Susan Granger’s review of “The Eagle” (Focus Features)
While the late Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 sword ‘n’ sandals saga “The Eagle of the Ninth” remains a best-seller in the UK, Kevin Macdonald’s screen adaptation slogs through the story of colliding cultures and one centurion’s quest to regain family honor.
On a remote Roman outpost in Britainnia in 140 A.D., Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) has a personal agenda as he assumes command of a rural fort. He’s determined to restore the reputation of his father, Flavius Aquila, whose 5,000 soldiers of the Ninth Legion vanished without a trace some 20 years earlier after marching into Caledonia, as Scotland was once called. Because of the mysterious disappearance of the men and the loss of their insignia, the Golden Eagle, Hadrian’s Wall was erected, separating Britain from the Northern territories. Marcus is determined to discover what really happened and find that shiny, gilded emblem, symbolizing Rome’s strength, valor and power. Despite warnings from his patrician uncle (Donald Sutherland), Marcus ventures North into hostile territory, reluctantly accompanied by an angry, young Caledonian slave, Esca (Jamie Bell), with divided loyalties, as they encounter savage rogue warriors and the formidable Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).
After collaborating on “The Last King of Scotland,” screenwriter Jeremy Brock and director Kevin Macdonald emphasize Rome’s empire-building political subtext through the character of Guern (Mark Strong), who deserted the Ninth Legion during a highland ambush, explaining, “All I know is we had it coming.”
Amid the clanking of metal, grunting, slashing and screaming of hand-to-hand combat, there’s plenty of bravery and bravado, chronicled by Anthony Dod Mantle’s clever camerawork and Michael Carlin’s evocative production design. Problem is: while Jamie Bell (“Billy Elliot”) conveys his ambiguous character’s inner conflict, jaw-clenching Channing Tatum exudes only grim stoicism, and their relationship forms the crux of the dramatic tension. Plus, there are inevitable comparisons with Neil Marshall’s “Centurion” (2010) which covered much of the same territory.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Eagle” is a fierce, yet fragmented 5 – with an inexplicable PG-13 rating, considering the graphic violence in the battle scenes.
