Someone told me that, in her humble opinion, Robin betrayed his pitch at redemptive sincerity during the end of Michael Sarnoski's The Death of Robin Hood. He did this, she claimed, when he informed Little Margaret how he and her father, Little John, met. Now, it's up to interpretation whether this sentimental encounter (carried by popular myth) even occurred in the context of the movie's reality, but it's clear that Hugh Jackman's bandit-bowman wanted the lass to embrace the uplifting account. Whether it's true doesn't matter since, by simple implication, it's designed to inspire her to make proper pacts and do righteous deeds, in the manner of Robin's accepted legend.
I don't have a problem with that, since the traditional tale (popularized ever further by writer/illustrator Howard Pyle) defines right from wrong, good from bad. (It doesn't switch the variables for some nefarious ruse.) What irks me are those lurking within Sarnoski's movie who might know the unsavory truth but find it fine as it stands.
The Death of Robin Hood, therefore, mirrors the modern practice of elevating miscreants to an ungodly fault. With this comparative observation, the movie acts as a warning, thanks to its flipside characterization.
By habit, pompous pundits tend to blur the lines regarding bad acts, but even that practice is growing less common. Bad is bad, and that's good, or so the cretins proclaim, which again, I must stress, is the point of Sarnoski's experimental revision. (And I might add, this precise point, whether spurred by accident or plan, goes against the muddy perceptions of The Boys, Gen V and Preacher, which make it seem there's little or no distinction between the extremes: utter malarkey if ever there was. At least The Death of Robin Hood has the damn decency to draw a line in the sand.)
Some stories are open for interpretation. The Death of Robin Hood is one, and I've offered my estimation of its goal. I do believe my assessment is sound, based on the movie's pensive progression and the examples (the entitled brutality) it presents. Robin's recollection of Little John, as relayed to Little Margaret, doesn't contradict or ignore this; if anything, it reinforces (rather than merges) the great divide. Feel free to disagree, but until someone can convince me otherwise, I see no cause to purge my view.
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