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This is a fine as well as exciting production with enough budget , great sets and thundering battles during the Roman Empire . Ultraviolent historical/epic/action yarn with breathtaking battles including lots of blood and gore . In Roman-ruled Britain, during Antoninus Pius empire , who was emperor of Rome at the time this film is set , AD 140 ; his reign is considered one of the calmest in Rome's history , there a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem . The picture deals with the destiny of a soldier Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) , the honour of a slave , Esca , (Jamie Bell) and the fate of an empire ; concerning historical facts about confrontation between Romans and Northern barbarians . The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt , Britain to Spain , and East as far as the Black Sea . The Year is A.D. 140 , and it has been 20 years since Rome's legendary Ninth Legion marched north into Caledonia -modern Scotland- to gain control over all of Britain . But in northern Britain , the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy : the savage and terrifying Celts and Picts who were generally thought to not have worn any clothes . Aquila (it is the Latin word for "Eagle") is the son of the Legion's General , and determined to exonerate his father as well as to retrieve the Eagle banner . But his detachment is besieged and deadly attacked . After his legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack , Marcus Flavius along with a slave crossing ¨the Hadrian Wall¨ and both of whom set out in pursuit a great dream : to seek to retrieve the ¨Eagle¨ . They fight for their lives behind enemy lines . As they attempt to destroy the Celt leader and face a desperate struggle to keep alive .

Bloody version based on historical events about Roman conquests with overwhelming battles and great production values starred by Channing Tatum as the fictional Roman officer and Jamie Bell as slave , both of them are two battle-hardened warriors who try to defend themselves against a bunch of bloody barbarians led by a brutal enemy . Stunning battles scenes illuminate the full-blown feats with a plethora of engaging action set pieces on the combats in which the heads and limbs are slice off here and there . There are great action sequences including the gory battle in woods and the final confrontation at the climax of the film . Because of budgetary consideration , cast and crew had only one night to shoot the night battle scene , which gave it the disorganized, raggedy look they wanted . The movie has great action sequences well staged with stylish and vitality , thrills , and turns out to be pretty entertaining . Although is a little revisionist about characters , history and time when is developed the action in a dirty , gritty Roman Empire during its period in Britain . Several action scenes are outstanding with spectacular battle images and thrilling fights . Unfortunately, on small house screens much of the splendor will be lost . The film is well set with nice gowns , evocative weapons , appropriate attrezzo , adequate costumes ; however , production company decided to use stirrups, despite their being anachronistic, because there would have been issues getting insurance for the lead actors, especially as Jamie Bell had never ridden before and he had to learn on set. As the movie makes a big deal out of the supposedly deathly rivalry between Romans and Celts . German archaeologists have found evidence of the 9th Legion on the banks of the Rhine River and carbon-dated them long after these events took place, suggesting that rather than being wiped out , the reason that there is no evidence of the 9th Legion being in Scotland after these battles is that they moved to Germany . The working title for the film was "Ninth Legion" , the story goes that the Ninth Legion marched to Scotland from York with 3000 men and were never seen of again. Historians dispute what actually happened to them. Some believe that they were disbanded, while others believe that they were massacred . The picture results to be a crossover among : The 13th Warrior (1999) by John McTiernan , The Last Legion (2007) by Doug Lefler and Centurion (2010) by Neil Marshall . Support casting is frankly good , such as Donald Sutherland , Dakin Matthews , Tahar Rahim , Douglas Henshall , Denis O'Hare and Mark Strong .

Impeccable and evocative cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle . Being shot on location in Lomond, Argyll and Bute, Summer Isles, Highland, Scotland, UK and Szentendre, Pest, Budapest, Hungary . Filmmaker and his director of photography Mantle spent long time discussing the look of the film before making it , one thing they were adamant about was that it should be shot on location and nowhere near a green screen . Magnificent and stirring musical score by Atli Örvarsson . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Kevin MacDonald (State of play , The Last King of Scotland , How I Live Now ,Touching the void). Kevin shot the film in such hard conditions that some cast members suffered health problems . Rating : Good , it's a nice historical extravaganza well set in ancient Rome , done in great scale and praised for its action sequences .

