The Eagle (2011) User Reviews

A gritty, solid, terrificly entertaining film made by a director who knows what he is doing

[dvc5159 · 6/10 · 25 March 2011]

"The Eagle" is another fine film in the sword-and-sandal genre. It has great action sequences, some fine heroic traits like bravery and courage, and great performances by Channing Tatum (surprisingly), Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland and other good supporting players. It is history and fiction, yet it is rousing in every sense.

No, it is not as excellent and violent/bloody as "Gladiator". Everyone is quick to make comparisons. But it is still very good, and for a PG-13 movie, it has quite some bloody scenes, as a very stark and bleak atmosphere throughout, with a strong sense of unpredictability running throughout the film thanks to very talented director Kevin Macdonald. This is one of the movie's strongest points, proving that simplicity is the key to making some great moments in the film. It brings you into the movie, taking you on a ride through 140 A.D. Scotland as it really should be.

My only gripe is that some of the action sequences have shaky-camera to it, making a few of the action sequences unfocused, but I think, this time, that shaky camera makes sense because it adds to the chaotic sense during that period, where no one is really sure how to battle in that situation, adding to the unpredictability. The pace is moderate, taking the time to develop Tatum and Bell's characters, and the editing is fluid, nicely putting the scenes together. Atli Ovarsson, too, knows when and where to put his music through, allowing the film's more effective moments to shine through with or without the music.

The script is not exactly new but there are some nice twists given to it. The bonding between the Roman and his Briton slave never really goes beyond that to buddy-comedy mode, but there are scenes of mutual respect shown towards each other in a very realistic fashion. Both Tatum and Bell, showing subtle but good chemistry, are great in their roles, I'm especially surprised at Tatum's good performance, as he has proved that he has the acting chops to go along with his good looks. He isn't playing the fool.

Macdonald skillfully directs the film using the traits above and more with focus and attention, using real stunt-men/extras and real locations without a hint of CGI involved, adding even more points to the raw realism of the film. Of course, seeing Macdonald's documentary background, it comes to no surprise that the film has a very realistic feel to it. The bleak atmosphere, gritty but fantastic production and costume design, beautiful cinematography (by "Slumdog Millionaire's" Anthony Dod Mantle, no doubt), and amazing music by Ovarsson (this is his first score which I actually liked) all combine together with Macdonald and cast and crew to deliver a solid, somewhat spectacular action adventure that is old- fashioned and devoid of the usual clichés (there's no generic romantic subplot, thank God!) that seem to plague this film genre lately.

Made in the hands of another, lesser director, this film will probably end up looking like "The Last Legion" or "Centurion", probably overblown and over-stylized. Not here. Kevin Macdonald knows when to put in the bloody scenes, when to put in the music, and that simplicity is best when it comes to everything. This is terrific entertainment made even better by a director who knows what he is doing, and another fine addition to the sword-and-sandal genre.

They don't make them like they use to anymore.

Overall rating: 74/100

Just OK!

[Xlegion · 6/10 · 11 February 2011]

The movie has a fairly good opening in my opinion, a rather dull middle and a predictable ending.

The problem with it for me is the same problem I'm seeing with a lot of the new action films. The cameras stays very tight, action is all blurred and close up, so you can't see what's going on. The sound track is all keyed up so you won't be concentrating on the errors in the action. (Which you can't really see anyway) Golly, give me the days of good stuntmen back again.

I liked the opening half hour or so, but the middle is so much like a North American Indian film you lose all sense of the time period. I agree with the former reviewers comments, Gee, if the Britains lived like this why bother with them.

I prefer the mini-series "Rome" to this any day.

The theater chains are also destroying the movie going experience as I have to agonize over 15 minutes of commercials before the main feature starts.

Much less rousing and dramatic than a "Gladiator," but a solid action epic

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 7/10 · 11 February 2011]

The latest modern film to play swords-and-sandals dress-up is "The Eagle," starring Channing "Pretty Boy" Tatum, a name I bestowed upon him having played "Pretty Boy" Floyd in Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" back in 2008, albeit a part of no significance. I suppose when they coined the term "hunk," no one expected it to apply so literally to the thick and broad-shouldered 30-year-old.

Tatum plays Marcus Flavius-Flave Aquila (okay, just Flavius), Roman centurion and son of a disgraced commander who disappeared along with the entire Ninth Legion and Rome's beloved eagle standard in the north of Britain in 120 AD. Fast forward 20 years and son has chosen to be posted in Britain in hopes of gaining back his, his father and Rome's honor by discovering the fate of the legion and recovering the eagle. For Tatum, this trip into dangerous territory beyond Hadrian's Wall, as it turns out, is also a test of leading man meddle.

Heading up the real American heroes of "G.I. Joe" doesn't exactly count for star capability, and while "The Eagle" barely holds a candle to the Roman epic of all Roman epics that is "Gladiator," it certainly can be seen as a more serious step and one in which the target audience has no interest in ogling him -- just watching him kill rebellious "Seal Men," (precursors to Scots).

