The Eagle
3/4
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong, Tahar Rahim
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the theatrical version is rated PG-13 for Battle Sequences and Some Disturbing Images
The mystery of the Ninth Legion (correctly labeled as Legio IX Hispana) has fascinated students of history for decades (it was also the focus of Neil Marshall's underrated adventure, "Centurion"). It went to North Britannia and was never seen again. While there are theories about what happened to it, no definitive archaeological evidence exists, and it is unlikely that we will ever know conclusively what happened to the 5,000 soldiers in the legion.
Kevin MacDonald's film, "The Eagle" doesn't attempt to provide the answer. It's based on a work of fiction by Rosemary Sutcliff. Instead, it uses the incident as a jumping off point for an adventure with a roman soldier and his slave.
Marcus Flavius Aquila (Tatum) has just been given command of an outpost in Britannia. He was sent there by choice: his father was the commander of the Ninth Legion, and their Golden Eagle, an important icon for Rome, was lost. As a result, he was branded a coward. Marcus intends on finding it, and when no one wants to send an army to find it, he insists on going alone with Esca (Bell), his slave. But Esca hates Marcus and Rome, and being alone in the middle of wild Britannia means that deadly betrayal is a very real danger for Marcus.
There's nothing particularly original about this film. It's fairly predictable, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The performances by Tatum, who seems to get better with every movie I see him in, and Bell, who is in entirely too few movies these days, are strong, and they work well together. To be quite frank, neither one of their roles is especially well-written (for the first hour, Marcus is the patron saint of doing the right thing without fail), but both actors work hard to give their characters personality, and that saves them from being boring.
They're surrounded by a few other actors, but the film is mostly about them. Donald Sutherland and Denis O'Hare (as Marcus's second in command) do solid work, and Tahar Rahim is a decent villain. Mark Strong is a little flat. But this is all about Marcus and Esca, and no one tries to do any scene-stealing.
The film is directed by Kevin Macdonald, who won an Oscar for "One Day in September," but is probably best known for helming "Touching the Void," which is a much better film. "The Eagle" looks gorgeous; the cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle includes some breathtaking shots of England's country. But it's a little too long (maybe because I watched the unrated version), and perhaps a little too somber. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining movie.
If it comes down to it, "Centurion" is the way to go. It's leaner, meaner and bloodier, and packs a ton of adrenaline. This is slower (the search for the eagle doesn't kick in for about a half hour), but it's still worth seeing.
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong, Tahar Rahim
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the theatrical version is rated PG-13 for Battle Sequences and Some Disturbing Images
The mystery of the Ninth Legion (correctly labeled as Legio IX Hispana) has fascinated students of history for decades (it was also the focus of Neil Marshall's underrated adventure, "Centurion"). It went to North Britannia and was never seen again. While there are theories about what happened to it, no definitive archaeological evidence exists, and it is unlikely that we will ever know conclusively what happened to the 5,000 soldiers in the legion.
Kevin MacDonald's film, "The Eagle" doesn't attempt to provide the answer. It's based on a work of fiction by Rosemary Sutcliff. Instead, it uses the incident as a jumping off point for an adventure with a roman soldier and his slave.
Marcus Flavius Aquila (Tatum) has just been given command of an outpost in Britannia. He was sent there by choice: his father was the commander of the Ninth Legion, and their Golden Eagle, an important icon for Rome, was lost. As a result, he was branded a coward. Marcus intends on finding it, and when no one wants to send an army to find it, he insists on going alone with Esca (Bell), his slave. But Esca hates Marcus and Rome, and being alone in the middle of wild Britannia means that deadly betrayal is a very real danger for Marcus.
There's nothing particularly original about this film. It's fairly predictable, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The performances by Tatum, who seems to get better with every movie I see him in, and Bell, who is in entirely too few movies these days, are strong, and they work well together. To be quite frank, neither one of their roles is especially well-written (for the first hour, Marcus is the patron saint of doing the right thing without fail), but both actors work hard to give their characters personality, and that saves them from being boring.
They're surrounded by a few other actors, but the film is mostly about them. Donald Sutherland and Denis O'Hare (as Marcus's second in command) do solid work, and Tahar Rahim is a decent villain. Mark Strong is a little flat. But this is all about Marcus and Esca, and no one tries to do any scene-stealing.
The film is directed by Kevin Macdonald, who won an Oscar for "One Day in September," but is probably best known for helming "Touching the Void," which is a much better film. "The Eagle" looks gorgeous; the cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle includes some breathtaking shots of England's country. But it's a little too long (maybe because I watched the unrated version), and perhaps a little too somber. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining movie.
If it comes down to it, "Centurion" is the way to go. It's leaner, meaner and bloodier, and packs a ton of adrenaline. This is slower (the search for the eagle doesn't kick in for about a half hour), but it's still worth seeing.
I think you're being far too generous with this film, IMO it's a godawful piece of shit film with terrible directing, boring action scenes, and really poor acting(Tatum and Sutherland look bored stiff here).
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