"The Eagle" is another fine film in the sword-and-sandal genre. It has great action sequences, some fine heroic traits like bravery and courage, and great performances by Channing Tatum (surprisingly), Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland and other good supporting players. It is history and fiction, yet it is rousing in every sense.

No, it is not as excellent and violent/bloody as "Gladiator". Everyone is quick to make comparisons. But it is still very good, and for a PG-13 movie, it has quite some bloody scenes, as a very stark and bleak atmosphere throughout, with a strong sense of unpredictability running throughout the film thanks to very talented director Kevin Macdonald. This is one of the movie's strongest points, proving that simplicity is the key to making some great moments in the film. It brings you into the movie, taking you on a ride through 140 A.D. Scotland as it really should be.

My only gripe is that some of the action sequences have shaky-camera to it, making a few of the action sequences unfocused, but I think, this time, that shaky camera makes sense because it adds to the chaotic sense during that period, where no one is really sure how to battle in that situation, adding to the unpredictability. The pace is moderate, taking the time to develop Tatum and Bell's characters, and the editing is fluid, nicely putting the scenes together. Atli Ovarsson, too, knows when and where to put his music through, allowing the film's more effective moments to shine through with or without the music.

The script is not exactly new but there are some nice twists given to it. The bonding between the Roman and his Briton slave never really goes beyond that to buddy-comedy mode, but there are scenes of mutual respect shown towards each other in a very realistic fashion. Both Tatum and Bell, showing subtle but good chemistry, are great in their roles, I'm especially surprised at Tatum's good performance, as he has proved that he has the acting chops to go along with his good looks. He isn't playing the fool.

Macdonald skillfully directs the film using the traits above and more with focus and attention, using real stunt-men/extras and real locations without a hint of CGI involved, adding even more points to the raw realism of the film. Of course, seeing Macdonald's documentary background, it comes to no surprise that the film has a very realistic feel to it. The bleak atmosphere, gritty but fantastic production and costume design, beautiful cinematography (by "Slumdog Millionaire's" Anthony Dod Mantle, no doubt), and amazing music by Ovarsson (this is his first score which I actually liked) all combine together with Macdonald and cast and crew to deliver a solid, somewhat spectacular action adventure that is old- fashioned and devoid of the usual clichés (there's no generic romantic subplot, thank God!) that seem to plague this film genre lately.

Made in the hands of another, lesser director, this film will probably end up looking like "The Last Legion" or "Centurion", probably overblown and over-stylized. Not here. Kevin Macdonald knows when to put in the bloody scenes, when to put in the music, and that simplicity is best when it comes to everything. This is terrific entertainment made even better by a director who knows what he is doing, and another fine addition to the sword-and-sandal genre.

They don't make them like they use to anymore.

Overall rating: 74/100

Although this story takes place in ancient Scotland before that area had that name, the real basis for this tale is the massacre of a Roman Army in the Teutoberg forest some 100 years earlier and during the reign of Tiberius as Emperor. No one knows what the real story happened to that army as the barbarian tribes left no written record.

The Romans as we know were a conquering people and the northwestern most extent of their conquest was part of the island of Britain. The part they did conquer was what later became England. What was Wales and Scotland developed on their own without Roman occupation. If the Romans had conquered the entire island a whole lot of subsequent history would have changed.

The story of The Eagle which was the battle standard the Roman Legions marched behind was shot in Scotland itself and in eastern Europe which has remained a whole lot like it was 2000 years ago. Channing Tatum plays the son of the commander who took his army into what became Scotland where Roman law has no meaning and it was massacred. Rumor has it that the standard eagle has been seen in Druid camps. That brings disgrace on Tatum's family name as there are no accounts as to just what happened.