Tatum's grades are definitely passing, but he earns more sympathy than attention. He's not quite a commanding presence, but Jeremy Brock's script doesn't exactly show us anything about him other than he feels disgraced and he's a good soldier. Flashbacks and dreams about his father riding off never to be seen again are hardly adequate ways to build a hero who can rally our spirits. He can throw down with the best of them, but he's better stoic.

For the most part, "The Eagle" follows suit. Kevin Macdonald, a versatile and underrated director who has an Academy Award for Best Documentary and also directed Forest Whitaker to his "Last King of Scotland" Oscar, keeps the action moving and more old school -- old school being the days before CGI. The fight in the beginning all the way to the journey beyond the wall and the perils he faces excite and hold attention. For an epic film that places honor and friendship at the center, the stakes just never feel high enough. You'll make an investment in hoping for a peaceful ending, but nothing stirs beyond that.

The film tries to create several dynamics such as Marcus' daddy issues and the relationship between Marcus and Esca (Jamie Bell), his servant whose life he saved, who over the wall could betray him at any moment, but little doubt seeps in. After all, while Esca's a tough and resilient guy, he was once Billy Elliot -- he's probably not screwing anyone over. Actually, Bell's performance hurts Tatum's when all is said and done; he's much more unpredictable.

Roman history nuts will find little to enjoy from that perspective with "The Eagle" as political undertones are practically non-existent and you have Americans playing Romans and Brits playing savage Brits. Brock's script sticks to the action and compelling events, using a historical period to create a tone, much in the way "300" did. Appropriately adjusting expectations for "The Eagle" to this level will help it retain the honor it deserves for capturing 120 minutes worth of interest with eventful action sequences.

~Steven C

Visit my site http://moviemusereviews.com

Wonderfully produced film

[mrbarth-1 · 17 November 2011]

I held off watching this film as, like westerns of my youth, the whole gladiator/crusader themes have saturated the market for a time. I am glad I waited as I could actually sit down and enjoy this film. Some say the accents were off, the acting stiff. I saw nothing that was overly out of place (including Sutherland's Canadian accent). If they had wanted authenticity, they would have all been speaking Latin.

I am a retired director so watching any film is a bit difficult for me to sit back and let the film take me to another place. Usually I will subconsciously pick it apart as an armchair quarterback. Not so with this film. I enjoyed this film from the credits to credits. I won't go on about the plot. It is basically about the struggle between our perceptions of our parents and reality, the conflicts of people from different cultures, trust and betrayal...basically all the struggles we all face in modern life.

Of particular pleasure was the cinematography and sound...little nuances not found in a lot of films today.

A great piece of work. Not perfect perhaps, but a buddy film much better than I had expected.

iReviewFilms Review: The Eagle

[iReviewFilms · 6/10 · 19 March 2011]

Now I'm not great at working out whether this was historically accurate or not so that's not going to be affect the way I rate this movie. I'm just going to assume that all was well unless someone cares to correct me in my ignorance? Except for the fact that thumbs up in a gladiatorial ring means kill (simulates thrusting the sword up into the body) and thumbs down means live... can't let that one slide, ever! As for whether this was based on a true story or not, I will leave that to the real journalists.

The Eagle is set in Roman occupied Britain in 140AD 20 years after the mysterious disappearance of the whole Ninth Legion in the glens and mountains of Scotland. It follows a Roman centurion, Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) and early on we are introduced to the fact that Marucs's father was standard bearer of the eagle for the Ninth Legion and that, when they along with the eagle, disappeared in the Scottish highlands disrepute was brought to the family of Aquila. Longing to be close to where his father disappeared and to restore his family honour, Marcus hot off the training camp for Roman centurions has requested that his first post be at the edge of the known world near Hadrian's wall, far from the choice any sane man would pick.

Eventually we are introduced to Esca (Jamie Bell) who is indebted to Marcus after having had his life saved by him and becomes his slave as penance. Together they set off to try and recover the lost eagle which forms an intriguing relationship development between the two characters as Esca is forced to obey his Roman master despite his hatred for who he is and what he stands for. This pairing results in an unpredictable plot with Esca's true intentions well hidden throughout.

The main crux of the story seems to be twofold with the development of this relationship between the two men and the desire shown by Marcus to restore the honour of his father and seek closure through the recovery of the eagle. Tatum shines in his part and you can sense the driving passion he has for his cause whilst Bell conveys his internal struggle over his split loyalties well. Other notable acting merit goes to Donald Sutherland for his bit part as the uncle of Marcus.

As a whole the battles portrayed are well choreographed and the cameras thrust you up close and personal with the warriors whilst they fight. In what seems to be a developing trend, the cameras are shaky and unsteady giving that sense you are actually there. The director Macdonald intentionally kept CGI to a minimum and it has paid off with the movie seemingly more realistic for it. The gore is not excessive and allows for the actual fighting to take centre stage rather than how red they can turn the battlefield which I liked.

The Scottish tribes play their part as a conceivable enemy during the film and speak in the native Gaelic tongue which is a nice touch that is less seen now as directors tend to swap to English after a brief dialogue to make it easier on the audience. It was also nice to see that the tribes that crossed paths with our main protagonists each had a different personality and feel about them rather than all being clumped together as Celts and getting portrayed as one generic group.

