The consensus leans positive, with substantial reservations about this sombre revision of the Robin Hood legend. Praise centres on Hugh Jackman’s haunted portrayal of a violent outlaw confronting his past, while Jodie Comer earns recognition for bringing warmth to the drama. The more favourable reviews find sensitivity in the treatment of guilt and redemption, alongside a willingness to question the familiar hero. Rural scenery and carefully composed images also draw praise, even when the storytelling proves less persuasive.
The divide is wide over whether the brooding produces emotional depth or merely slows the film down. Variety admires the craft and performances but finds the tone persistently dour and the character arc slight. The Telegraph is much less forgiving, citing a lack of plot and engaging storytelling. The Hollywood Reporter likewise finds tedium rather than profundity, making clear that the central performance is not universally admired.
E
Empire
1 September 2026 · Al Horner
80*
The critic praises the film's shift from brutal violence to a tender, introspective drama about a violent outlaw confronting his conscience and finding unexpected humanity. Sarnoski is singled out for coaxing tender performances and capturing rural beauty in a poignant meditation on myth and violence.
Read the full review →T
Time Out
12 June 2026 · ★★★★ · Ian Freer
80
The film offers a bold, brutal yet sensitive reimagining of the Robin Hood legend as a complex, morally ambiguous figure. It singles out Hugh Jackman’s performance as one of the best of his career for etching a man reckoning with his past evils.
Read the full review →S
Slant Magazine
11 June 2026 · ★★★/4
75
The film is a tough character drama that brings the legend down to earth as a mournfully humanist revisionist tale. It focuses on reconciling past wrongs and the possibility of absolution through a battleworn Robin who bears no resemblance to the cultural myth.
Read the full review →F
Financial Times
3 September 2026 · Danny Leigh
70*
The critic sees a thoughtful revisionist drama that recasts Robin as a murderous bandit seeking redemption, praising its provocative approach to myth and history while noting it ultimately can't fully let go of the legend.
Read the full review →R
Radio Times
1 September 2026 · ★★★ · Terry Staunton
60
This sombre, pensive take on the outlaw’s final days delivers a wordy drama focused on morality and consequences rather than action. It singles out the strong central performances by Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer and the lush cinematography of the priory settings.
Read the full review →A
The AV Club
11 June 2026 · C · Jacob Oller
57
The film shares a jaded disillusionment with myth but stays on the surface in its grimdark revisionist folktale. It limps through dull, sludgy drama focused on a sad old man wishing for death, with only fleeting moments of optimism from supporting characters.
Read the full review →The critic finds the revisionist take conceptually intriguing but ultimately unsuccessful, praising craft but noting it struggles with tone and emotional depth.
Read the full review →The review finds the film rich in atmosphere but hampered by an excessively brooding approach that makes it feel uninspired and overly familiar. It singles out the realistic, violent portrait of an ageing, disillusioned Robin Hood grappling with his sins.
Read the full review →T
The Telegraph
4 September 2026
30*
The critic finds the film gruelling and no fun, criticising its grim tone, lack of plot, and failure to deliver engaging storytelling despite the source material.
Read the full review →R
RogerEbert.com
15 June 2026 · Brandon David Wilson
The film subverts expectations of a Robin Hood story in the manner of Sarnoski's Pig, offering an Unforgiven-like character study of an aged, violent outlaw reckoning with his past. Jackman's performance as a haunted figure seeking a form of redemption is singled out as one of the most interesting takes on the character.
Read the full review →H
The Hollywood Reporter
11 June 2026 · Frank Scheck
The critic finds the revisionist take on Robin Hood a tedious slog that fails to deliver profundity or interest despite its premise of a murderous antihero. Sarnoski's dour, humorless approach and Jackman's grizzled performance are singled out as off-putting and unengaging.
Read the full review →V
Variety
11 June 2026 · Guy Lodge
Sarnoski's revisionist take is exquisitely crafted and emotionally intelligent in its myth-busting and moral reckoning, returning to the intimate melancholic style of Pig with strong performances from Jackman and Comer. The consistently dour, one-note tone and slender character arc are noted as drawbacks.
Read the full review →The critic sees the film as pushing nihilism to extremes in a brutal, serial-killer version of the aging Robin, beyond mere regret. Sarnoski's artful bleak visuals and shift to a priory setting with philosophical elements are highlighted amid the grotesque violence.
Read the full review →D
Deadline
11 June 2026 · Pete Hammond
85*
The critic praises Sarnoski's brutal, original take that deconstructs the Robin Hood myth, highlighting Jackman's transformative performance and the film's honest, meditative journey toward redemption. They single out the stunning cinematography and the way it reinvents the legend through a new lens.
Read the full review →The critic finds the film a smart, somber deconstruction of the Robin Hood myth and action heroes in general, praising Jackman's excellent lead performance while noting it makes a valid point but isn't as impactful as Sarnoski's prior works. They single out the mature handling of violence and atonement.
Read the full review →/
/Film
11 June 2026 · 7/10 · Chris Evangelista
70
The critic finds Sarnoski's film a violent, mournful deconstruction of the Robin Hood myth that evokes unexpected sadness through its focus on regret and legacy. They single out the reflective second half's exploration of the cycle of violence and Jackman's haunted performance for praise.
Read the full review →D
Den of Geek
11 June 2026 · 4 out of 5 · David Crow
The film is a straightforward character study of an older, flawed Robin Hood that blends extreme medieval violence with a quiet sense of grace and redemption. It singles out Hugh Jackman's charismatic yet challenging performance and Jodie Comer's warm, empathetic portrayal of Sister Brigid as the true emotional core.
Read the full review →Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate