Visitors Review

(2012-05-24 20:51)

Don't waste your time, read the book instead

This review is from: The Eagle (Amazon Instant Video) I know a book has to be abridged for film, but they made some really bad choices here. Basically they took the book, ripped its guts out, and stuffed it full of cotton candy. And 'UNRATED?' This version clearly says PG-13. Don't waste your time, read the book instead, or watch 'Centurion.' And I was really looking forward to this . . .

codyiden (2012-05-24 02:24)

The Eagle

The Eagle is a period action film set in 120 A.D. and tells the storyof a young commander and his desperate attempt to reclaim the lostEagle of the Ninth, which was carried by his father when they wereambushed by Britain's natives and presumed dead.The films stars Channing Tatum as the young commander who must gain thetrust of his legion, but it is Jamie Bell who manages to steal the filmwith his performance as a native slave to Tatum's character whoseamazing performance keeps the viewer guessing about his trueallegiance. Donald Sutherland also features in the film as Tatum'suncle and as usual does a great job despite having very little to do.Mark Strong and Denis O'hare also appear in smaller roles in the firsthalf of the film.Definitely check this out especially if you enjoy medieval erawar/action films.

Coleguy-983-248843 (2012-05-23 09:23)

Great Movie

The movie was great. The plot and acting depicts bravery, honor,loyalty, friendship, commitment and perseverance. Traits that aregetting harder to find in today's society. I loved the acting ofChanning Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland and the rest of the cast.The characters, their acting, the costumes, the fort, the battle scenesand the geographic scenery transports you back to that time era andmakes you feel that you are in that movie as a silent characterwitnessing history. The battle scenes portrayed action in a mannerwithout being bloody or gory. I liked the personal view of the enemiesand why they became enemies of Rome. It helps to explain why peoplefelt intruded upon, to say the least, by Rome's expansion policy. I canimagine that other people subjugated by Rome must have felt the sameway or, in this case, were not conquered by Rome. If you liked Troy,you'll like this movie. I hope there is a sequel. I'd buy a ticket. Ican't wait until it's on DVD.

(2012-05-22 22:58)

A Good Action Film

I have not read Rosemary Sutcliff's book (The Eagle of the Ninth) but I understand that the book is more of a mystery whereas The Eagle is an action film. Understandably, lovers of the book will be disappointed but, of course, translating a book to the screen is rarely satisfying. I found that The Eagle was better than I expected. The opening of the film, set in the reign of Antoninus Pius (around 140 CE), gives a gritty picture of Roman camp life. Marcus Aquila has arrived in Britain to command the same cohort commanded by his father, who is responsible for the loss of an eagle standard. The film wavers a bit in being precise about the organization of a cohort and a legion but this is not critical to enjoy the film. The day-to-day life in camp is nicely depicted with the high point begin a battle with the Britons who have captured the members of a Roman patrol. The discipline of the Romans is nicely portrayed as they form a testudo formation to rescue their comrades. The costumes are not bad but reflect more of the Hollywood version of ancient dress. The soldiers have the correct footwear but the armor is segmented leather. Spoilers below. Marcus is wounded and recovers at a villa owned by his uncle, nicely played by Donald Sutherland. During a gladiatorial combat, Marcus sees a salve named Esca who refuses to fight and saves his life, becoming his slave in turn. Marcus decides to bring back the Eagle to restore the good name of his father and sets of with Esca acting as an interpreter. They make their way into the Scottish highlands where they are captured by the Seal People, who paint themselves a gray-blue. Esca turns the tables on Marcus by claiming the Roman is his slave. The Seal People look more like American Indians by their clothing and wearing bones for decoration. End of spoilersChanning Tatum is well cast as Marcus. He is the very image of a Roman soldier, brooding over his family's loss of honor and conveying a strong sense of loyalty to his soldiers. Jamie Bell also fills his part very well conveying Esca's reluctant but growing admiration of Marcus. Mark Strong makes a brief appearance, this time not as a villain, as one of the Roman soldiers that survived the massacre of the cohort and went native. Overall, The Eagle is a good action film that keeps your interest. It is beautifully photographed and well acted.

larkies1 (2012-05-22 12:17)

