The difficulty is that this “Robin Hood” has been misconceived twice over. Director Ridley Scott is a contemporary master of wide screen action entertainment, Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland is coming off a strong showing in “Green Zone” and costars Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, Australians a long way from home, clearly enjoy each other’s company. It’s an especially frustrating problem because the key creative people involved in the film are among the best in the business and their work here is for the most part solid.

The latest version has those elements, but they don’t play out in a way that’s easy to recognize or respond to, and that’s a problem. When you call a movie ' Robin Hood,” you set up expectations: a gallant archer, a maid named Marion, a band of Merry Men, a crusading king and a certain camaraderie in Sherwood Forest.