What’s on now: Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special, now streaming on Netflix. Speaking of which, what the HELL is up with the 60% price increase?!
Don’t call it a comeback! No, really. Don’t. Goodness only knows how long I’ll be able to make myself stick with writing this time.
Anyway, on to the real reason why you’re reading this. I honestly wasn’t expecting much out of The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. I rented it because honestly, well, I think Channing is smokin’ hot.
But I was actually pleasantly surprised by the movie. Was it an Oscar-worthy period piece? Not really. But it was fun! It wasn’t quite as good as Gladiator (but seriously, what is?). If I was to list the Roman-era action/adventure flicks I’ve seen, number one being the best, it would look something like this:
1. Gladiator
2. The Eagle
3. King Arthur
4. Centurion
WHAAAT??? I liked The Eagle better than King Arthur???? BLASPHEMY. Clive Owen will shun me!
But it’s true. The two of them are VERY close. King Arthur has fancier fighting and a lot more of it. But The Eagle has no romance subplot. Not one. I’m not even terribly sure I remember a single female character in the movie at all. HALLELUJAH!
Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against women in historically based adventure films. Quite the contrary. My favorite scene in any of the above movies was about six seconds long and it was in King Arthur when Keira Knightley and about four of her Pict girlfriends completely cluster-f****d some black-bearded Nordic buttmunch who looked like a cross between Hagrid and... well, Blackbeard. I just have a problem with romance for romance’s sake. Love triangles for the sake of sensational drama is even worse (*coughcough* LOST, although that was more like a love decagon).
So, onto the plot summary. The Eagle follows Marcus Flavius Aquila (Tatum), a super-studly young Roman officer. He’s out to reclaim his family’s honor, which was lost when his father led a legion into north Britain and never returned. He succeeds when he bravely defends his first command post from a British attack, but he is badly injured in the fight. He’s sent to his uncle’s villa to recuperate, though he is never expected to return to battle again. DonaldSutherland has the small role of Marcus’ uncle, Aquila.
No longer with the army, Marcus is lost, feeling like his life is suddenly without purpose. He may have made a name for himself in the battle, earning the love of his men and the respect of Roman politicians. But his father is still regarded as a failure. The legion he led, the one that disappeared, carried the golden standard of the eagle, Rome’s beloved symbol. The standard was lost when the legion disappeared. Marcus believes if he can recover the eagle, he will recover his father’s honor.
So he sets off to the unconquered territory north of Hadrian’s Wall with only his slave, a Briton named Esca (Jamie Bell), to accompany him. The rest of the film follows his journey battling enemies and nature and his own doubts about his people and himself.
I liked the chemistry between Channing and Jamie. They have this whole push-pull, love-hate bromance thing going on that’s kind of fun. Marcus never wanted a slave, but he saved Esca’s life, so Esca actually insists upon serving him. But all the while, Esca openly hates Rome and all her subjects, Marcus included, and everything it stands for. He has absolutely no problem sharing his feelings on the subject, which does cause a few doubts in Marcus’ mind. It’s an interesting relationship.
I also give major props to Channing. I thought I’d be watching his typical wangster character from Step Up and Coach Carter running around the British countryside in a funny Roman hat. Only the second part of that is true! He only wears the hat for a couple minutes in the first part of the movie, and he cleaned up his accent for the role. Really, he sounded very classy.
Thank GOODNESS they didn’t have the Roman characters speak in British accents. They were all American, which I’m pretty sure is a first in this kind of movie. I liked it, though. Everyone was consistent, too. Some movies (*coughcough VALKYRIE) have people from the same national background speaking in various different accents. I hate that. The Eagle didn’t do that.
But anyway, Channing did a surprisingly good job! I love him anyway because I just love him (I actually watched GI: Joe more than once, for goodness sake). But I was proud of him for this little foray into some fairly serious acting. He’s getting better! This was another “step up” (haha, see what I did there? Puns FTW) from Dear John, which I thought he did a good job in too. I mean, he cried convincingly. Twice. That counts for something in my book. I loved him in this and I hope he continues to do good things.
If you’re looking for some fun action, The Eagle might be just the thing for you. Especially if you liked King Arthur, Centurion and/or The Last Legion, it’s along the same lines. Or if you're looking for some battle scenes with sexy men who can also dance like it's nobody's business. Whatever floats your boat!
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Rated PG-13
2011