While visiting Uncle Donald Sutherland at some gladiatorial games, Tatum on a whim prevents the execution of a slave who won't fight a trained gladiator for the crowd's pleasure. The slave is a Briton played by Jamie Bell and he becomes Tatum's slave and swears fealty to him personally for saving his life, though he makes clear what he thinks of the Roman conquerors.

Tatum decides on a mission to go with Bell north of Hadrian's Wall which marks the boundary of the territory the Romans have conquered to find out what happened. Their adventures and experiences there form the basis for the rest of the story. I will say that Tatum gets to have the unique experience of learning first hand what it feels like to be one of the conquered instead of being a conqueror.

Tatum and Bell play nicely off each other and there are some object lessons about the meaning of conquering a people and the responsibility of governing thereafter. I liked The Eagle because for once in a sand and scandal epic about the Roman Empire the story is told as much from the conquered side as the conqueror.

The Eagle is nicely photographed as well as telling a good, coherent, and moral story. Try to see this one for a different slant on these kind of films.

I held off watching this film as, like westerns of my youth, the whole gladiator/crusader themes have saturated the market for a time. I am glad I waited as I could actually sit down and enjoy this film. Some say the accents were off, the acting stiff. I saw nothing that was overly out of place (including Sutherland's Canadian accent). If they had wanted authenticity, they would have all been speaking Latin.

I am a retired director so watching any film is a bit difficult for me to sit back and let the film take me to another place. Usually I will subconsciously pick it apart as an armchair quarterback. Not so with this film. I enjoyed this film from the credits to credits. I won't go on about the plot. It is basically about the struggle between our perceptions of our parents and reality, the conflicts of people from different cultures, trust and betrayal...basically all the struggles we all face in modern life.

Of particular pleasure was the cinematography and sound...little nuances not found in a lot of films today.

A great piece of work. Not perfect perhaps, but a buddy film much better than I had expected.

The movie has a fairly good opening in my opinion, a rather dull middle and a predictable ending.

The problem with it for me is the same problem I'm seeing with a lot of the new action films. The cameras stays very tight, action is all blurred and close up, so you can't see what's going on. The sound track is all keyed up so you won't be concentrating on the errors in the action. (Which you can't really see anyway) Golly, give me the days of good stuntmen back again.

I liked the opening half hour or so, but the middle is so much like a North American Indian film you lose all sense of the time period. I agree with the former reviewers comments, Gee, if the Britains lived like this why bother with them.

I prefer the mini-series "Rome" to this any day.

The theater chains are also destroying the movie going experience as I have to agonize over 15 minutes of commercials before the main feature starts.

The latest modern film to play swords-and-sandals dress-up is "The Eagle," starring Channing "Pretty Boy" Tatum, a name I bestowed upon him having played "Pretty Boy" Floyd in Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" back in 2008, albeit a part of no significance. I suppose when they coined the term "hunk," no one expected it to apply so literally to the thick and broad-shouldered 30-year-old.

Tatum plays Marcus Flavius-Flave Aquila (okay, just Flavius), Roman centurion and son of a disgraced commander who disappeared along with the entire Ninth Legion and Rome's beloved eagle standard in the north of Britain in 120 AD. Fast forward 20 years and son has chosen to be posted in Britain in hopes of gaining back his, his father and Rome's honor by discovering the fate of the legion and recovering the eagle. For Tatum, this trip into dangerous territory beyond Hadrian's Wall, as it turns out, is also a test of leading man meddle.

Heading up the real American heroes of "G.I. Joe" doesn't exactly count for star capability, and while "The Eagle" barely holds a candle to the Roman epic of all Roman epics that is "Gladiator," it certainly can be seen as a more serious step and one in which the target audience has no interest in ogling him -- just watching him kill rebellious "Seal Men," (precursors to Scots).

Tatum's grades are definitely passing, but he earns more sympathy than attention. He's not quite a commanding presence, but Jeremy Brock's script doesn't exactly show us anything about him other than he feels disgraced and he's a good soldier. Flashbacks and dreams about his father riding off never to be seen again are hardly adequate ways to build a hero who can rally our spirits. He can throw down with the best of them, but he's better stoic.

