IR: The Eagle

The Eagle is a very sexy slash fiction fodder action film. What I have learnt from it is that Romans are awesome! I knew this already in the depths of my mind but I was reminded by their ingenious army formations (Square! Tortoise!).

Pictured: Military Might

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The fight scenes are very good, involving the necessary hand-to-hand fighting without sophisticated weaponry or ninja fighting skills, just lots of down-to-earth metal clanging against metal (that's if you're lucky, otherwise it's metal against your bone). I loved the chariots with wheel spikes and the wooden fortifications behind which the Romans lived, it reminded me of all the Asterix books I used to love.

My only real criticism of the film is that it was too short; after a certain point the plot just runs away and refuses to stand still and be filmed. It was a long enough film but I could have done with a few more scenes in the middle of it, since the set-up and conclusion are good but it jumps between them a bit too quickly for my liking.
4/5

I have to say from the get go that The Eagle was a lot better than I expected. Or rather, a lot more interesting. I always expected it to be well made, but the plot and themes are a lot more subtle and the script a lot smarter than the trailer made out. Not that the piece is without its flaws...Donald Sutherland as a Southern American Roman 'Dude' for one.

Man, that Gladiator is like, totally cool.

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Maybe part of this slightly elevated script is that it is based on a novel, 'The Eagle' by Rosemary Sutcliff.

I'm not a student of ancient history and so I cannot say whether the film is well researched, but it definitely FEELS well researched. There is a sense of reality about the costumes, the locations and the people; for example the Garrison which Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) is posted looks and feels functional - somewhere people actually live, eat, fight and die.
Tatum himself makes a very credible Roman Officer; noble and brave,concerned with Roman values of family honour (and of course, family shame), admirable but also capable of ruthless and merciless action. And Jamie Bell, also, is great as Esca the seething, wooden faced slave who will not break a bond of honour even if means serving a man he hates.
That central relationship can, I believe, be legitimately read as a love story or as a straightforward buddy movie. The subtlety of the script means that either is as likely and a credible as the other, and I can't really see the Romans having a problem with relationships between men and men.

Oh, yes, by the way, this film is about MEN. Lots of MEN. Women are in evidence and in the pict/celt tribes they look pretty badass, but the film is about MEN.
And even though the film may be about MEN and HONOUR and FIGHTING at points it is also surprisingly reflective and gentle. We end up routing for Marcus and Esca despite the many problems that their quest flags up (are the Romans just crazy expansionists? Who are the real savages? Is it okay to waste this much time just to recover a symbol?) because they do it with such determination. And there is a central philosophy in the film that many soldiers have come to appreciate; that they actually have far more in common with their military enemy than their own leaders.

However, that's not to say that there ins't violence. And some actually quite nasty things as well...not hugely graphic, in fact the film cuts away most of the really gory stuff, but enough is left to make you wince. Its a 12A, but I DO NOT advise taking 12 year olds in.
Overall the Eagle is well worth a watch, even if, like Britta, you like it mainly because of the undertones.

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The sexy, sexy undertones.

3/5