An unfortunate part of growing up is uncovering the truth that the adventures of many of your childhood heroes did not lead them to living out the rest of their days under sunshine and rainbows. No, they almost all exclusively became sad and embittered, with years of fighting corrupting their once optimistic morals. Luke Skywalker exiled himself and believed that the Jedi Order should end with him in The Last Jedi, Daniel Craig’s later James Bond films reckoned with his mortality in a modern world, and Rocky Balboa lived alone in the Creed films.

No actor has capitalized on this trend better than Hugh Jackman. At the time, his seemingly final performance as The Wolverine in Logan was a fitting conclusion to the character. Blending both the history of the character with that of a Western, director James Mangold and Jackman examined the shattering consequences of what it means to be a hero. Visceral action and a touching story made it not just one of the best comic-book films of all time, but an altogether poignant human drama.

Jackman’s scars may have healed while playing the adamantium-infused Logan throughout the years, but they do not in The Death of Robin Hood. Looking as grizzled as the famed comic book character, the body of the Prince of Outlaws tells a life full of violence without mercy, serving as the only way to separate fact from fiction. Like Batman, everyone in 1281 has a story about Robin Hood. Some say he killed hundreds for the fun of it, the charity work being an unintended benefit that covered for his many sins. Others say he died years ago, a victim of revenge from one of the many who would seek it.

In the frozen, windswept steppes of England, a death for his crimes would be the preferred choice by Robin. Instead, his superior fighting skills against his mostly peasant opponents force him to endure living with his regrets and increasingly decaying body. Eventually, he nearly meets his maker, becoming mortally wounded when he becomes embroiled in a revenge plot along with his longtime sidekick, Little John (Bill Skarsgård), who murdered a man and stole his identity to have a family. 

The first act of The Death of Robin Hood is as brutal and violent as a movie can be. Slashed throats spew with blood, heads are smashed in with rocks, arrows pierce flesh, and bones are bludgeoned. Reminiscent of Justin Kurzel’s 2015 adaptation of Macbeth, writer/director Michael Sarnoski paints everything with fire and brimstone, letting the blood flow heavily on already-soaked fields. PTSD is heavily implied for Robin, with his sunken eyes, scraggly beard, and weathered face constantly being captured in close-ups.

Unluckily for Robin, he is saved from death by the prioress Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). On her island, she runs an orphanage (not for gifted mutants, like Charles Xavier), taking in the young and decrepit. Robin fits closer to the latter, although the adoptive daughter of Little John is also on the island. Although feral to everyone else, she takes a liking to Robin, and he finds a comforting innocence in her.

Sarnoski made his feature debut in 2021 with Pig, a brilliant subversion of revenge actioners that featured a mesmerizing performance from Nicolas Cage. Next came A Quiet Place: Day One, a director-for-hire job that netted him some nice box office points. As much as A24 sunk into this production, they’re unlikely to see much of it back. Once on the orphanage island, this story slows to a crawl. Conversations about the nature of legacy and the cycle of violence make up most of the runtime, each of them placed and delivered in an increasingly predictable manner. Thanks to its top-notch technical merits, such as Pat Scola’s 35mm cinematography or the period-accurate hair and makeup, the whole endeavor never fully becomes boring (although it does threaten that on multiple occasions).

Jackman is obviously game for the part, but that also means there’s hardly anything surprising about his performance. Comer is compelling in a limited role, as is Murray Bartlett as a leper who opens his heart as he must constantly be bandaged up. Robin Hood has been many things over the years. For as much as this tries to recontextualize his legend, I don’t think it’s successful enough as a piece of entertainment to make a real difference.

A24 will release The Death of Robin Hood in theaters nationwide on June 19th.