For the most part, "The Eagle" follows suit. Kevin Macdonald, a versatile and underrated director who has an Academy Award for Best Documentary and also directed Forest Whitaker to his "Last King of Scotland" Oscar, keeps the action moving and more old school -- old school being the days before CGI. The fight in the beginning all the way to the journey beyond the wall and the perils he faces excite and hold attention. For an epic film that places honor and friendship at the center, the stakes just never feel high enough. You'll make an investment in hoping for a peaceful ending, but nothing stirs beyond that.

The film tries to create several dynamics such as Marcus' daddy issues and the relationship between Marcus and Esca (Jamie Bell), his servant whose life he saved, who over the wall could betray him at any moment, but little doubt seeps in. After all, while Esca's a tough and resilient guy, he was once Billy Elliot -- he's probably not screwing anyone over. Actually, Bell's performance hurts Tatum's when all is said and done; he's much more unpredictable.

Roman history nuts will find little to enjoy from that perspective with "The Eagle" as political undertones are practically non-existent and you have Americans playing Romans and Brits playing savage Brits. Brock's script sticks to the action and compelling events, using a historical period to create a tone, much in the way "300" did. Appropriately adjusting expectations for "The Eagle" to this level will help it retain the honor it deserves for capturing 120 minutes worth of interest with eventful action sequences.

~Steven C

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Now I'm not great at working out whether this was historically accurate or not so that's not going to be affect the way I rate this movie. I'm just going to assume that all was well unless someone cares to correct me in my ignorance? Except for the fact that thumbs up in a gladiatorial ring means kill (simulates thrusting the sword up into the body) and thumbs down means live... can't let that one slide, ever! As for whether this was based on a true story or not, I will leave that to the real journalists.

The Eagle is set in Roman occupied Britain in 140AD 20 years after the mysterious disappearance of the whole Ninth Legion in the glens and mountains of Scotland. It follows a Roman centurion, Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) and early on we are introduced to the fact that Marucs's father was standard bearer of the eagle for the Ninth Legion and that, when they along with the eagle, disappeared in the Scottish highlands disrepute was brought to the family of Aquila. Longing to be close to where his father disappeared and to restore his family honour, Marcus hot off the training camp for Roman centurions has requested that his first post be at the edge of the known world near Hadrian's wall, far from the choice any sane man would pick.

Eventually we are introduced to Esca (Jamie Bell) who is indebted to Marcus after having had his life saved by him and becomes his slave as penance. Together they set off to try and recover the lost eagle which forms an intriguing relationship development between the two characters as Esca is forced to obey his Roman master despite his hatred for who he is and what he stands for. This pairing results in an unpredictable plot with Esca's true intentions well hidden throughout.

The main crux of the story seems to be twofold with the development of this relationship between the two men and the desire shown by Marcus to restore the honour of his father and seek closure through the recovery of the eagle. Tatum shines in his part and you can sense the driving passion he has for his cause whilst Bell conveys his internal struggle over his split loyalties well. Other notable acting merit goes to Donald Sutherland for his bit part as the uncle of Marcus.

As a whole the battles portrayed are well choreographed and the cameras thrust you up close and personal with the warriors whilst they fight. In what seems to be a developing trend, the cameras are shaky and unsteady giving that sense you are actually there. The director Macdonald intentionally kept CGI to a minimum and it has paid off with the movie seemingly more realistic for it. The gore is not excessive and allows for the actual fighting to take centre stage rather than how red they can turn the battlefield which I liked.

The Scottish tribes play their part as a conceivable enemy during the film and speak in the native Gaelic tongue which is a nice touch that is less seen now as directors tend to swap to English after a brief dialogue to make it easier on the audience. It was also nice to see that the tribes that crossed paths with our main protagonists each had a different personality and feel about them rather than all being clumped together as Celts and getting portrayed as one generic group.