All in all, a good movie, but missing something

This is my first movie reviewI have recently finished watching this movie with a buddy and I thoughtit was neither good nor badIt starts out following the story of Marcus Aquila ( played by ChanningTatem of which is a great actor) who is the commander of a squadron ofaround 100 soldiers(?) and gets attacked by Celtic barbariansAfter getting heavily wounded by an enemy chariot, Marcus is sent to adoctor, is forced to resign from his rank and is scheduled for surgery( which in 100 AD hurt A LOT I'm guessing) A short while after, Marcus passes by a small stadium and sits downwith some buddies to watch a duel between a Celtic slave and anothergladiator; after the battle commences, the slave strangely drops hisweapons and stands to be beaten.After a good amount of punches and blows, the slave is on the groundand ready to be judged by the Roman "thumbs rule" for gladiators (thumbs up lets him live, thumbs down kills him). As expected, most ofthe crowd votes thumbs down mostly due to the fact that they weredisappointed with the lack of fight and wish to see some violence,however Marcus, along with his friends start voting thumbs up whichcauses the rest of the crowd to agree, thus saving his life.The slave is then grateful for his life and offers to become Marcus'sslave to repay his debt of gratitude and afterwords helps for hisoperation on his leg.The next part is very short to explain and is the part I felt wasmissing.Afterwards Marcus and his slave, Esca, embark on a journey to find themighty golden eagle which represents Rome and her glory and find outwhat happened to his father ( according to movie) in the land past thewall of North Rome which is a desolate area for RomansUpon arrival to the major Celtic village, they have a small argumentregarding Esca's Celtic heritage while one of the Celts was watching,in confusion. Esca, speaking in his native tongue explains that this issimply his slave and that they were arguing.Esca fits in extremely well with the community and people start to likehim. Afterwards, Esca, tells Marcus that he is still with him and stillhere to help and with his help, they get the golden eagle and escapewith a search and destroy party of Celts following them.After all the fighting and running, they finally arrive at Rome andpresent it among the senators and Marcus along with Esca is awardedheavily with gratitude.In conclusion, this movie had a good plot, story, and cool fight scenesand I thought that, in a way, this movie was very similar to TheGladiator ( not because it's set in and around Rome) but it was missinga huge part which made the ending a slight disappointment.

hagalmir (2012-05-21 14:47)

good movie except for jerky camera

This is another case of spoiling an otherwise good movie by using oneof those monkeys to hold the camera who seem to get a lot of work thesedays in Hollywood. The average youtube video has steadier cam thanthis! I guess it's supposed to add that "you are there" feeling, but Ido not jerk my head around all the time, so I don't get this kind ofexperience. Several times it looks like someone on the set bumped intothe cam. This is just ridiculous. There is no need for this kind of"action", as there's lots of fighting anyway. All the jerky sceneswould have profited so much from a tripod, it's a pity. Other thanthat, there are some really beautiful shots, and the plot, thoughpredictable, is also moderately reasonable. No female warriors, nosuperhuman heroes, just the Celts (or Picts?) look a lot like punks -but maybe they really did.

collipal-1 (2012-05-21 01:43)

An interesting experience

On the beginning of The Eagle, the mystery of the Ninth Legion,composed by 5000 Roman soldiers who disappeared in the 2nd Century ADduring a military incursion in the UK, is quickly told. So, I thoughtthat the film was going to be a rehash of the same story we sawportrayed in the excellent film Centurion. However, it was not likethat (for better or for worse), because The Eagle pretends to be apseudo-historical sequel which analyzes the mystery 20 years later, andfocuses the epic narrative to a pair of individuals who run the samedangerous location looking for redemption.Director Kevin Macdonald's filmography includes some brilliant movies(One Day in September, Touching the Void and The Last King ofScotland), and even though The Eagle is not nearly as good as thosefilms, I think it represents a good addition to his filmography.However, pity that he brought one of the leading roles from the film toChanning Tatum, an ex-model who became an "actor" because of his looks,and not because of his non-existent talent. Tatum is a bit moretolerable here than he was in other occasions, but his performancestill feels insipid and listless. Nevertheless, the other leading roleis fortunately interpreted by the talented Jamie Bell, who brings asolid performance in his role.Now, I have to make the most important warning about The Eagle: it isnot an action film. Sure, there are some epic battles on the beginningand at the end, but I would estimate that the 95% of the film iscomposed by dramatic scenes. There are some moments from the film whichget a bit dull, but I generally found it well written.So, in conclusion, I think I can give a moderate recommendation to TheEagle, because despite not being very memorable, some dull moments andTatum's performance, it generally kept me interested.

