5 Dark Robin Hood Movies to Watch After The Death of Robin Hood

It seems every decade demands at least one gritty live-action interpretation of the Robin Hood legend. Recent examples include Russell Crowe and Taron Egerton taking on the outlaw, and now writer-director Michael Sarnoski has offered the latest version of this remarkably durable myth with “The Death of Robin Hood.”

The film follows an older, exhausted Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) who has withdrawn to the hills and appears ready to die in solitude. A reunion with Little John (Bill Skarsgard) changes that plan, but Robin is soon left mortally wounded and forced to seek refuge on an isolated island inhabited by nuns. After recovering, he awakens in unfamiliar surroundings where no one knows his name or his history.

The island may give Robin an opportunity to build a new life and offset some of the violence he once inflicted, but his bloody past cannot remain buried forever. “The Death of Robin Hood” centers on a man caught between the person he was and the life he might still create. Naturally, the 2026 film is likely to send viewers back through cinema history in search of similar stories. For anyone looking for companion viewing, these five pre-2026 films offer compelling connections to Sarnoski’s bleak Robin Hood reimagining.

For many viewers, the most obvious follow-up to “The Death of Robin Hood” will be “Logan.” Like Sarnoski’s film, this 2017 Hugh Jackman vehicle presents an aging version of a familiar genre hero confronting mortality and the consequences of his legacy. The parallels are so strong that “Logan” feels like a natural companion piece—and sometimes the obvious recommendation is also the right one.

At the same time, the story of a battered, aging Logan trying to protect the young mutant X-23 (Dafne Keen) gives the film a distinct identity. Where “The Death of Robin Hood” draws substantially from the traditions of European art cinema, “Logan” leans into Westerns and road movies. Its violence also continues throughout the runtime, unlike “Robin Hood,” which largely concentrates its brutality in the first act. Performances from Keen and Patrick Stewart, both playing iconic comic-book characters, further separate “Logan” from Sarnoski’s film.

Even without “The Death of Robin Hood” as a point of comparison, “Logan” remains a powerful film in its own right and is widely regarded as one of the finest superhero movies ever made.

Several years before “The Death of Robin Hood,” Michael Sarnoski made his feature debut with 2021’s “Pig.” The film arrived as a striking creative breakthrough from a director whose previous work consisted primarily of shorts and television episodes. Nicolas Cage plays an isolated truffle hunter and former chef whose beloved pig is kidnapped one night, prompting him to return to civilization and confront both the people from his past and the life he abandoned.

That setup might suggest a loud revenge thriller, but Sarnoski instead makes “Pig” quiet, melancholy, and deeply reflective. It is less interested in retaliation than in examining the things that give life meaning, from friendship to the connections people form over food. Cage is extraordinary as the haunted, withdrawn Robin Feld, delivering one of his finest performances. Even in silence, he gives the character an ache that is impossible to ignore.

That understated emotional power reflects the atmosphere Sarnoski creates throughout “Pig.” Its mournful, intimate tone makes it an especially impressive beginning to his feature-film career.

Robert Eggers pushed his fascination with meticulously crafted, grimy period films to an even grander scale with April 2022’s “The Northman.” The film brings a Viking legend to life while showcasing the director’s intense commitment to historical atmosphere and visual detail. Beneath its archaic dialogue and imposing style, however, “The Northman” is fundamentally a classic revenge story. After Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) witnesses the destruction of his village and the murder of his father by the villainous Fjolnir (Claes Bang), he spends decades preparing to strike back. With help from Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), he finally gets the opportunity to unleash that long-nursed vengeance.

Fans of “The Death of Robin Hood” will likely appreciate “The Northman” for its R-rated intensity, breathtaking European landscapes, and ancient, mud-caked visual style. But anyone seeking a more relentlessly aggressive alternative to the quieter passages of “Robin Hood” will find plenty to enjoy. The film delivers steady, bone-crunching violence, strange and memorable detours, striking period costumes, impressive production design, and committed performances from its ensemble.

“The Northman” works not only as a fitting companion to “The Death of Robin Hood,” but also as the film that marked Robert Eggers’ expansion into a larger filmmaking arena. It remains a pivotal—and thoroughly entertaining—chapter in his career.

While promoting “The Death of Robin Hood,” Michael Sarnoski told Letterboxd about 10 films that influenced his contemplative take on the legend. Several choices were easy to anticipate, including Disney’s 1973 “Robin Hood,” “The Revenant,” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” One selection, however, stood out as unexpected: “Phantom Thread.”

At first glance, Paul Thomas Anderson’s darkly comic drama about the volatile power dynamic between dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and a younger woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), may seem far removed from Sarnoski’s bleak Robin Hood story. A closer look reveals more overlap than expected.

Anderson’s carefully composed cinematography may have helped inspire the ornate imagery created by “The Death of Robin Hood” cinematographer Pat Scola. The shifting relationship between a man and a woman in “Phantom Thread” also echoes a central subplot involving Robin Hood and Sister Brigid, played by Jodie Comer. Most importantly, both films represent highly specific artistic visions. Neither is designed to satisfy every viewer, and that uncompromising quality is part of their appeal.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson Sarnoski drew from one of Daniel Day-Lewis’ finest films is that a movie does not need universal approval. Sometimes it simply needs to follow its own creative instincts.

Ingmar Bergman remains one of cinema’s most influential filmmakers, a reputation confirmed by the countless modern movies that draw from his work. His influence can be felt everywhere from “Muppets Most Wanted” to “Synecdoche, New York,” among many other films.

Of Bergman’s many achievements—including one of the 10 best road-trip movies ever made—his 1957 classic “The Seventh Seal” may be the most celebrated. The existential drama follows Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), a knight who has survived the Crusades and returns to a land devastated by the Black Death. As he wrestles with difficult questions about God and existence, he searches for meaning in a world consumed by suffering.

Death itself, personified by Bengt Ekerot, follows Block and his unexpected companions throughout “The Seventh Seal.” The weary soldier tries to accomplish something worthwhile before the Grim Reaper claims him. Bergman’s film is unflinching in its portrayal of humanity’s darkest realities and its examination of the questions that haunt us all. Like “The Death of Robin Hood,” it focuses on a tormented protagonist who has spent much of his life surrounded by violence and understands that his time is running out.

One way to describe “The Death of Robin Hood” is as a gritty Robin Hood story filtered through the lens of a Bergman film. Anyone drawn to the movie’s meditative, sorrowful passages should make “The Seventh Seal” a priority—and explore more of Bergman’s work afterward.