This movie although set in Roman times is less about the history and bureaucracy of Rome and more about the journey that two men take. It's a solid movie with good acting and fighting scenes but it starts to lag slightly in the middle. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it if there were other choices available but you could do a lot worse.

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I guess stories about Centurions and Legionaries never go out of fashion along with its themes of valour, honour, camaraderie and the likes, and The Eagle adapts from the book The Eagle of the Ninth written by Rosemary Sutcliff published about a half century ago, set in the 2nd Century just after Hadrian's Wall went up in Britain. I suppose given director's Kevin Macdonald's success with yet another historically based drama The Last King of Scotland that he decides to take another crack at it, albeit this time with a little bit more swords and sandals violence.

In recent years we've already seen a number of such films with the likes of Neil Marshall's Centurion and The Last Legion starring Colin Firth and Aishwarya Rai, but this one had a little narrative boost with its historical reference involving the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion weaved into the narrative and forming the back story of its protagonist Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum), who had asked for the Britain post in order to seek the lost honour of his father, leader of the Ninth who had reputedly surrendered cowardly to the enemy.

For starters, Channing Tatum isn't really your character actor, but looked totally in place with brawn over brains leading his men into battle and convincing peers that his family name isn't as tainted as it should be. But for a moment of bravado he gets himself injured and discharged honourably, living at his uncle's place until word came that the eagle standard of the 9th Legion had been found to be in the hands of some indigenous tribe outside of their safe haven. To lead a team into hostile territory will be suicide, but Marcus seeks out that sole opportunity to reclaim his father's name, and coming in tow is the slave Esca (Jamie Bell) with whom he forms a love-hate relationship.

It's a standard action adventure where you put together two misfits who are as serious as can be in seeking out the objective of their quest, containing all the usual formation of a strong friendship cliché made more difficult when the master-slave role got reversed when they're held captive. And you also can't put aside some of the homoerotic undertones between the two men in Batman and Robin fashion, with constant longing gazes at times reflective of threats to get back at each other given the flip=flopping master-slave roles they have to play. The screenplay by Jeremy Brock chooses to focus primarily on the friendship of the men, putting aside the politics of the occasion other than to paint the politicians and bureaucrats as fat cats who talk a lot and sit on their bums.

The battle sequences though were a different cup of tea altogether, with Kevin Macdonald opting for very a very visual treatment that didn't flinch from the bloodier and gorier aspects of close combat. Rarely do you see a decapitation happen on screen, but The Eagle does just that without cutting away. Sure it's movie magic, but the effect is nothing but startling, in addition to slit throats and dismembered limbs. If you're craving for standard period action- adventure fare, then The Eagle will be that film for you this weekend. Look out for that Mark Strong cameo.

Rosemary Sutcliff wrote THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH in 1954. Aimed mainly at teen readers, the story tells a fascinating tale of how an entire Legion of Roman Soldiers vanished north of Hadrian's Wall in present day Scotland. I read this when I was about 15 in 1962. When I first saw this movie, most of the long forgotten story, came back to me. The re-construction of the Roman outpost fort built for the movie was true to authentic designs for such fortifications. The movie captures everything that relates to the original legend.

I remember reading the source book "The Eagle of the Ninth" a few years ago and really enjoying it, fanciful historical fiction that it was, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it made into a movie and a good one at that.

Eschewing the flash and show of your more typical sword and sandal epic, this movie is a gritty affair, short on dialogue, big on strong silences, filmed in natural light and in a variety of normally grey, wet weather conditions. Given that it's set in my native Scotland and directed by a Scot, Kevin McDonald, I can safely say he got that part right.

The story itself is straightforward enough, concerning a young Roman Marcus Aquilas (Channing Tatum) and his struggle to restore his family honour after his centurion dad led the talismanic Roman Eagle, as well as all his men, into an expedition into the savage North of Britain, never to return. Heroically discharged from front-line duty, Marcus is paired up with a young Celtic slave and decides to attempt to retrace his father's footsteps and recover the Eagle, at the same time solving the mystery of the disappearance of the Ninth Legion.

