The Eagle
2011 Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Synopsis
In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.
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A small-scale historical epic, "The Eagle" boasts handsome production design and lush cinematography. It does not have the sweep, scope, or gloriousness of "Braveheart," "Gladiator," or even "King Arthur," but the film is highly watchable, thematically rich, and it tells a nicely compact story.
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I can well imagine many people feeling short changed by the end of The Eagle, because the marketing would have you think this is a bloody, battle-strewn Roman epic of two warriors fighting to the death. Yet look at the director - is Kevin MacDonald really likely to make such a film? Turns out he hasn't at all, the fleeting few battles we do get merely a component of what in reality is a drama about honour, bravery, loss and imperialism with very on-the-nose parallels to the United States. It makes for a deeper, if not quite as entertaining movie than you hoped.
It's immediately let down a touch by the fact it has two of the least-inspiring young actors…
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Rewatch, weil im tv
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Once upon a time i wanted to watch an action film, something that had a bit of a plot and at the same time a bit of acting with a bit too much fighting, and a good sound track wouldn't have been amiss either. This movie had none of these things. It is not often that i will get up from watching an action movie and say, "Well I just wasted a portion of my life" but i did after The Eagle. And what the heck is with that ending?
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I don't know how to rate The Eagle! It was awful and ridiculous, but those were the reasons why I enjoyed watching it?
Oh the hero's journey – I'm sorry that I can't take you serious if you come wrapped in a movie like this. If you watch this movie, thinking "honor" is an actual person, you must think it's the most amazing human being of all times, considering the torture they endure and effort they make for it. And then you find out it's actually a golden eagle figurine on a stick.
Then there's the fist-handed commentary on imperialism, by having all Romans speak with an American accent. And then you wonder why this movie is so beautifully filmed…
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Lovely scenery --- Esca and Marcus' relationship made the film worth watching.
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By no means a bad film, its just nothing all new here. Its shot well an uses the locations beautifully. Only the story lets it down
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Ein ziemlicher Bromance Film in toller Optik. Story war allerdings eher lasch und das alternative Ende welches sich auch auf der BD findet, hätte eigentlich verwendet werden MÜSSEN!
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Rewatch, weil im tv
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Anne en Marthe
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Anne en marthe
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not a bad film but nothing special
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The plot revolves around the character of Marcus Flavius Aquila, which sounds really familiar to me. Idk, probably mentioned in Son of Neptune. There were some inconsistencies, like during the last battle scene. It’s like, wow so the Painted Faces found them right after Esca brought back Marcus’ father’s remaining army? That part was inconsistent although essential to the plotline I guess.
It was nice and my favorite scene was the part where Marcus was commanding to defend his garrison and trying to get back his patrol who were captured by the Celtics.
If you’ve read The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, the campers at Camp Jupiter will always note that the Romans are known for their discipline…
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I don't like epic films... My mother chose to see this movie on a Saturday afternoon. That's the reason that I saw this.
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Channing Tatum is good in certain movies, rom-coms, dance/stripper movies, buddy comedies. And in some ways this is a "buddy" movie, but he's just not that good in historical period pieces. Know your limits, stick to what you know you're good at--and now you know.