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Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell star in this period piece adventure about a Roman solider (Tatum) and his slave (Bell) who venture into the barbarian wilds of Scotland to retrieve a golden eagle statue the Romans lost in battle there twenty years prior. Tatum’s character is the son of the commanding officer whose legion lost the treasured totem. He’s driven by a desire to restore his family’s name back in Rome. Bell’s character is given to Tatum by his uncle (Donald Sutherland) after Tatum’s is wounded in battle and discharged from military service. We’re never quite sure if Tatum can fully trust Bell, especially when the two are discovered by Bell’s tribe in the Scottish highlands. The tables turn, master becomes slave, and the quest for the eagle is put in peril.
The Eagle is never quite as exciting or emotionally gripping as other historical adventures like Master and Commander or Kingdom of Heaven. The film’s relatively few big action scenes rely on disorienting ‘shaky cam’ and rapid editing, and the character development — though ripe with potential — is handled a little too stoically to foster much attachment to the characters. Tatum struggles with accents as much as most bankable stars do in this sort of movie, but he gives a commendable performance. Bell, Sutherland, and other supporting players feel more at home with the material.
Director Kevin Macdonald, an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, lavishes remarkable attention to period detail. The film uses little or no discernable computer-generated imagery, opting instead to shoot on location in Hungary and Scotland. The scenery is perhaps the film’s greatest asset. Atli Örvarsson’s dynamic score is also pretty striking.
I’m not sure if it’s the best idea to send a hero in pursuit of an object (the golden eagle) that has only symbolic importance. Audiences respond much more readily to motivational concepts like love and revenge. But The Eagle‘s two stars are charismatic enough to keep us watching what they’re up to, and the journey through this ancient setting at the untamed outer limits of the Roman Empire has definite escapist appeal.
Based on a novel by Rosemary Sutcliff.