(2012-05-20 19:04)

Well worth watching.

I expected a "B" class movie, but was pleasantly surprised. It was well written, full of action, humor, and emotionally engaging. It got me caught up in the story, and I really enjoyed myself. Channing Tatum is really coming along. He's becoming a first rate actor.

marcp1996 (2012-05-19 15:15)

Best Channing has ever been.

As a massive film fan I was a little apprehensive of watching thismovie because the lead actor was Channing Tatum and he hasn't done alot of good films, but in this on he was brilliant he has never doneanything better than this. I think he done this well because he reallyconnected with his character Marcus Aquila, who was a young Romansoldier to do and retrieve the eagle that is father lost north ofHadrian's wall (Scotland). Jamie Bell was the best out of the twobecause he made believable that this could of actually happened. Andthey both made the sword fighting look like it wasn't planned.Overall I think the actors were brilliant, the director Kevin Macdonaldwas brilliant and the story was great. So I would advise anyone who isinterested in Romans or violence to watch this film.

(2012-05-19 11:38)

(Insert latin phrase which indicates approval)

I love ancient history, and I'm always excited to read about a new historical movie that deals with some ancient event, especially if it is in an epic style. With the Eagle, my excitement was tempered with some reservation, however, because of the main character being played by Channing Tatum, who I had only seen in the Step Up movies (my wife made me watch them) and in G.I. Joe (which was disappointing). Tatum's character in Step Up was so repulsive to me that I could not imagine him playing a dignified Roman in this movie, yet within the first ten minutes of The Eagle he had layed my fears to rest by being not only convincing, but somewhat likeable. The setting puts me in mind of another good recent movie about the Roman occupation of Britain, called Centurion. They are stylistically different movies, but I don't think that its stretching it to view them as companion pieces. The Eagle is gritty and filmed with thick saturation and sweeping cinematography. The battles are exciting and coherent, with only a minimum of the shaky-camera effect that plagues so many movies.I'm not certain that this movie is based on a historical event, per se, but the costumes and cultures seem to be mostly accurate in their presentation. Surprisingly, there is no love story in this movie. That is not a bad thing. The plot leaves no room for an impromptu romance, and allows the movie to focus squarely on the main character's quest to regain his father's honor. If you're a fan of Gladiator or Braveheart, or even Troy and Alexander, this movie will not disappoint you. If you want a 300-style comic book extravaganza, this is not for you. In summary, it is very good historical movie that is worth your time.

stg213 (2012-05-17 06:47)

better than most shots at the topic

There is more than one layer to this onion...On the one hand there's the American hero, roman centurion with anobsession, troubled teen out to prove himself and restore his familyhonor.On the other there's the Briton side-kick, native slave bound by honorto his savior, loyal Sancho Panza guarding and guiding his masterthrough the land beyond the end of the world.And the friendship/adventure layer between the two is the one most willget out this flick.Then there's the historical context of occupied Britain, Hadrian's walland the northern edge of the roman empire, the wild unknown beyond,populated by evil barbarian Indians... or not.First thing the movie does very well (once beyond the wall) is conveythe hostility towards the Romans north of the "pacified area". TheRomans are after all invaders, who took their lands, raped their womenand "civilized" them without any invitation to do so.Second thing it does pretty well is the representation of the tribes.While very few historical fact remains about the tribes that lived inthe highlands at that time the movie manages to convey in part (theseal people are too contrasting, even if absolutely plausible) theirdiversity.(contrary to what some may believe, the Scottish highlands at the timewasn't populated by clans, but by various tribes, brought togetherunder a single banner as "Picts" by their hatred of the Romans andforced to unite to keep them away) Another accomplishment is tocontrast the naivety of the roman centurion to the real life and peoplebeyond the wall. He is literally lost and useless in a world he doesn'tunderstand, bringing along his pompous attitude and conqueror arrogancehe is completely naked and vulnerable without his companion. This addsanother layer of depth to the movie by exposing an ever-true trait ofempires to basically not understand the cultures they invade and havingas sole method the destruction of their identity as a means to pacifythem.One dialogue line that stands out is spoken by Esca (the slave) when heasks why a piece of metal is so important. This, like no other,exemplifies the completely different world views that inhabit the twosides of Hadrian's wall.All in all the movie is far from perfect and screws up royally towardsthe end where the hero(es) defend the eagle from the band of Sealpeople that aren't even after it, but out to avenge the death of theirchieftain... trying to wring emotions and restore the honor of the IXthLegions deserters, the Hollywood-style heroes triumph in order to givea satisfactory ending to the first layer described in this review.

