MOVIES: Ridley Scott's Hits And Misses: Where Does Robin Hood Fall?

The early word on Ridley Scott’s version of “Robin Hood,” starring his favorite actor Russell Crowe, is mixed. Metacritic gives the film a 62, and Rotten Tomatoes rates it at only 44%. The New York Times praises the film’s cast and impressive set pieces, but bemoans the film’s flat, self-serious tone. A.O. Scott writes, “This Robin is no socialist bandit practicing freelance wealth redistribution, but rather a manly libertarian rebel striking out against high taxes and a big government scheme to trample the ancient liberties of property owners and provincial nobles…So is “Robin Hood” one big medieval tea party? Kind of, though that description makes the movie sound both more fun and more provocative than it actually is.”

Be on the watch for lots of tea party/Robin Hood cross referencing in weeks to come...

Here’s a look at the earlier, less impressive work of stars Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and director Ridley Scott.

WATCH Proof Of Life

Russell Crowe burst onto the scene with his performance in “Romper Stomper” and went on to win an Oscar for “Gladiator,” directed by Ridley Scott. Crowe also starred in “Proof of Life,” which not only tanked at the box-office, but also led to an (alleged) on-set romance with co-star Meg Ryan, effectively ending her marriage to Dennis Quaid and miring her in an image-changing scandal from which she never quite recovered.

After getting an Oscar nomination for her work in “Elizabeth,” Cate Blanchett chose to star with Billy Bob Thornton in “Pushing Tin.” There were no Oscar nominations for this one.

WATCH Pushing Tin

Early in his career, director Ridley Scott had one of the most astonishing one-two punches in modern cinema history, with the back-to-back releases of “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” He broke his own streak with “Legend,” featuring a badly miscast Tom Cruise and lots of unicorns.

WATCH Legend

WATCH Robin Hood