With an atmospheric soundtrack based on Celtic themes, sympathetically realistic landscape photography and committed physical acting by the leads in particular, this was an enjoyable if sometimes dour feature, centring on themes of heroism, loyalty and honour. The American accents grate as they always do in features like this, but Tatum and Jamie Bell convince as initially distrusting allies and while I could have perhaps done with a few more action set-pieces, plus the climactic battle between the remnants of the Ninth and the pursuing natives could have been made more of, this was an entertaining and watchable film with the director cleverly making up for the implausibility of the plot with a down to earth approach which helped to establish some necessary credibility along the way.

I'll keep my review short; no verbose reviews from me. This is one of the better Roman conquest films I've seen. I look for historic, geographic and topographic accuracies and the film starts with densely wooded scenes, reflecting the fact that Britain was densely forested right up until medieval times. The scenes look fairly realistic but the main characters managing to remain cleanly shaven despite being on an arduous journey is not so accurately reflecting reality. I like the genuine use of the Gaelic language by the Celts/Scoti/Picts, a language which I learned in school, so I could follow it, and there is a scene where they drink Uisce Beatha/Uisghe Beatha - The Water of Life - Whiskey/Whisky, the beverage apparently originally brought from Ireland to Scotland by the Irish predecessors of the Scoti. In the long historic run of things, the Roman and Norman conquests of Britain set the path to the island becoming the root of the British Empire, as they introduced the urban and feudal ruling systems respectively. If Britain had not been conquested thus, history and development would have turned out very differently for Britain. This one is worth watching for history as well as for the story itself.

THE EAGLE is based on quasi-historic events written by Rosemary Sutcliff in her novel 'The Eagle of the Ninth' and adapted for the screen by Jeremy Brock. In the hands of director Kevin Macdonald the re-enactment of the Roman wars in Britain become more a study of relationships and moral duty and that is probably the reason the film comes across as a rather quiet, contemplative piece rather than an epic. That is not a bad decision and were it not for the lack of a strong actor in the lead role, it likely would have been a theatrical success.

The story begins in 140 AD in Rome where young Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum), the son of the soldier who allowed the Eagle symbol of Roman victory to be lost in a battle in Britain in 120 AD, becomes a centurion: he asks to be stationed in Britain where he promises his father's departed spirit that he will restore honor to his family by regaining the eagle. Though advised against such a futile mission (the Roman legion south of Hadrian's wall has been unsuccessful in conquering the Britons), Marcus is determined. He is more a devoted son and humanist: he prevents the killing of a young Briton, Esca (Jamie Bell), in the gladiator arena and to repay the debt of saving his life Esca agrees to be Marcus' slave despite the fact that he loathes Rome and Marcus for the damages Romans inflicted on his people. The two men set out to Britain where Marcus assumes command of the tired and disenchanted Roman legion, but with the support of Lutorius (Denis O'Hare) and because of wise decisions about strategy his legionnaires grow to respect him. Marcus' courage results in his being injured in a confrontation with the rogue warriors and he is transported to a hospital with Esca at his side. At the hospital he is tended by his uncle Aquila (Donald Sutherland) who assures his return to health and informs him that Rome has honored his bravery in battle and has rewarded him with an honorable discharge. But Marcus is determined to restore his father's good name and sets off to the north with Esca to gain the eagle. On the way Marcus and Esca become close and Esca provides leadership abilities when the two confront the Seal People lead by the Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim). In a turn of events the Seals capture Marcus and Esca and to save Marcus' life, Esca tells the Seals that Marcus is his slave - a reversal of roles that indicates the relationship between these two men. Once the eagle is discovered and recovered Marcus and Esca flee, Marcus gives Esca his freedom but Esca stays with his new friend, encountering the last of the lost Ninth including Guern (Mark Strong) and Marcus is reassured of his father's bravery and valor and the story speeds along to the expected end.

