In this take on history, evil King John resumes his old ways following the death of Richard the Lionheart. His plan is to retain his power by importing Continental mercenaries and paying them through his old ploy: oppressive taxation. King John first attempts to kill the son of longtime nemesis, Robin Hood. His henchmen fix a faulty protective cap to the Flemish Knight's lance, who has challenged Robin, the Earl of Huntingdon, to a joust. Surviving the lance attack, he challenges the Flemish Knight to joust without using protective devices, successfully impaling his opponent.
Having returned from the Crusades, Robin and Little John once again recruit the now aging Merrie Men, who wage a successful guerrilla-type war throughout the realm. They cleverly use intelligence provided by messages attached to Lady Marianne's carrier pigeons to aid them in their successful campaign to defeat King John.
The film was known as Swords of Sherwood Forrest.[2] The movie was essentially a remake of The Bandit of Sherwood Forest and was Derek's first lead.[3]
Leonard Maltin wrote: "Despite good production and fair cast, pretty limp".[6]DVD Talk found it "a good programmer that makes a decent family film for a rainy Sunday afternoon, or anytime for classic film fans. Highly recommended".[7]