fmbowey (2012-05-16 20:06)

A Classic Tale That Underlines MacDonald's Gift As An Auteur

On the surface the story is a classic quest tale for the lost EagleStandard of the lost Legion IX. The real story however - and Marcus'character arch - is Aquila's search to discover his father's fate andatonement with the memory of his father.Kevin MacDonald has made a very clever film that incorporates littleknown details about the Roman period - enslavement of Romans after theBattle of Teutoburg Forest for one. The cinematography is stunning. Tome, it is the film that Jim Henson never got to make - not surprisingas Duncan Kenworthy was trained how to make a film on The Dark Crystal.- A potential cult classic in my view.All the actors were fantastic. This is not the Channing Tatum ofStep-Up or She's the Man, but of A Guide to Recognising Your Saints andStop-Loss. Jamie Bell does a brilliant cruel turn as Esca, and had meconvinced he had betrayed Marcus. Of course, Donald Sutherland and MarkStrong can never do no wrong.As a Classist, I adore that MacDonald has bothered to get Romanrelationships correct. The film understands the sensibilities of Virtusand Pater-familias, which were sadly lacking in the TV series Rome.There is never a question with who holds the authority between Marcusand his Uncle and when Marcus does overstep his position, he is quicklyput back in his place. None of this children answering back to theirparents which would have certainly resulted in a whipping.People will criticise the film for changing the plot of the book.Cottia is there in Games scene, but I suspect that a relationshipbetween a 26 year old Marcus and a 12 year old girl would cause anuproar amongst modern audiences, no matter how historically accurate.As for Cub's absence, it would have been far too Disney - but if youre-read the book you will realise that Esca takes on the role ofchoosing to return to Marcus, instead of returning to the wild. I waspleased that they changed the chase scene, as the book ends with Marcusand Esca fleeing back to Hardian's Wall with only the slightestscuffle. It was as though Sutcliff was afraid to put Marcus into asituation of danger and conflict, where MacDonald has Marcus lookingfailure direct in the face.

James (2012-05-16 08:39)

Fanaticalaboutfilms Review: The Eagle

Now I'm not great at working out whether this was historically accurateor not so that's not going to be affect the way I rate this movie. I'mjust going to assume that all was well unless someone cares to correctme in my ignorance? Except for the fact that thumbs up in agladiatorial ring means kill (simulates thrusting the sword up into thebody) and thumbs down means live... can't let that one slide, ever! Asfor whether this was based on a true story or not, I will leave that tothe real journalists.The Eagle is set in Roman occupied Britain in 140AD 20 years after themysterious disappearance of the whole Ninth Legion in the glens andmountains of Scotland. It follows a Roman centurion, Marcus Aquila(Channing Tatum) and early on we are introduced to the fact thatMarucs's father was standard bearer of the eagle for the Ninth Legionand that, when they along with the eagle, disappeared in the Scottishhighlands disrepute was brought to the family of Aquila. Longing to beclose to where his father disappeared and to restore his family honour,Marcus hot off the training camp for Roman centurions has requestedthat his first post be at the edge of the known world near Hadrian'swall, far from the choice any sane man would pick.Eventually we are introduced to Esca (Jamie Bell) who is indebted toMarcus after having had his life saved by him and becomes his slave aspenance. Together they set off to try and recover the lost eagle whichforms an intriguing relationship development between the two charactersas Esca is forced to obey his Roman master despite his hatred for whohe is and what he stands for. This pairing results in an unpredictableplot with Esca's true intentions well hidden throughout.The main crux of the story seems to be twofold with the development ofthis relationship between the two men and the desire shown by Marcus torestore the honour of his father and seek closure through the recoveryof the eagle. Tatum shines in his part and you can sense the drivingpassion he has for his cause whilst Bell conveys his internal struggleover his split loyalties well. Other notable acting merit goes toDonald Sutherland for his bit part as the uncle of Marcus.As a whole the battles portrayed are well choreographed and the camerasthrust you up close and personal with the warriors whilst they fight.In what seems to be a developing trend, the cameras are shaky andunsteady giving that sense you are actually there. The directorMacdonald intentionally kept CGI to a minimum and it has paid off withthe movie seemingly more realistic for it. The gore is not excessiveand allows for the actual fighting to take centre stage rather than howred they can turn the battlefield which I liked.The Scottish tribes play their part as a conceivable enemy during thefilm and speak in the native Gaelic tongue which is a nice touch thatis less seen now as directors tend to swap to English after a briefdialogue to make it easier on the audience. It was also nice to seethat the tribes that crossed paths with our main protagonists each hada different personality and feel about them rather than all beingclumped together as Celts and getting portrayed as one generic group.This movie although set in Roman times is less about the history andbureaucracy of Rome and more about the journey that two men take. It'sa solid movie with good acting and fighting scenes but it starts to lagslightly in the middle. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it ifthere were other choices available but you could do a lot worse.For further reviews feel free to check out:http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com

