Of course, Aquila isn’t coming to the forsaken British Isles for a vacation. He’s got redemption on his mind. His father was the commander of the Ninth that disappeared, and now his son is coming back in an attempt to restore the family name somehow. After proving his bravery in battle and getting an honorable discharge from the Legion, Aquila formulates a plan. He’ll take his slave, Esca (Jamie Bell), and head north across the wall to either find the eagle or die trying. Will Aquila recover the eagle and restore his family’s honor? Will Esca stay true to his word and protect his erstwhile master, as his master once protected him from death in the gladiatorial arena? Will they run into any shirtless blue people carrying spears and looking for trouble? Did the elder Aquila die a hero or a coward? These are the questions at the heart of The Eagle, and odds are you can answer them without even really knowing anything about the movie. Cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle (28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire), makes incredible use of the Scottish Highlands here. While the movie spends a significant portion of the middle with our two stars wandering around, at least they wander through some lovely landscape. There’s something to be said for a well shot movie, and this is one. It’s a movie that, like Channing Tatum, is pretty, but not very interesting. Speaking of Tatum, he’s not bad as the ambitious young commander, Marcus Flavius Aquila. Granted, in his hands the role’s a bit more melodramatic than perhaps it was written to be, but he’s not terrible. Jamie Bell’s Esca is a more interesting role, as he’s torn between his urge to be free and his loyalty to his lifesaving master. All Marcus has is his desire to redeem his family name and recover the eagle, while Esca is much more conflicted. Donald Sutherland is a treat in his supporting role as Uncle Aquila, though his time on screen is limited. The script teams Jeremy Brock, writer of The Last King Of Scotland, back up with the Oscar-winning director of that film, Kevin Macdonald. Unfortunately, the pair fail to recapture magic here. It’s not that either is bad. Macdonald is a skilled director and Brock’s not a bad writer, but this movie never quite gels together. The first 30 minutes or so are very good, but the 90 minutes after that are predictable. The arc the characters undertake is pretty straightforward, as it follows the ‘unlikely partners who become friends under fire’ template, and Macdonald doesn’t have enough tricks up his sleeve to add surprises to the proceedings. There’s no real suspense, but it’s competent as far as thrillers go. I’ve seen a lot worse films this year than The Eagle, but I’m not wowed by any one aspect of the film. If you like Roman Britain, or are a particular fan of either of the two stars of the film, then it’s probably worth renting. If you go in expecting very little, as I did, then The Eagle is probably going to be a pleasant experience. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s competent enough to smooth them out better than most films. It’s not Gladiator, but it’s not The Last Legion either. US Correspondent Ron Hogan kind of wants to go to Scotland, provided there are no blue-painted men with bone necklaces waiting to chase him around with spears. Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.
title: “The Eagle Review” ShowToc: true date: “2025-07-02” author: “Richard Blizzard”
Marcus longs to regain his family’s lost honour by making a name for himself, but while defending his fort from attack by the Celts, he is wounded and honourably discharged from the army. Sent to his uncle’s estates to recuperate, Marcus feels lost and helpless to ever repair his family’s name, until one day he hears rumours that the eagle has once again been sighted far beyond Hadrian’s Wall. Treading similar historical ground to last years vastly underrated Centurion, this is the set-up for Kevin Macdonald’s latest film, an adaptation of the 1954 Rosemary Sutcliff novel, The Eagle Of The Ninth. Pretty much standard reading for all children since publication, it is a classic adventure story about two adversaries uniting while on a quest to regain lost honour. To be honest, the story’s been ripe for adaptation for many a year, so when I heard it was being made, and by Kevin Macdonald, I was excited. Was I right to be? Well, yes and no. The film does many things right, but sadly, also makes many missteps along the way, which ultimately curtail what should have been a breathless adventure story with Romans and Celts, and who doesn’t love them? Jamie Bell also puts in a mature performance as the British slave honour bound to help Marcus, while also despising him and everything Rome stands for. There is a scene where the two discuss what the eagle means, which is probably the most effective in the movie, with Esca neatly turning Marcus’ impassioned speech about the righteousness of Rome on its head. It’s not subtle, but conveys the point the filmmakers are trying to make about American imperialism far better than the American actors as Romans which is utilised. While I can understand why they did that, and have no problem with American accents, it just strikes me as just a touch heavy-handed. The chemistry between the two leads is generally solid, with the friendship and tension apparent in equal measure, although there are a couple of scenes where it threatens to go a bit Brokeback, and you suddenly understand the lack of women in the film. Equally, the main threat to our heroes in the film is the prince of the Seal people, a Celtic tribe more in keeping with Aztecs than Britons. Painted all over in woad and dressed in flamboyant headgear, it was not until the very end when his paint is washed off that I recognised the prince to be none other than the brilliant Tahar Rahim from A Prophet. Caking one of the most promising talents to emerge over the last few years in mud and making him unrecognisable probably wasn’t the smartest move, nor was reducing his role to mainly running about. While I appreciate they were in the original novel, the Seal people ultimately feel a little silly, and with the rest of the film’s admirable adherence to historical accuracy, I just wish they could have adapted them in a more compelling and threatening way. This dichotomy between things to admire in the film and things to despair of continues in the action. An early action sequence is one of the most stunning and visceral set pieces I’ve seen in a few years. Following a repulsed attack on the fort, the Celts drag out captured Romans and begin to behead them. Not one to sit idly by, Marcus leads his men out to set them free. The battle is initially shot wide, but when the Romans go into their famous Testudo formation, the action gets close up. It is an incredibly intense sequence and so well shot and edited that I felt like applauding. It is the equal of any battle scene featuring Romans I have ever seen (including Gladiator) and clearly shows that Macdonald has a talent for this sort of thing, which makes his apparent ineptness during other action scenes baffling. Ultimately The Eagle is a somewhat of a missed opportunity, a boy’s own adventure which isn’t quite as adventurous as it should be, and it failed to really win me over. It opens strongly, but loses it momentum during the two main leads’ wanderings around a rainy Scotland, and never quite gets it back with a late chase narrative. It also fails to give the film a true threat to really bind Marcus and Esca together beyond their quest, and the changed ending (from the book) seems a bit too neatly wrapped up and almost like the set-up to a Roman buddy movie. However, it is an entertaining picture with some superb moments, but unfortunately, it does punch just a little below its weight.
