Film Review: The Eagle

February, 11, 2011 , by Isaac Weeks

While watching the promotional campaign for The Eagle, I couldn't help but think back to Kevin Costner's role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. In that film, he similarly portrayed a pretty boy that women fawned over, although with his Oscar for Dances With Wolves he had a better pedigree than the star of The Eagle, Channing Tatum. Even so, Costner proved that you couldn't just toss an actor in a medieval role and assume that no one would notice that the character's accent changed every five minutes, no matter how big the name on the movie poster. Needless to say, I walked into The Eagle expecting the worst from an actor still best known from the Step Up franchise.

Color me shocked that Tatum pulls off a solid performance in his role as Marcus Aquila, a young Roman soldier granted his own military command at the start of the film. He has asked to be placed in charge of a fort in northernmost Britain, where his father disappeared twenty years earlier while leading the Ninth Legion into Scotland. Neither the men, nor their golden emblem, The Eagle of the Ninth, ever returned. Soon after taking command of the fort, Marcus manages to thwart an attack by surrounding clans, but is seriously wounded as a result. Unable to return to duty, he soon hears word of the Eagle being seen outside Rome's reach, so he and his Celt slave Esca (Jamie Bell) begin their journey to find it.

The filmmakers play quite the smoke and mirrors trick by surrounding Tatum with bad actors. While it is ridiculous to completely buy into Tatum as a Roman soldier, the other actors that portray his subordinates sound as if they were found performing community theater in Wisconsin before landing this job. Dakin Matthews, a great character actor last seen playing a horse trader in True Grit, is woefully miscast here as a Roman Senator. I can only assume he was offered the role after the casting agent found out Buck Owens died years ago.

Director Kevin Macdonald (State of Play) impresses the audience with his handling of several of the best battle scenes I have seen in the cinema in years. He also is adept at quiet scenes as well, such as a campfire scene between the two travelers in which Esca lets Marcus know his true feelings for the Romans and Marcus' father in particular. Macdonald is a filmmaker to keep an eye on, and I look forward to what he shows us in the future.

By the end of the film, I still couldn't wrap my mind completely around it. It would be great for a ten minute stretch, then there would be a scene that would have me rolling my eyes in disbelief. What I can honestly say is that if you watched the trailer for this and thought that it looked like the movie for you, I would strongly recommend it. If you are on the fence, keep your expectations low and you'll be all right.