This movie although set in Roman times is less about the history and bureaucracy of Rome and more about the journey that two men take. It's a solid movie with good acting and fighting scenes but it starts to lag slightly in the middle. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it if there were other choices available but you could do a lot worse.

For further reviews feel free to check out: http://www.ireviewfilms.com

Reclaiming The Battle Standards

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 6 September 2011]

Although this story takes place in ancient Scotland before that area had that name, the real basis for this tale is the massacre of a Roman Army in the Teutoberg forest some 100 years earlier and during the reign of Tiberius as Emperor. No one knows what the real story happened to that army as the barbarian tribes left no written record.

The Romans as we know were a conquering people and the northwestern most extent of their conquest was part of the island of Britain. The part they did conquer was what later became England. What was Wales and Scotland developed on their own without Roman occupation. If the Romans had conquered the entire island a whole lot of subsequent history would have changed.

The story of The Eagle which was the battle standard the Roman Legions marched behind was shot in Scotland itself and in eastern Europe which has remained a whole lot like it was 2000 years ago. Channing Tatum plays the son of the commander who took his army into what became Scotland where Roman law has no meaning and it was massacred. Rumor has it that the standard eagle has been seen in Druid camps. That brings disgrace on Tatum's family name as there are no accounts as to just what happened.

While visiting Uncle Donald Sutherland at some gladiatorial games, Tatum on a whim prevents the execution of a slave who won't fight a trained gladiator for the crowd's pleasure. The slave is a Briton played by Jamie Bell and he becomes Tatum's slave and swears fealty to him personally for saving his life, though he makes clear what he thinks of the Roman conquerors.

Tatum decides on a mission to go with Bell north of Hadrian's Wall which marks the boundary of the territory the Romans have conquered to find out what happened. Their adventures and experiences there form the basis for the rest of the story. I will say that Tatum gets to have the unique experience of learning first hand what it feels like to be one of the conquered instead of being a conqueror.

Tatum and Bell play nicely off each other and there are some object lessons about the meaning of conquering a people and the responsibility of governing thereafter. I liked The Eagle because for once in a sand and scandal epic about the Roman Empire the story is told as much from the conquered side as the conqueror.

The Eagle is nicely photographed as well as telling a good, coherent, and moral story. Try to see this one for a different slant on these kind of films.

Entertaining ¨Sword and Sandals¨movie that features thrilling fighting scenes , violent battles and spectacular production design

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 7 April 2016]

This is a fine as well as exciting production with enough budget , great sets and thundering battles during the Roman Empire . Ultraviolent historical/epic/action yarn with breathtaking battles including lots of blood and gore . In Roman-ruled Britain, during Antoninus Pius empire , who was emperor of Rome at the time this film is set , AD 140 ; his reign is considered one of the calmest in Rome's history , there a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem . The picture deals with the destiny of a soldier Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) , the honour of a slave , Esca , (Jamie Bell) and the fate of an empire ; concerning historical facts about confrontation between Romans and Northern barbarians . The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt , Britain to Spain , and East as far as the Black Sea . The Year is A.D. 140 , and it has been 20 years since Rome's legendary Ninth Legion marched north into Caledonia -modern Scotland- to gain control over all of Britain . But in northern Britain , the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy : the savage and terrifying Celts and Picts who were generally thought to not have worn any clothes . Aquila (it is the Latin word for "Eagle") is the son of the Legion's General , and determined to exonerate his father as well as to retrieve the Eagle banner . But his detachment is besieged and deadly attacked . After his legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack , Marcus Flavius along with a slave crossing ¨the Hadrian Wall¨ and both of whom set out in pursuit a great dream : to seek to retrieve the ¨Eagle¨ . They fight for their lives behind enemy lines . As they attempt to destroy the Celt leader and face a desperate struggle to keep alive .

Bloody version based on historical events about Roman conquests with overwhelming battles and great production values starred by Channing Tatum as the fictional Roman officer and Jamie Bell as slave , both of them are two battle-hardened warriors who try to defend themselves against a bunch of bloody barbarians led by a brutal enemy . Stunning battles scenes illuminate the full-blown feats with a plethora of engaging action set pieces on the combats in which the heads and limbs are slice off here and there . There are great action sequences including the gory battle in woods and the final confrontation at the climax of the film . Because of budgetary consideration , cast and crew had only one night to shoot the night battle scene , which gave it the disorganized, raggedy look they wanted . The movie has great action sequences well staged with stylish and vitality , thrills , and turns out to be pretty entertaining . Although is a little revisionist about characters , history and time when is developed the action in a dirty , gritty Roman Empire during its period in Britain . Several action scenes are outstanding with spectacular battle images and thrilling fights . Unfortunately, on small house screens much of the splendor will be lost . The film is well set with nice gowns , evocative weapons , appropriate attrezzo , adequate costumes ; however , production company decided to use stirrups, despite their being anachronistic, because there would have been issues getting insurance for the lead actors, especially as Jamie Bell had never ridden before and he had to learn on set. As the movie makes a big deal out of the supposedly deathly rivalry between Romans and Celts . German archaeologists have found evidence of the 9th Legion on the banks of the Rhine River and carbon-dated them long after these events took place, suggesting that rather than being wiped out , the reason that there is no evidence of the 9th Legion being in Scotland after these battles is that they moved to Germany . The working title for the film was "Ninth Legion" , the story goes that the Ninth Legion marched to Scotland from York with 3000 men and were never seen of again. Historians dispute what actually happened to them. Some believe that they were disbanded, while others believe that they were massacred . The picture results to be a crossover among : The 13th Warrior (1999) by John McTiernan , The Last Legion (2007) by Doug Lefler and Centurion (2010) by Neil Marshall . Support casting is frankly good , such as Donald Sutherland , Dakin Matthews , Tahar Rahim , Douglas Henshall , Denis O'Hare and Mark Strong .

