Now, I haven't seen that many Robin Hood movies at all (actually, I've only seen two: the superior animated Disney version and Kevin Costner's rather boring "Prince of Thieves") but that isn't even necessary to notice this is a pretty good and unjustly obscure version about the legendary English folklore hero. This is the first of at least three Robin Hood movies produced by the awesome Hammer Studios – coincidentally also their very first film in color – and I'm ready to check them all out if they're as entertaining as "The Men of Sherwood Forest". The story is fast-paced, full of ecstatic characters and vivid adventure and steadily directed by the ever reliable Val Guest. He can pretty much be considered as Hammer's second best director, right behind Terence Fisher who incidentally also directed one of the other Hammer Robin Hood flicks, namely "Swords of Sherwood Forest" starring Peter Cushing and Oliver Reed. This earlier and obviously low-budgeted gem doesn't tell the conventional Robin Hood fable, but an entirely new one that hardly involves any looting, corrupt Sheriffs of Nottingham or Maid Marians. Robin and his loyal gang, including Little John and Friar Tuck, learn that the one true king of England – Richard Lionheart – will soon return home after being in prisoner in Germany. Eminent accomplices of his malignant brother Prince John intend to assassinate King Richard on his way home and put the blame on Robin Hood and his gang, but naturally the jolly hero in green is always several steps ahead of them. Don Taylor is really excellent in the role of Robin Hood. He's the ideally handsome, charismatic and heroic performer you'd expect. Taylor retired from acting in the mid 60's already, but became a respectable director and made some really cool genre films like "The Island of Dr. Moreau", "Damien: The Omen II" and "Escape from the Planet of the Apes". The one person to steal the show completely is Reginald Beckwith as Friar Tuck. He escapes from every perilous situation by luring his opponents into various sorts of gambling schemes. Undemanding, light-headed 50's entertainment for the whole family.
