(2/2011) Movie Review: The Eagle
3 1/2 Stars
Review By James R. Holland
Search for Roman Honor North of Hadrian’s Wall
For moviegoers who liked last year’s movie about a disastrous 120 A.D. Roman military expedition north of Hadrian’s Wall “The Centurion,” this plot is very similar. “The Eagle” takes place twenty years after the Ninth Roman Legion mysteriously disappears during a march into what is now the Highlands of Scotland.
In this 114-minute, PG-13 Rated sequel, the son of the missing Legion’s commander, Marcus Aquila sets out to restore his family’s honor by venturing into the unknown country north of Hadrian’s Wall in order to recover the missing Golden Eagle Emblem of his father’s missing legion. Channing Tatum does a very believable job playing the role of Marcus Aquila.
Marcus is accompanied on his quest by a British slave Esca, who he has saved from death in a gladiator contest. Esca, played by Jamie Bell, is a Brit who had been enslaved after his capture during an unsuccessful revolt against the Romans occupying southern England. He is the son of the rebellious chief. Since he is British, he speaks the local languages and serves as a guide and companion on Marcus on his quest to find out what happened to his father’s legion, find closure and perhaps recover his family’s honor by retrieving the missing legion’s battle emblem the “Golden Eagle.
Donald Sutherland does his usual good job playing the role of Marcus’s Uncle Aquila. Many of the more memorable characters are Druids or members of the savage tribe of Seals whose warrior’s paint their bodies and shaved heads moss green. Lukacs Bicskey plays the chief Druid. Tahar Rahim makes his role as the Seal Prince live. Thomas Henry plays the young Seal Boy. Ned Dennehy makes a scary Seal Chief/the Horned One. The few women in this movie are mostly props and their only speaking parts are giggling and screaming.
The Adventure/Action/Historical movie is in English with some Gaelic. There is authentic music from the period throughout the motion picture. The scenery alternates between beautiful hill top landscapes and dark, misty and spooky forests. The film was photographed in Scotland and Hungry. Other than an attack upon remote, fortified Roman garrison early in the movie, most of the combat seems to take place in the icy streams at the bottom of mossy, foggy canyons.
The portrayal of the savage Gaelic tribes in this film is almost surreal. It also seems almost too lucky that the seekers actually find the very tribe of Seals who have captured and kept the Ninth Legion’s Golden Eagle Emblem.
Most audiences will have seen enough flicks about the lost Ninth Roman Legion from this film to satisfy them for several years. It’s probably a popular subject because the directors can make their motion picture using relatively small casts.
James R. Holland is a film editor, producer, and author–most recently of Adventure Photographer (A Bit of Boston Books/ 2009). He reviews movies exclusively for Basil & Spice. Visit James R. Holland’s Writer’s Page.
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