Impeccable and evocative cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle . Being shot on location in Lomond, Argyll and Bute, Summer Isles, Highland, Scotland, UK and Szentendre, Pest, Budapest, Hungary . Filmmaker and his director of photography Mantle spent long time discussing the look of the film before making it , one thing they were adamant about was that it should be shot on location and nowhere near a green screen . Magnificent and stirring musical score by Atli Örvarsson . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Kevin MacDonald (State of play , The Last King of Scotland , How I Live Now ,Touching the void). Kevin shot the film in such hard conditions that some cast members suffered health problems . Rating : Good , it's a nice historical extravaganza well set in ancient Rome , done in great scale and praised for its action sequences .

A Nutshell Review: The Eagle

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 3 April 2011]

I guess stories about Centurions and Legionaries never go out of fashion along with its themes of valour, honour, camaraderie and the likes, and The Eagle adapts from the book The Eagle of the Ninth written by Rosemary Sutcliff published about a half century ago, set in the 2nd Century just after Hadrian's Wall went up in Britain. I suppose given director's Kevin Macdonald's success with yet another historically based drama The Last King of Scotland that he decides to take another crack at it, albeit this time with a little bit more swords and sandals violence.

In recent years we've already seen a number of such films with the likes of Neil Marshall's Centurion and The Last Legion starring Colin Firth and Aishwarya Rai, but this one had a little narrative boost with its historical reference involving the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion weaved into the narrative and forming the back story of its protagonist Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum), who had asked for the Britain post in order to seek the lost honour of his father, leader of the Ninth who had reputedly surrendered cowardly to the enemy.

For starters, Channing Tatum isn't really your character actor, but looked totally in place with brawn over brains leading his men into battle and convincing peers that his family name isn't as tainted as it should be. But for a moment of bravado he gets himself injured and discharged honourably, living at his uncle's place until word came that the eagle standard of the 9th Legion had been found to be in the hands of some indigenous tribe outside of their safe haven. To lead a team into hostile territory will be suicide, but Marcus seeks out that sole opportunity to reclaim his father's name, and coming in tow is the slave Esca (Jamie Bell) with whom he forms a love-hate relationship.

It's a standard action adventure where you put together two misfits who are as serious as can be in seeking out the objective of their quest, containing all the usual formation of a strong friendship cliché made more difficult when the master-slave role got reversed when they're held captive. And you also can't put aside some of the homoerotic undertones between the two men in Batman and Robin fashion, with constant longing gazes at times reflective of threats to get back at each other given the flip=flopping master-slave roles they have to play. The screenplay by Jeremy Brock chooses to focus primarily on the friendship of the men, putting aside the politics of the occasion other than to paint the politicians and bureaucrats as fat cats who talk a lot and sit on their bums.

The battle sequences though were a different cup of tea altogether, with Kevin Macdonald opting for very a very visual treatment that didn't flinch from the bloodier and gorier aspects of close combat. Rarely do you see a decapitation happen on screen, but The Eagle does just that without cutting away. Sure it's movie magic, but the effect is nothing but startling, in addition to slit throats and dismembered limbs. If you're craving for standard period action- adventure fare, then The Eagle will be that film for you this weekend. Look out for that Mark Strong cameo.

The Turkey

[craig-kemp · 1/10 · 28 March 2011]

This film is plain awful. Whilst the first 30 minutes of the film are clichéd it remains watchable. However it soon descends into a bizarre revisionist Scotland or 'North Britain' almost entirely populated by the Seal People of the North, who appear to be a stunted monochrome Scottish sect of the N'avi. The cast do give good performances throughout although a number seem to be suffering from amnesia, a case in point being Bell's character who begins with a declaration of hatred for Tatum before ending up practically high-fiving him in the final scene. A ludicrous plot plagued with holes and an absolutely awful semi-montage on the way back to the wall in the final act only compound the woes of this terrible excuse for a film. Worst film of 2011? Just maybe...

Show them

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 22 December 2011]

Since the movie lives on the relationship (a very complicated one at that) of our two male protagonists, it is really essential that it works. Unfortunately I don't think it truly achieves that at most points of the movie. You know what they are supposed to do and be, but you don't really feel it.

