funny how people tend to assume that and when two movie on the same subject be release compete with each other and one of them have to be the good one . it happen in 1998 with armageddon and deep impact and it happen in 1992 with christopher columbus represent the discovery and 1492 represent conquest of paradise and and it happen in 1991 with robin hood represent prince of thief and this one . in all the aforementioned case the second item of each couple be consider the good one . well and in my opinion and if the first half of these couple suck marginally bad and the second half be also all bad . and this robin hood be no exception . have be cut from a longer print ( which it show ) and adapt for tv and this look every bit of a tv movie it ultimately be and with unremarkable cinematography and choppy editing . and where do all the comment about it supposed seriousness and realism come from . this be just a silly and cheesy a prince of thief and if only a bit less showy thanks to the low budget . i have read director john irvin be offer to remake the errol flynn classic and he turn it down unless he be allow to do a more true to the fact and historically accurate version . if so and why be this one so tributary to flynn ( much more so than the costner ) and specially towards the end . even the look of the main character be quite flynn like and complete with ( horrible modern look ) mustache . nothing that suggest a middle age look . and the acting . say what you like about prince of thief and which will be all true . but at least that one have morgan freeman and alan rickman . the actor in this one and with the exception of jürgen prochnow ( who isn not that great either and just merely adequate ) and not count the great edward fox since he waste in a pointless cameo and be all horrible . patrick bergin be always as dull a it get and and here no exception . uma . this could very well be her bad performance this side of batman plus robin and but to be fair and the script doesn not help her by write marian a a woman of the 1990s . but the bad offender be the ever hammy jeroen krabbé and who do nothing but kicking and screaming and embarrass himself . ok and the write isn not a horrible here a in the costner and but it come fairly close . the only bright spot be clever idea like the mocking of the relic of saint ( show them a they really be ) and a disguised marian discover the ambush via the story robin be tell her and and the fact that the boy decide to share with the poor a a way to outdo the reward the villain be offer for robin capture . nice touch in an otherwise garbage script full of plot hole ( how to justify robert hode name change to robin hood . they do not bother ) and very poor in character development and even the basic kind ( the chief of the band of thief appear to be little john and yet suddenly it robin . why . ) . negative . stick to flynn .