The Eagle

Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) is a Roman Centurion newly assigned to Britannia. He is the son of Flavius Aquila, a man who lost a Roman Eagle - symbol of a legion - and the whole of the 9th Legion somewhere in Caledonia (Scotland). It is a blight on the family honor that he hopes to restore. He wins his troops respect in battle but, in doing so, he is severely wounded and discharged from service. Is his quest over before it has begun? His uncle (Donald Southerland) takes him in during his convalescence and even buys him a slave named Esca (Jamie Bell). Esca survived the Gladiatorial Ring solely because of Marcus' intervention and, though he hates all things Roman, he willingly serves. Marcus is nearly whole when a rumor comes that the Eagle has been seen north of Hadrian's Wall. Marcus is determined to retrieve it, even if he has to go only with Esca. Once beyond the wall and therefore beyond Roman Law, the dynamic between Marcus and Esca changes. How seriously does Esca take his vow to serve a Roman now that he could be free?

The movie is separated into three parts (not unlike Gaul). The first is Marcus' stint as commander of a fort on Hadrian's Wall where his skills are displayed and surely save the garrison. Next there is his time in southern Brittani where he recovers from his wounds and acquires Esca. Lastly, there is the hunt for the missing Eagle far beyond the wall. It is not a fast-paced movie. There is a lot of fancy cinematography, showing streams lapping over rocks, the vastness of the Caledonian Highlands, the quiet fields of Britannia, and so forth. This tempers the movie so that it does play as an action-packed blood fest like Gladiator (2000). Even so, I liked the first part the most. The movie does an excellent job with Roman garrison life and the Roman field tactics are great. The shield wall against screaming barbarians is awesome.

 

I saw this movie in July, 2011.  After reading this review, I want to watch it again.  :)