On the other hand, the action (when it hits the screen, no pun intended) is shot in a very good way. No complaints there. You will probably like it. The story itself is intriguing too. It's the journey that counts, even if nothing were to come of it (and you have to watch it to find out, what happens). But the ending is not convincing enough. It is aimed to bring emotions, but you are left feeling almost nothing. Maybe relieved because the movie ended, but not satisfied in any way, no matter what you expected ...

Truly dreadful

[eddee-3 · 1/10 · 2 April 2011]

Just back from seeing this load of rubbish and I cannot believe some of the reviews on this site. It makes me wonder whether someone in the studio had one of their lackeys write some of this stuff in order to get people to pay to watch it? Channing Tatum has all the acting skills of a fencepost. End of story. The slave(another fine actor..ho-ho) starts off by spitting hatred at Marcus Flatulence (the Romans had after all invaded his country and his father had to slaughter his mother to prevent her being raped etc) and then ends by being the best of friends? I half expected them to go for a beer! At one point I thought that I was watching the Last of the Mohicans. Who the devil were these Seal Tribe from North Britain? Did any of these tribes( was it supposed to be Clans?)have Mohican haircuts? I've never seen any evidence in any literature to say that they have.I doubt very much whether anyone made any attempt at checking facts. The script was a stinker! If you haven't seen it...don't bother.

Not brilliant but an entertaining way to spend an evening

[emilykrycek-1 · 8/10 · 26 February 2011]

I went into this movie not knowing what to expect, and in the end I was rather pleased with it. Beautiful cinematography, great fight scenes, an interesting story . . . The movie also pays incredible attention to detail and is not afraid of a little dirt; one small thing that stood out to me is when they're eating dinner at the uncle's house, and it's kind of dark in there. Movies are always trying to convince us that a few candles light a house just as well as modern electric lights, but this one reminds us that no, they're candles. It's little things like that I found compelling: the characters acquire dirt and grime as they travel, the costumes and buildings are quite detailed, the Britons up in the north speak Gaelic and nothing but Gaelic. Often in movies with foreign languages, the characters will speak that foreign language for a few lines then switch into English. But the Britons keep up their Gaelic, and they speak it smoothly and fluently, too.

I really liked Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell, too. Tatum seems to be trying to speak very properly and it's rather odd, but he's good as a stoic young man who wants to be honorable and is tired of spending his entire life being chastised for a mistake that he did not make. Jamie Bell is rather fantastic as the slave who has every reason to hate Rome except for his growing respect for his Roman master; he's unpredictable and tortured and terribly interesting to watch.

It's not a perfect movie--sometimes I wasn't sure that it knew what message it was trying to convey--but generally I liked it. I will probably purchase it when it comes out.

All in all, a good movie, but missing something

[larkies1 · 7/10 · 15 February 2011]

This is my first movie review

I have recently finished watching this movie with a buddy and I thought it was neither good nor bad

It starts out following the story of Marcus Aquila ( played by Channing Tatem of which is a great actor) who is the commander of a squadron of around 100 soldiers(?) and gets attacked by Celtic barbarians

After getting heavily wounded by an enemy chariot, Marcus is sent to a doctor, is forced to resign from his rank and is scheduled for surgery ( which in 100 AD hurt A LOT I'm guessing)

A short while after, Marcus passes by a small stadium and sits down with some buddies to watch a duel between a Celtic slave and another gladiator; after the battle commences, the slave strangely drops his weapons and stands to be beaten.

After a good amount of punches and blows, the slave is on the ground and ready to be judged by the Roman "thumbs rule" for gladiators ( thumbs up lets him live, thumbs down kills him). As expected, most of the crowd votes thumbs down mostly due to the fact that they were disappointed with the lack of fight and wish to see some violence, however Marcus, along with his friends start voting thumbs up which causes the rest of the crowd to agree, thus saving his life.

The slave is then grateful for his life and offers to become Marcus's slave to repay his debt of gratitude and afterwords helps for his operation on his leg.

The next part is very short to explain and is the part I felt was missing.

Afterwards Marcus and his slave, Esca, embark on a journey to find the mighty golden eagle which represents Rome and her glory and find out what happened to his father ( according to movie) in the land past the wall of North Rome which is a desolate area for Romans

Upon arrival to the major Celtic village, they have a small argument regarding Esca's Celtic heritage while one of the Celts was watching, in confusion. Esca, speaking in his native tongue explains that this is simply his slave and that they were arguing.

Esca fits in extremely well with the community and people start to like him. Afterwards, Esca, tells Marcus that he is still with him and still here to help and with his help, they get the golden eagle and escape with a search and destroy party of Celts following them.

After all the fighting and running, they finally arrive at Rome and present it among the senators and Marcus along with Esca is awarded heavily with gratitude.

In conclusion, this movie had a good plot, story, and cool fight scenes and I thought that, in a way, this movie was very similar to The Gladiator ( not because it's set in and around Rome) but it was missing a huge part which made the ending a slight disappointment.