The film is shot in Scotland and Hungary and the scenery is the star as captured by Anthony Dod Mantle. The original musical score is by Atli Örvarsson and adds considerably to the atmosphere of this rather dark film. Jamie Bell is excellent as Esca, finessing the transition from hateful slave to respectful freed friend. Channing Tatum is rather monotoned and monotonous as Marcus, a role that would have been better suited in the hands of a well- schooled actor rather than an Abercrombie & Fitch model. But the director makes the most of Tatum's presence and the story is not impaired by his presence: it is just not enhanced by it. THE EAGLE fares well on DVD with subtitles provided for the Gaelic conversations with the Seals. It may not be a great movie, but it is fairly solid entertainment.

Grady Harp

For anyone who longs for realistic movies depicting the age of Rome, keep looking. While the film is shot in the gritty format of today, it is far from historically accurate. Within the first ten minutes of the movie, the lack of accuracy becomes glaring apparent. Roman legionnaires form the Testudo formation, the Turtle, to attack irregular infantry. This is of course absurd. The Testudo was used as a defensive formation against missile weapons, but never against irregular infantry.

From here, the movie goes downhill. Blue painted Mohawks make for good visual, but poor accuracy. Enjoy it if you can.

It is pleasing that filmmakers such as Kevin Macdonald are doing their part to keep the "sword and sandals" action-adventure genre alive. While not really a truly *great* film, "The Eagle" is a solid example of this kind of storytelling, with eye-popping scenery (in Hungary and Scotland), excellent production and costume design, and a tale with some real grit, poignancy, and atmosphere going for it.

American actor Channing Tatum stars as a decorated Roman soldier named Marcus, wounded in battle as the Romans move to conquer Britain in the 2nd century. He decides to take on the near-impossible task of venturing "North of the Wall" to enemy territory, to retrieve the title talisman and restore honour to his family name. Accompanying him is Esca (Jamie Bell), a British slave who has some pointed things to say about the way that the Romans have conducted themselves. But Esca is grateful that Marcus decided to spare his life, and proves himself to be very useful and very loyal.

Scripted by Jeremy Brock, based on a novel by Rosemary Sutcliff, "The Eagle" features decently executed action and chase scenes, although it might not possess enough violence for some tastes. (Making it a good thing that there's an unrated version.) It contains some effective plot developments, such as the fact that Marcus and Esca switch roles when the latter comes across "Seal People" who would not take kindly to a Roman character such as Marcus. And these "Seal People" are a definitely interesting, primal bunch who exclusively speak Gaelic.

The acting from the mostly European cast is right on the money. Tatum certainly has the physicality required for his role, but he can't help but come up short when you compare him to better actors like Bell. The moment that Esca is properly introduced into the plot is really when the film comes alive. Donald Sutherland is endearing as Marcus' uncle, and there are meaty roles for performers such as Mark Strong, Denis O'Hare, Dakin Matthews, Tahar Rahim, and Ned Dennehy.

Although it clocks in at a little shy of two hours, "The Eagle" doesn't dawdle, giving us one good scene after another, and ending in a most satisfactory manner. The wonderful traditional soundtrack by Atli Orvarsson is just icing on the cake.

Seven out of 10.

I will admit that I quite enjoyed this reversioning of Rosemary Sutcliff's book "The Eagle of the Ninth". Channing Tatum takes on the role of "Marcus Aquila" - son of one of the cohort commanders of the famous 9th legion that vanished in the highlands of modern-day Scotland sometime in the 2nd Century AD. Determined to restore the honour of his father, he and his slave "Esca" (Jamie Bell) set off to locate the Eagle - the golden symbol of the Roman people that was carried before the legion. This is quite a fast moving little adventure film with an interesting score from Atli Örvarsson to accompany their travails through hostile territory in search of their trophy. There is a chemistry between the two stars and some beautiful outdoor photography. Tahar Rahim is good as the grittily determined and ruthless prince of the Seal people and Ned Dennehy also stands out, albeit for only few scenes, as his slightly deranged father. Mark Strong also appears a few times too, sporting a completely unnecessary American accent! Passes the time enjoyably.

