I didn't know much about The Eagle going into it. I had seen a TV spot or two, but it was pretty underwhelming and didn't seem to reveal much of anything about the plot of the film. Something about a war in Roman times starring the guy that played Duke in the G.I. Joe movie. When I realized I was going to a screening, I purposely avoided more TV spots and full-length trailers. The less you know about a film going into it, the better the experience will be. I also wasn't sure what to expect from Channing Tatum since he's been pretty mediocre at best even when it comes to the films he was a part of that I enjoyed. In the end, The Eagle may be some of Tatum's best work but I'm not exactly sure how much of a compliment that really is.
For at least a few years now, I've firmly believed that a film can be good despite what its rating is. I still believe that. A good film is going to be good no matter what not just because it shows blood or nudity or just so happens to be family friendly. With that being said, I'm also under the impression that films revolving around heavy warfare should aim for the R-rating. War is brutal, relentless, and unforgiving. I believe it should be depicted that way on screen. The Eagle is obviously about more than spending time on the battlefield. War is more of a backdrop to the relationship between Marcus and Esca and the journey to find the Eagle in addition to its meaning to the Romans. However, no blood being shown during the most intense battle sequences of the film made it feel censored at times and seem weak in comparison to the films it'll make you reminisce about throughout its duration.
Channing Tatum carries the film fairly well. There's one scene right before he heads off to try and find the Eagle where he's talking with Donald Sutherland and he makes a speech that Tatum just manages to put such power and emotion into. It's a short scene, but it's probably his highlight and helps display the passion Marcus has of restoring honor to his family's name. Jamie Bell's Esca was mostly interesting due to his true intentions being fairly unpredictable throughout the film. His British blood runs thick, but he owes his life to Marcus who happens to be a Roman. One of them eventually has to give. Seeing that play out is the main attraction to the Esca character. Donald Sutherland's appearance in the film isn't nearly as noteworthy as his appearance in The Mechanic. Sutherland seemed to make the most of his short screen time in The Mechanic while being rather flat in The Eagle despite having a bit more screen time in comparison. Sutherland's Uncle Aquila also stands in the way of his nephew Marcus in a roundabout kind of way by encouraging him to stay put and repeatedly informing him he has no chance of surviving north of the wall. Both characters Sutherland portrays are so different in comparison, which is probably a good thing at the end of the day. Mark Strong may be practically unrecognizable in this, as well. I'm convinced (and this is a partial spoiler) that he took over the reigns of only taking characters that die at the end of a film from Liam Neeson. It seems like Strong dies in every film he's a part of, doesn't it? Lastly, there's Tahar Rahim who has a very strong showing here. After seeing him in the outstanding A Prophet, it was great to not only see him in something else but see him perform just as well.
Yet another film that suffers from shaky camera techniques during the most intense sequences in the film. Is just filming scenes like this normally just too boring for directors these days? If an intense fight sequence is edited well, do you even need the shaky bit? I never realized how often this technique was used until recently, but it seriously needs to go away more than any other trend currently taking place in Hollywood.
The Eagle is a captivating drama with heavy hitting action sequences and a well-rounded cast that contains elements of 300, Gladiator, and even Valhalla Rising. Unfortunately The Eagle isn't anywhere near as good as any of those films and falls a bit flat in the end. Nevertheless, The Eagle is an adventure worth taking. watch the eagle 2011 online
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