Very bad presentation of Roman Britain

[DrZom-77-388656 · 1/10 · 10 June 2011]

For anyone who longs for realistic movies depicting the age of Rome, keep looking. While the film is shot in the gritty format of today, it is far from historically accurate. Within the first ten minutes of the movie, the lack of accuracy becomes glaring apparent. Roman legionnaires form the Testudo formation, the Turtle, to attack irregular infantry. This is of course absurd. The Testudo was used as a defensive formation against missile weapons, but never against irregular infantry.

From here, the movie goes downhill. Blue painted Mohawks make for good visual, but poor accuracy. Enjoy it if you can.

The Chicken

[YohjiArmstrong · 23 March 2011]

THE EAGLE takes a children's adventure story and dumbs it down: the book was a thoughtful yarn about empire, honour and loyalty; the film is a predictable post-colonial action film. The plot - Roman soldier invalided out of the army goes on a mission into barbarian territory with his British slave in order to recover the Eagle standard lost by his father in battle years before - is retained but bowdlerised and misunderstood. The one amusing change is to have the Romans played by Americans and the Briton by Brits (with the exception of a wasted Tahar Rahim). The other changes range from the silly (a very modern conflict between slave and master) to the ahistorical (the testudo was for sieges, not skirmishes) and idiotic (ordering men to break formation in the face of chariots is suicidal). Add to this the transformation of Celtic warriors into Amerindian braves (complete with mohawks and tomahawks), the appearance of a sneering aristocrat straight from central casting (predictably humiliated later), Mark Strong in a bad wig and a climactic battle shot in such frustratingly over-edited close-up as to be impenetrable. A wasted opportunity.

Interesting Entertainment

[nosiru · 7/10 · 25 March 2011]

The Eagle is a Historical Adventure Drama Directed by Kevin Macdonald (same guy that brought us The Last King of Scotland, 2006). This film is about a young Roman who goes in search of the lost Roman Eagle Emblem in a bid to honour his father's memories. Its Starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong, Tahar Rahim, Denis O'Hare & Douglas Hensball.

#FACT: Jeremy Brock adapted the screenplay from an historical novel called The Eagle of the Ninth (1954)

SLIDER'S REVIEW:

From the trailer (and title) I knew what I was going to get with this film. A historical story about a son's quest to honour his father's name. It looked exciting so I had to watch it. it's been a while since I saw Romans in a battle looking as fearless as ever with formations I have never seen before. People who like historical films will like this one.

The director tried his best with the dialogue but storyline started off strong but then in the middle it had that 'all over the place'. I think it's because it takes a turn that they didn't build up enough for it to have a big enough impact. I had to concentrate to get to the good parts (took long but we got there). i found some parts boring (I was drifting in and out) when watching. I must add that the fight scenes were quite entertaining to watch, the brutal ways of charging & swinging sword at any angles was quite good to watch.

The best bits of this is in the last 30 minutes of the film, that's when everything had been set in stone and knew who was on who's side. it became much more exciting because of the cat and mouse chase scene. It's got a predictable ending but the cinematography and characters relationship makes up for it.

It's always good to see an actor in a completely different role. Channing Tatum takes on the role of Marcus Aquila and he does a very masculine job. He was a very believable roman because of the passion in his face. He had the leadership presence that his role needed. (Even with that American voice) He takes on a lot of enemies for the sake of what he believes in. Jamie Bell plays Esca a slave to Marcus. I really liked his character, his distinctive voice makes him such a different actor, he wasn't bigger than his master but in some scenes he was a much stronger person. The two lead roles do their best in keeping the film afloat. Donald Sutherland was a good character also, he plays Aquila's Uncle.

#Overall: Good Entertainment

Was I entertained? Yes...

[funkykitten_7 · 7/10 · 4 March 2011]

This a decent film, featuring Romans and a bit of mystery.

There were a few irritants for me: 1) the unlikely dialogue (like "we have someone working on it", or the unintentionally amusing "What made you choose Britain?"); 2) the fact that nobody even attempts a non-American accent in c.900 A.D. Britain, although Tatum was surprisingly believable in this area; 3) and numerous historical inaccuracies e.g. thumbs up = live, when this long-debated gesture has been convincingly argued in recent years to mean the opposite, or the startlingly modern-English "Hadrian's Wall" rather than "Vallo Aelium" on a supposedly-Roman map.

But - the story is simple but engaging enough, and despite the above I found it quite watchable. It's very linear, but there are a couple of credible fight scenes and the characters are well played for the most part - I suspect they made the best of what they were given (as since when would a centurion let his slave demand to "do the talking"?).

Basically the idea is that Marcus (Tatum) is desperate to get to Britain to search for his father, who went missing with his legion 20 years before, and recover the missing standard. Everything he does is geared towards this, and involves him finding family he didn't know he had, and trekking into Scotland alone but for his newly-acquired Scottish slave.

For a slave, Esca is far too cocky and defiant. It surprised me that Marcus didn't just get rid of Esca as soon as he discovered Esca wasn't telling him everything. He just didn't seem to mind, which was a bit weird, especially as Marcus and Esca weren't friends at this point - and this led to sth bad happening (of course!). So you kinda wonder why Marcus let Esca live long enough to let it get so far. Then you wonder why, when Marcus threatens to kill him the next chance he gets, he instead trusts this guy over and over with his life. And then eventually frees him from bondage, because they're suddenly friends.