moviexclusive (2012-05-15 23:26)

No thanks to the buff and brawny Channing Tatum, this is one exasperatingly tedious action adventure

Director Kevin Macdonald had Forest Whitaker to work with in The LastKing of Scotland (2006), and was blessed with a fine ensemble castwhich included Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren in his lastHollywood outing State of Play (2009).Here, the Scottish director's leading man is Channing "Dear John"Tatum. What do we get as a result of that uninspired casting? An equallyuninspired Roman epic adventure that brings with it more bore thanexcitement. Adapted by Jeremy Brock from Rosemary Sutcliff's historicaladventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth and based on the supposeddisappearance of the Ninth Spanish Legion in Britain, this BritishAmerican co production tells the story of a young Roman soldier whogoes on a journey to honour his father by finding his lost legion'sgolden emblem – the eagle.It doesn't really matter whether you are familiar with this piece ofhistory, because the movie is marketed as an action adventurefeaturing, well, action and adventure. The boys may be all excitedabout the violence and blood, but the girls have a reason to watch thistoo – the good looking leading men. Tatum, who has shown the world howcharming he is in movies like Step Up (2006) and G.I. Joe: The Rise ofCobra (2009), is the protagonist here: See him brood and emote in the114 minute movie, that is, if you are not bothered by hisexpressionlessly tiresome acting. The well built star has little tooffer here except his good looks, and of course, his good bod. He hasevery reason to don those Roman inspired costumes so that girls couldswoon over how handsome he looks.Elsewhere, we are looking out for Jamie Bell, who is best known forplaying the very likable titular character in Billy Elliot (2000).Besides bit roles in Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Jumper (2008), theEnglish actor hasn't been in the limelight since his outstandingperformance a decade ago. Here, he outshines his co star Tatum as aBritish slave. Bell shows us how he has grown as an actor here byquietly portraying a slave who detests Rome for what it is but stillbound to his master who saved his life. Other commendable performancescome from supporting actors Donald Sutherland (The Mechanic, Reign OverMe) and Mark Strong (Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes).But alas, these fine performances are not enough to save thissupposedly appealing action adventure. No, not even the sweepingcinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle which transports us to the lushand picturesque landscapes of Hungary and Scotland, nor the swellingmusic by Atli Orvarsson which brings us to an era long forgotten bymankind, could salvage the evidently mind numbing production thefilmmakers have put together here.When the movie concludes with a less than impressive ending, you knowthat this may pass off as easy viewing on a boring weekend, but no wayis it going to create an impact like a certain Roman epic adventureGladiator (2000) did.- www.moviexclusive.com

(2012-05-15 12:49)

BEST Recent Release I've Seen

I wasn't sure about this film when i bought it. I love history and movies about Ancient Rome. The plot reminded me of HBO's Rome so I thought I'd see for myself.I'm not disappointed. Channing Tatum is very Good as is Donald Sutherland....in a supporting role....The movie has a plausible plot, great cinematography and costumes and LOTS of action. For the ladies, there is no love interest for Mr. Tatum's character. He is instead entirely focused on reclaiming his family's honor.Its fine once in awhile to have an action film that does not try to hard to appeal to everyone. My only complaint, is minor....the Brittanic tribes portrayed reminded me too much of American indians...were they that similar in real life in terms of culture or was that a "reach" by the director? It DOES NOT hurt the movie.If you enjoy action movies like Gladiator, see this film! GREAT!

