Film Review | Robin and the 7 Hoods

Released: 1964
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Barbara Rush, Peter Falk
Director: Gordon Douglas
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Rated: Approved (UK – U)

“Like we’ve taken the Robin Hood legend and changed the bows and arrows to machine guns! … Like with songs yet! … Like WILD!”

A campy, tongue-in-cheek gangster musical with the Rat Pack in the lead positions. Robin and the 7 Hoods contains some great songs, good laughs and an enjoyable time for audience members.

Robbo (Frank Sinatra; From Here to Eternity, Ocean’s 11) returns to Chicago after a business trip to New Orleans to find out his mentor and boss, Big Jim (uncredited Edward G. Robinson; Little Caesar, Key Largo), has been killed in a hit. The organizer of the hit, Guy Gisborne (Peter Falk; The Cheap Detective, The Princess Bride), has taken over as the new boss of all the rackets in Chicago except for Robbo’s. While Gisborne and Robbo try and take each other down, another competitor is introduced into the fray in the form of Big Jim’s daughter Marian Stevens (Barbara Rush; The Young Philadelphians, Hombre). At about the same time, Robbo unknowingly donates a large sum of money to a local orphanage. It is reported in the papers and Robbo becomes a celebrity gangster and is called the modern Robin Hood. He decides to build charities with some of his ill-gotten gains while trying to keep his business away from Gisborne.

First thing I have to talk about is the music. Robin and the 7 Hoods has the classic crooners from the Rat Pack including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. It also has Bing Crosby in one of his later film roles. Each not only performs a solo song, but duets and group songs are all through the movie. There are a few songs that fall a bit flat (you probably won’t find yourself singing to Peter Falk’s All for One and One for All from the beginning of the film), but a lot are very catchy. Some of my personal favorites are Bang! Bang!, Style, Don’t be a Do Badder.

Sammy Davis Jr.’s performance of Bang! Bang! is probably the best musical part of the film. Not only is the song catchy, his movement and dancing, while he is singing, is entertaining and engrossing to watch. He really used all the space he was given. Frank Sinatra sang his song My Kinda Town beautifully. Bing Crosby was 61 when filming this movie and you can see his age in his movements and hear it in his voice, but he still gives a humorous performance and sings his song Don’t be a Do Badder wonderfully.

The costume designs are flashy and classy, but have a similar feel to a stage production of Guys and Dolls with each character walking around in brightly colored vests, ties, and sometimes even suits. Even the lowest gangster seems pretty well off. This doesn’t put me off from the film, and the bright colors increase the light-hearted feel of the movie. Sets were well construction and a scene involving a transforming room was impressive and fun to watch (if impractical).

Robin and the 7 Hoods story was cohesive if a bit thin. The dialogue contained a good amount of comedy paired with everyone’s over-the-top gangster lingo. The relationships between the characters were established quickly and carried throughout the movie. For a movie involving criminals, it is very tame with most violent action taking place off camera. There are a few scenes and (one song) involving gunfire, but it is never directed at a person.

Everyone’s performances were well done. Their acting gives the appearance of a relaxed working environment. This was not the case, especially with Frank Sinatra. At the time of filming, President John F. Kennedy (who was a friend of Frank Sinatra’s) was assassinated and a little time later Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped. Imagining how much outside forces could have affected his performance, I have to say he does very well here and I am surprised that the film was able to be completed.

Almost all the cast of Robin and the 7 Hoods had had years of acting experience by the time this film was made and it shows. They all made the comedy, story, and music all seem so natural that you don’t really question why these gangsters like to sing so much. There is chemistry between each and every character. It probably helped that half of them were friends outside of the film.

The film was released on DVD multiple times, I was able to grab a copy of the 2001 Warner Bros. standalone release. This contains a behind-the-scenes featurette called “What They Did to Robin Hood”, audio commentary from Frank Sinatra Jr., movie trailer, and some cast bios. The Blu-Ray version contains these and some Warner Bros. cartoons about Robin Hood including Robin Hood Makes Good and Robin Hood Daffy. For a film with some of the top stars of their time, I am surprised at the lack of any real substance for the film. However with all the stuff happening outside of production maybe it is understandable. Still, you can pick up any version of this film and have a great time watching it over and over again.

Robin and the 7 Hoods may not be the best musical or the best comedy out there, but it is still a fun and enjoyable film to watch. Maybe a few days later you will find yourself humming a tune from it. You may journey back and watch it again and suddenly you know all the words to your favorite songs. So pop it into your player, take off your wing-tipped shoes and fedora, relax on your couch, and save me some popcorn!