Esca continues to be a bit slippery - "tell me what the chief said about my father" (because lots of the film is in Gaelic and there are no subtitles) - "there's no time now". And again. Just tell him already! Grr. Do we ever find out? No.

Anyway, there is a small twist in the tale which is nice, and leads to a final battle in a gully. Question: how did they get a funeral pyre to light on a river bed?? Does Marcus finally get to know what happened to his dad? You'll have to watch it to find out I guess! Anyway, at the end I didn't want those two hours back like I did with Season of the Witch, so it's all good.

Plus Tatum is a pretty sexy centurion.

This isn't even in Gladiator's league, but for entertainment value this isn't a bad choice if you fancy a half-decent film with a bit of action in it.

I Was Pleasantly Surprised

[EvylOverLord · 7/10 · 1 August 2023]

Most of the reviews I saw made me almost not watch the movie, especially with all the goofs, historical inaccuracies, and other things that these reviews mentioned. It should be noted that the reviews weren't really wrong, just maybe shouldn't necessarily stop you from watching the movie.

Sure, the movie wasn't perfect; I gave it a 7 not a 10, so obviously I had a couple issues with it too. I am going to focus mostly on the things I enjoyed about it in my review, as the negative issues are well covered by other reviews. Also, since I did overall enjoy the film, I want to focus on that.

I found the movie to be entertaining, as the plot moved fast enough to keep me engaged. The characters were well acted and well written. I was tearing up at times as I could feel for the characters and their struggles. I felt immersed in the story. There were enough parts that weren't immediately predictable, and not too many things felt forced. I liked how the characters seemed genuine.

So, overall, I really liked the film, and was glad I watched it. It isn't my usual preferred genre, and that is another reason I almost didn't watch it. In the end reviews are generally just opinions, so decide for yourself, but I'd like to think you would enjoy it.

"He knows more about honour and freedom than you ever will."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 20 June 2020]

It is pleasing that filmmakers such as Kevin Macdonald are doing their part to keep the "sword and sandals" action-adventure genre alive. While not really a truly *great* film, "The Eagle" is a solid example of this kind of storytelling, with eye-popping scenery (in Hungary and Scotland), excellent production and costume design, and a tale with some real grit, poignancy, and atmosphere going for it.

American actor Channing Tatum stars as a decorated Roman soldier named Marcus, wounded in battle as the Romans move to conquer Britain in the 2nd century. He decides to take on the near-impossible task of venturing "North of the Wall" to enemy territory, to retrieve the title talisman and restore honour to his family name. Accompanying him is Esca (Jamie Bell), a British slave who has some pointed things to say about the way that the Romans have conducted themselves. But Esca is grateful that Marcus decided to spare his life, and proves himself to be very useful and very loyal.

Scripted by Jeremy Brock, based on a novel by Rosemary Sutcliff, "The Eagle" features decently executed action and chase scenes, although it might not possess enough violence for some tastes. (Making it a good thing that there's an unrated version.) It contains some effective plot developments, such as the fact that Marcus and Esca switch roles when the latter comes across "Seal People" who would not take kindly to a Roman character such as Marcus. And these "Seal People" are a definitely interesting, primal bunch who exclusively speak Gaelic.

The acting from the mostly European cast is right on the money. Tatum certainly has the physicality required for his role, but he can't help but come up short when you compare him to better actors like Bell. The moment that Esca is properly introduced into the plot is really when the film comes alive. Donald Sutherland is endearing as Marcus' uncle, and there are meaty roles for performers such as Mark Strong, Denis O'Hare, Dakin Matthews, Tahar Rahim, and Ned Dennehy.

Although it clocks in at a little shy of two hours, "The Eagle" doesn't dawdle, giving us one good scene after another, and ending in a most satisfactory manner. The wonderful traditional soundtrack by Atli Orvarsson is just icing on the cake.

Seven out of 10.

Cant believe I saw this

[calinolteanspw25 · 1/10 · 10 April 2011]

Fist of, excuse my English, im trying my best. Second I doubt very much this movie have accurate historical truth in it. Third I don't know why nobody is talking about the message of this movie.

In this movie the "good" guys seem to be the son of a legion leader who wants his family honor back(by recovering a stupid eagle, big EGO) and a slave whos family was killed by the father of the first good guy?!??!? The "bad" guys are the people who defend their land against their enemy(Excuse me but if you are coming into my house with a sword I will cut your head off).

Of course the northen tribes have great qualities(running faster then horses) but they somehow fail?!?!?, and the good guys(an egotistical idiot and a traitor) can kill each like hercules(although they look like they eat at mcdonals all their lifes).

Awful movie.

Butchus Cassidius and the Caledonian Kid

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 25 March 2011]

Last year I watched a movie called Centurion, which told what (apparently) happened to the ill-fated 9th Legion when they disappeared beyond Hadrian's Wall into the depths of primitive Scotland. The Eagle tells a different story - Marcus, invalided out of the Roman army with a leg wound, nips off beyond Hardian's Wall into the depths of primitive Scotland to find out what (apparently) happened to the ill-fated 9th Legion. Not the same at all.

