Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (VHS, 1991)

This film is truly one of the finest in the history of cinema. It provides in equal amounts nail-biting fight scenes, tear-inducing romance, heart-pounding tense drama, and not a little comic relief that so far from being out of place in the drama serve to enhance it.
The only points of the film that diminsh its quality are Kevin Costner trying to fake an English accent and failing miserably, a fact pointed out by Mel Brookes in his spoof Robin Hood Men in Tights. The second is the appearance of Sean Connery in a cameo as King Richard, not unwelcome in its self for he carries the role with great dignity and power, but why a Scotsman with broad Edinburgh accent is playing a monarch whose origins, upbringing and language were French is anyone's guess. However these are truly minor points and they do not detract at all from the sheer majesty of this film.

From Morgan Freeman's wonderful redition of Robin's Moorish companion, displaying a talent for accents that eludes Kevin Costner, to Alan Rickman's outstanding performance as the Sherrif of Nottingham, displaying an ability to portray a character who is simply evil that is fantastic, Alan Rickman, as in every film he does, steals the show.

This film provides wonderful entertainment and it will produce a range of emotions in the viewer that will leave you exhausted and drained mentally. There are times when the tensions becomes almost too much to bear, and the tricky plot-twists will leave you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. A film that deserves pride of place in anyone's film collection, and deserves to be recoginsed as a true classic of cinema the likes of which we so rarely see any more.

The movie is capped off with a superb soundtrack from John Williams, and the opening music gets the andrenlin going before the movie even begins. The film luckily features a mostly English cast, including the wonderful Brian Blessed, and features many lesser English actors. It would have gained 5 stars, but for casting Kevin Costner who, despite being a fine actor, is not suited to the role of an English character. The title role could easily have gone to an English actor, but unfortunately it was not done, otherwise this film could have been as close to perfect as can be done.