Rated PG-13 for battle sequences and some disturbing images
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong, Tahar Rahim
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Honor and fear engage in a feature-length game of chicken in "The Eagle" about a young Roman warrior who ventures into the unexplored north Britain territory to recover his lost legion's most treasured symbol. Fear dominates the region at a time (140 A.D.) when the unknown darkness was itself the most formidable of opponents. But at a Roman outpost arrives its new leader... a young centurion named Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) brimming with courage. The fear of the undiscovered is palpable, but will undoubtedly blink in the face of such honor.
We're told at the outset about the Roman Army's Ninth Legion, whose unexplained disappearance in the Scottish Highlands has become such a humiliation to the Roman Army that Hadrian's Wall was erected along the northern edge of Roman-ruled Britain to protect the land from whatever lurked in the uncharted highlands of Caledonia. The commander of the Ninth Legion was the father of Marcus Aquila. Twenty years after the legion's fall, Aquila has just arrived at his new command post. Still haunted by the events surrounding his father's demise, he throws himself into his command with unbridled fervor, eventually earning the respect of his soldiers.
After being wounded in battle, he is given an honorable discharge, which he greets with cries of personal anguish. His servitude to the Roman Empire is his life, as are the questions that still echo in his psyche about how his father died. Hero or coward? The thought of a sedentary existence with little to do but ponder such queries is too painful to endure. To restore his family's name, Aquila opts to venture out into the unexplored highlands to locate The Eagle, as well as the truth about how his father met his end.
The Roman political circle disagrees with this decision. Why risk another life? To what end? But Aquila will not be deterred. He is aided by a slave named Esca (Jamie Bell) who was awarded to him after Aquila ordered mercy during a gladiator spectacle. We don't know exactly why he spared the young Brit's life but then again, neither does Esca. That's key. If the slave detected a specific motive in Aquila, he'd be more inclined to betray him. Instead, he pledges his allegiance despite a background that imbues in him a pointed hatred toward everything Aquila stands for. The two set out.
The goal is not only the Aquila family name, but the lost legion's golden emblem. "What's so great about a piece of metal?" asks Esca. "The Eagle of the Ninth is not a piece of metal," Aquila counters. "It is Rome." I did find it somewhat strange that Aquila seems to be the only member of the Roman Army who feels this way. Perhaps the remaining centurions were more governed by fear than ignited by courage. Aquila and Esca eventually find themselves face-to-face with a tribe of savages that may, in fact, be the same ones that slaughtered the Ninth Legion.
The movie is a serviceable adventure, though not quite as rousing as one would expect. Plus, it loses steam right at the point in the story where it should be gaining it. The director is Kevin Macdonald, a gifted documentarian ("Touching the Void", "My Enemy's Enemy", and the Oscar-winning "One Day in September") who has also ventured into the narrative storytelling arena ("The Last King of Scotland", "State of Play"). His documentaries are more effective, I think. "The Eagle" is a solid, competent effort that somehow doesn't possess the rousing spirit someone like Ridley or Tony Scott could have injected into it. That may seem like a cheap criticism toward an acclaimed director, but an adventure like this needs a less stolid approach to the material.
The movie is also hampered by the one-dimensional performance from Channing Tatum, a very likable young man though he is. His job is twofold. He must embody the spirit of a warrior, but also convey the emotional arc of the character through what he uncovers. Tatum gets the warrior part right, but seems unable to connect to the character's emotional core. Jamie Bell is a bit better at conveying the fluctuations in Esca's perspective despite not having as much dialogue. (Bell also possesses an exceptional poker face. There are stretches of time when we're never quite sure of his intentions.)
It's a close call. The action scenes are handled with serviceable skill. The pacing is decent, though the plotting gets a bit muddy in the second half. Jeremy Brock's screenplay seems better at building up the tension prior to the journey than the actual journey itself. I just can't quite bring myself to recommend the film. I admired a majority of the craftsmanship, but never got swept up in the action. The movie tells the story of a rousing adventure without every fully becoming one.
* * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