To be fair, although both are drawn from the same basic source material, the two stories are not the same - Marcus' journey as far more of a Roman buddy movie, although "buddy" is perhaps straining things a bit. Marcus (Channing Tatum) is accompanied by his slave Eska (Jamie Bell), and there is a subtext of honour, obligation, and trust running through the film as the two of them go into the wilds to try to recover the lost Eagle of the 9th, and find out what happened to Marcus' father..

The Eagle is filmed on location in Scotland (which looks very Scottish) and Hungary (which often doesn't). Though it isn't as bleak as Centurion, it still looks pretty cold and wet and miserable much of the time. There's lots of action, much of it bloody, a couple of other well-known faces (Mark Strong, who isn't in it very much, and who sports an incongruous American accent, for instance), and vast numbers of Hungarians in supporting roles and as extras. The script isn't bad, and it's quite entertaining.

Dumbed down adaptation of a novel meant for 14 year olds

[lhhung_himself · 1/10 · 18 June 2011]

"The Eagle of the Ninth" used to be part of the high school curriculum in Ontario as the introductory novel for 13 and 14 year olds.

Somehow the film-makers decided that this was too difficult and dumbed it down. Not only is the history completely mangled in the process, but the entire point of the story, the development of the understanding between the two main characters, Marcus and Esca, is completely lost.

The filmmakers were unable to tell a simple story and resorted to mini-Braveheart/Spartacus battles and gratuitous gore instead.

Not even worth a download. Take a couple of hours and read the novella on your Kindle instead, or better yet, find a dead tree copy somewhere.

The film did make me realize that the book wasn't that bad a read...

Interesting and entertaining

[Ric-7 · 8/10 · 14 February 2011]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The CGI effects seem to have been kept under control, and so the film turned out to be more human than animation. The combat scenes were done in the current style of quick cuts where you just get a vague idea of what is going on, rather than actually being able to follow the blows being struck.

The film seemed mostly faithful to Roman history. It gives a vivid illustration of why Hadrian's wall was built. But I am not totally sure the Roman Senate had a "branch" in Britain.

The two leads (Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell) were perfectly suited to their roles, kind of like Hercules and his sidekick from 60s historical adventure films. But minus the corny jokes. There were no banquets with production numbers. And there was no "love interest" written in. And no magical effects or mythical creatures. And it was very easy to follow. And hugely entertaining.

It's not art but it's rather good, regardless.

The Eagle has landed

[Lejink · 7/10 · 14 November 2013]

I remember reading the source book "The Eagle of the Ninth" a few years ago and really enjoying it, fanciful historical fiction that it was, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it made into a movie and a good one at that.

Eschewing the flash and show of your more typical sword and sandal epic, this movie is a gritty affair, short on dialogue, big on strong silences, filmed in natural light and in a variety of normally grey, wet weather conditions. Given that it's set in my native Scotland and directed by a Scot, Kevin McDonald, I can safely say he got that part right.

The story itself is straightforward enough, concerning a young Roman Marcus Aquilas (Channing Tatum) and his struggle to restore his family honour after his centurion dad led the talismanic Roman Eagle, as well as all his men, into an expedition into the savage North of Britain, never to return. Heroically discharged from front-line duty, Marcus is paired up with a young Celtic slave and decides to attempt to retrace his father's footsteps and recover the Eagle, at the same time solving the mystery of the disappearance of the Ninth Legion.

With an atmospheric soundtrack based on Celtic themes, sympathetically realistic landscape photography and committed physical acting by the leads in particular, this was an enjoyable if sometimes dour feature, centring on themes of heroism, loyalty and honour. The American accents grate as they always do in features like this, but Tatum and Jamie Bell convince as initially distrusting allies and while I could have perhaps done with a few more action set-pieces, plus the climactic battle between the remnants of the Ninth and the pursuing natives could have been made more of, this was an entertaining and watchable film with the director cleverly making up for the implausibility of the plot with a down to earth approach which helped to establish some necessary credibility along the way.

Don't bother - they've turned a good book into a third rate movie

[blairskids · 2/10 · 22 February 2011]

Rosemary Sutcliff must be turning in her grave; her carefully crafted novel has been hacked into a superhero movie with little resemblance to the original. The opening story to set up the main character is in the movie more or less as written which initially gave me hope. However I realised they could use it because it contains violence and could be bent to a "superman saves the day" episode.

The "quest" portion – heading north to get the eagle – was a total travesty. Whereas the novel invents a plausible mechanism for a crippled ex soldier to penetrate the wilds of Scotland, the movie relies on a super hero to fight warrior tribes with just his trusty side kick.

Save your money. If you want to see movies of super heroes fighting the world there are better ones.

If you want a great yarn set in Roman Britain read the book, and it's sequels. The book is aimed at the teenage market, but most adults will thoroughly enjoy an exciting and plausible story.

Two stars, not one, because it has the redeeming quality that it might generate interest in the book.