Movie Review: The Son of Robin Hood (1958)
Synopsis: Ten years after Robin Hood's death, Little John and the rest of the Merry Men continue to live as outlaws in the woods, fighting against Duke Des Roches, who looks to usurp the throne of England. Lacking leadership and with a traitor within their ranks, the only hope for the Merry Men is Deering, Robin Hood's son. Only Deering isn't a son, she's a daughter. So, knowing the men won't follow a woman, Little John convinces the mysterious Jamie, recently returned from the Crusades, to pose as Deering instead.
Who's in it? The movie stars June Laverick, David Hedison, David Farrar, Marius Goring, and Delphi Lawrence.
Review: I've had The Son of Robin Hood in my movie library for a couple weeks and finally got around to watching it this morning. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the film because every description I read seemed to be written by someone who hadn't bothered to watch it first. Overall, I think it turned out to be better than I was expecting.
The film has an intriguing story that mixes familiar Robin Hood characters, like Little John (George Woodbridge) with newer faces and villains. The main plot, which mostly focused on Jamie (Hedison) and Deering (Laverick) infiltrating the duke's (Farrar) castle in an attempt to figure out who is selling out the Merry Men, was unique and offered several challenges for the heroes.
Des Roches also turned out to be a halfway decent villain, with a good mix of sadism and cunning. Movies like this only go as far as the main bad guy takes them and I liked how there was a formidable opponent.
I also thought the duke's sister, Sylvia (Lawrence), was a nice wild card because of her attraction to Jamie. It was unclear if she would end up being an ally or, because Jamie had feelings for Deering, would end up betraying the duo.
There is also a nice mix of action throughout the film, with multiple small skirmishes leading up to the final battle. This kept the main plot from getting too dull and kept the movie watchable throughout.
My biggest complaint about the movie is the decision to make Deering (the real one) more of a secondary character. It was still an OK film but considering she had many of her father's skills, both with a sword and a bow, it would have been nice to see her do more than just pose as Jamie's wife and fall in love with him. At minimum, she should have been allowed to be the one to fight the Des Roche at the end.
Final Opinion: The movie was entertaining to watch. I am just disappointed it didn't attempt to do more as far as Robin Hood's daughter was concerned.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other classic action movies:
Movie Review: Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954)
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