich, giving to the poor. This Robin Hood had no good attributes that we can see, until Sister Brigid helps him to unlock his soul.
It is a remarkable and demanding journey to watch the essential ressurection of a man who has been wallowing in the mud, and finally seeing the light, coming to terms with himself as he takes his last breaths. In Jackman’s hands we can see the transition, but also earlier the unforgivable acts of evil. There are no apologies, at least in Sarnoski’s scenario, inspired by a 17th century ballad that painted a different picture of this man and his final days.
Jackman has probably never had to completely disappear into a role quite like this one before and he is game to do it all the way, a performance we have not seen him give and one that’s hard to shake off. Comer is the perfect counterpoint, a reinvention of a character who was said to be truly horrific in past versions, but here is a woman of great understanding and wisdom nursing Robin Hood back from the brink and giving him an end moment of grace. The rest of the cast goes for it, particularly Skarsgård who likes to disappear into roles like Nosferatu and Pennywise, and here does the same, as does Bartlett (The White Lotus, End of Days) who manages to show a human being behind miles of bandages.
A major star here is the stuning cinematography of Pat Scola, from the opening darkly lit and foreboding widescreen images of senseless, unrelenting battles to a more narrow aspect ratio for the light and warmth of renewal at the priory to even more darkness as the inevitable moments arrive. David Lee’s production design is also right on point, taking Northern Ireland locations and putting us front and center in the 13th century. Impressive also is the score from Tony Lewis and folk singer Jim Ghedi, including the uniquely haunting vocals from the latter.
Beware, this may be the most demanding Robin Hood you will ever encounter, but at the same time it may also just be the most honest. Sarnoski, intentionally trying to disturb the viewer, takes us to the depths of humanity only to bring us back from the brink. It is the death of Robin Hood, but the birth of a new way at looking at an iconic and legendary character, a myth reinvented through a new lens.
Producers are Aaron Ryder, Andrew Sweet, Alexander Black and Jackman.
Title: The Death of Robin Hood
Distributor: A24 Films
Release date: June 19, 2026
Director-screenwriter: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Bill Skarsgard, Jodie Comer, Murray Bartlett, Faith Delaney, Noah Jupe
Rating: R
Running time: 2 hr 3 mins
