“Bollocks” was Crowe’s face-to-face response to one critic who denigrated his performance in this romantic historical saga that—in a lengthy, imaginative, condensed, and much rounded telling of the complex two decades of English history between Richard’s death (1199) and John’s repudiation of the Magna Carta (c. 1216)—sets the background lead-up to Robin Longstride (AKA Sir Robert Loxley of Nottingham) becoming the outlaw Robin Hood together with his “merry men” and Lady Marian in Sherwood Forest.

Medievalist critics of the movie probably wouldn’t be satisfied unless all the actors spoke Middle English (that would have required Modern English subtitles throughout) and the movie lost all traces of nationalistic romance in minutia contributing nothing but boredom to the tale.

Yes, the movie avails itself of considerable cinematic/poetic license, molding historical events to suit a dramatic yet comprehensible outcome. But a more complex telling of this history would require far more than two and one-half hours (unrated director’s cut) that probably already taxes most viewers’ capacity to remain seated. BTW, I strongly recommend viewing the longer director’s cut that’s available on the DVD as the shorter theatrical version leaves out some significant details that enrich and facilitate understanding.