Most of the reviews I saw made me almost not watch the movie, especially with all the goofs, historical inaccuracies, and other things that these reviews mentioned. It should be noted that the reviews weren't really wrong, just maybe shouldn't necessarily stop you from watching the movie.

Sure, the movie wasn't perfect; I gave it a 7 not a 10, so obviously I had a couple issues with it too. I am going to focus mostly on the things I enjoyed about it in my review, as the negative issues are well covered by other reviews. Also, since I did overall enjoy the film, I want to focus on that.

I found the movie to be entertaining, as the plot moved fast enough to keep me engaged. The characters were well acted and well written. I was tearing up at times as I could feel for the characters and their struggles. I felt immersed in the story. There were enough parts that weren't immediately predictable, and not too many things felt forced. I liked how the characters seemed genuine.

So, overall, I really liked the film, and was glad I watched it. It isn't my usual preferred genre, and that is another reason I almost didn't watch it. In the end reviews are generally just opinions, so decide for yourself, but I'd like to think you would enjoy it.

Just back from seeing this load of rubbish and I cannot believe some of the reviews on this site. It makes me wonder whether someone in the studio had one of their lackeys write some of this stuff in order to get people to pay to watch it? Channing Tatum has all the acting skills of a fencepost. End of story. The slave(another fine actor..ho-ho) starts off by spitting hatred at Marcus Flatulence (the Romans had after all invaded his country and his father had to slaughter his mother to prevent her being raped etc) and then ends by being the best of friends? I half expected them to go for a beer! At one point I thought that I was watching the Last of the Mohicans. Who the devil were these Seal Tribe from North Britain? Did any of these tribes( was it supposed to be Clans?)have Mohican haircuts? I've never seen any evidence in any literature to say that they have.I doubt very much whether anyone made any attempt at checking facts. The script was a stinker! If you haven't seen it...don't bother.

I went into this movie not knowing what to expect, and in the end I was rather pleased with it. Beautiful cinematography, great fight scenes, an interesting story . . . The movie also pays incredible attention to detail and is not afraid of a little dirt; one small thing that stood out to me is when they're eating dinner at the uncle's house, and it's kind of dark in there. Movies are always trying to convince us that a few candles light a house just as well as modern electric lights, but this one reminds us that no, they're candles. It's little things like that I found compelling: the characters acquire dirt and grime as they travel, the costumes and buildings are quite detailed, the Britons up in the north speak Gaelic and nothing but Gaelic. Often in movies with foreign languages, the characters will speak that foreign language for a few lines then switch into English. But the Britons keep up their Gaelic, and they speak it smoothly and fluently, too.

I really liked Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell, too. Tatum seems to be trying to speak very properly and it's rather odd, but he's good as a stoic young man who wants to be honorable and is tired of spending his entire life being chastised for a mistake that he did not make. Jamie Bell is rather fantastic as the slave who has every reason to hate Rome except for his growing respect for his Roman master; he's unpredictable and tortured and terribly interesting to watch.

It's not a perfect movie--sometimes I wasn't sure that it knew what message it was trying to convey--but generally I liked it. I will probably purchase it when it comes out.

I enjoyed the mood, tension and action of the early film when the fort was being defended and the build up to the final battle scene in the river. The rest of the film was good, though the impossibility of two men going into the vast area of all of Scotland to find a single object niggled.

There was one impossible scene where the evil warrior produced and killed a young boy who had not raised the alarm when the Roman and his slave left camp. However to get there the warriors had run full pelt for days across Scotland. No way could a young boy have kept up with them and I'm sure they didn't carry him.

Also the very ending spoiled it a little. The two heroes swaggered out side by side, grinning at each other. It was like the ending of one of the old 'road' films with Hope and Crosby.

All in all though an enjoyable film