(2012-05-14 17:42)

Roma Victrix

Simply put this move was solidly enjoyable one for three reasons:good, realistic roman combat(except for the absence of the pila)NO overdone sex, violence, or other unwanted nonsense that doesn't add well to the picturegood acting. Tatum is very believable and Esca is done very well by the other guy. Donald Sutherland's appearance was surprise to me, and very much a pleasant one.

gazeypm (2012-05-14 15:05)

This movie is based on a children's novel - The Eagle of the Ninth"

The novel on which this was based was an excellent children's novel.all of the authors novels are decent reads even for adults, butdifficult to find. Author is not well known so I was surprised to learnanyone had taken a chance on a film.The movie is quite true to the book. The movie suffers from a limitedbudget which shows in spots here and there but I still enjoyed themovie. It grew on me.I have never seen Channing Tatum in anything before and I enjoyed hisperformance. Jamie Bell was excellent. I would look for other workincluding either of them. I will be purchasing a DVD of this movie.I most enjoyed the development of the friendship between the charactersand the fact that the movie was consistent with the book. Give it achance- you might be surprised.

teacherccc (2012-05-13 21:35)

I really liked it

I couldn't watch the gore and "realism" in Gladiator, so I was veryhappy to see that this Roamn action flick, with plenty of death, wasfilmed in such a way that I knew how bad the slaughter was withouthaving to cover my eyes through it. The casting was excellent, and Iwas pleased to see how much serious gravitas Channing Tatum commands. Icould believe him as a leader of men, including the old, cynical,suspicious ones. Give me a hard man with strong character and I'llwatch him any day! Good story, though as others pointed out,predictable. I thought the writers did a good job of moving the slowmiddle along, without adding gratuitous fight scenes to keep maleaudiences' attention. I did wonder about portraying the Seal peoplemore like American Indians, but I really don't know much about Druidsor other early peoples in Britain at the time of Hadrian, so perhapsit's accurate. I've watched the film 5 times so far, and will continuewatching it every time I catch it on cable. I'll probably end up buyingit.

Hellmant (2012-05-11 17:46)

Roman soldiers once again portrayed as kind of the heroes, which they definitely were not.

'THE EAGLE': Three Stars (Out of Five) Kevin Macdonald (director of 'THE LAST KING OF Scotland', 'TOUCHING THEVOID' and the Youtube experiment film 'LIFE IN A DAY') directs thissword and shield wannabe epic about a Roman soldier's quest to regainhis family honor by recovering a lost golden emblem known as 'the Eagleof the Ninth'. The film is adapted (by script writer Jeremy Brock) fromthe 1954 novel 'The Eagle of the Ninth' written by Rosemary Sutcliff.It stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. In the past I've been somewhatimpressed with Tatum and his film choices (most notably a film called'FIGHTING') but here his acting is adequate at best and the film ismostly a bore.The story's set in 140 AD. Tatum plays a Roman centurion named MarcusAquila who (as the film opens) has just arrived in Britain at his firstcommanding post. He hopes to honor his family's name which has beensomewhat tarnished due to rumors of cowardice from his father when hislegion went missing twenty years earlier and the 'eagle standard' hisfather held went missing as well. After a bold act of bravery in battleAquila is injured and honorably discharged. While recovering with hisuncle (Donal Sutherland) at his home Aquila is impressed by the braveryof a British slave named Esca (Bell) during a gladiator duel. He saveshim from execution and the two form a bond out of respect. Having heardreports of the gold Eagle being seen in Scotland Aquila decides tobegin a journey to recover it with only Esca at his side.The film starts out interesting enough but then gets bogged down indull dialogue, uninvolving character development and a surprising lackof action. It does pick up again in the third act but then ends on asomewhat cheesy and contrived note leaving the overall film experiencea pretty disappointing one. This is especially a let down knowing thatit comes from director Macdonald, who's cinematography and visuals arebeautiful but has seriously failed to tell a compelling story. It'salso sad to see Roman soldiers once again portrayed as kind of theheroes, which they definitely were not. Like I said Tatum is somewhatdisappointing in the lead as well and the rest of the cast is nobetter. The action scenes are decent though and the film does havemoments. Overall I'd say it's definitely one you can wait to see onvideo (as a cheap rental or Netflix turn).Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdMAdy47IrI

(2012-05-11 06:59)

Great Movie

This review is from: The Eagle (Amazon Instant Video) The Eagle has a solid plot and is well written. The action is believable. A definite thumbs up.