Thirty-five years ago, two films about the legendary outlaw Robin Hood clashed in cinemas. While Kevin Costner's big-budget Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves dominated the box office, a grittier British version titled simply Robin Hood fought for attention. Directed by John Irvin, now 85, and starring Patrick Bergin as Robin and a pre-Pulp Fiction Uma Thurman as Maid Marian, the film was conceived as a direct counter to Costner's Americanised take.
"It was very much a stand-alone film with the aim of giving Kevin Costner's version a good kicking if we could," Irvin recalls. The studio rushed production to pre-empt Costner's release. Ironically, the rival film might never have existed without Costner's project. Before becoming chair of 20th Century Fox in 1989, Joe Roth had developed a Robin Hood movie. When Warner Bros picked it up as Prince of Thieves, Roth quickly greenlit a competing film, drafting Irvin after his success with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Filming began in October 1990 at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, nearby salt mines, and Gwynedd in north Wales. The winter setting stripped the forest bare, forcing creative solutions. "All the trees were bare, so nobody could hide and ambush people," Irvin says. The salt mines provided an underground lair, lending a gritty realism. Irvin infused the film with anti-Thatcher sentiment, reflecting contemporary poll tax protests. "It was subversive, but in a very, I hope, subtle and nuanced way."
The plot follows Bergin's Robin challenging Norman rule, opposed by Jeroen Krabbé and Jürgen Prochnow, the latter vying for Maid Marian's affections. Bergin, who also starred in Sleeping with the Enemy that year, battled chronic colitis during the shoot. "He was so ill that we had to use doubles a lot of the time," Irvin says. "We couldn't let the studio know because he hadn't declared his problem on his insurance form." Despite this, Irvin praises Bergin's performance, expressing surprise he didn't achieve Liam Neeson-level fame.
Uma Thurman, then 20 and known for Dangerous Liaisons, was cast after being considered for Prince of Thieves. Irvin recalls her then-husband Gary Oldman "lurking in the shadows" on set. The film released internationally but premiered in the US as a three-hour TV movie in May 1991. Critics received it warmly, but Costner's blockbuster, earning nearly $400 million worldwide, overwhelmed it. Irvin remembers a Warner Bros executive saying, "Well, you got the reviews, but we got the audiences."
Reflecting on the film's legacy, Irvin believes it holds up well. "The story of Robin Hood seems to be woven into our national psyche. When there's a sense of oppression, it's good to have a saviour like Robin Hood, who's going to give two fingers to the establishment."
