Film Review | The Eagle

No matter what you think of sword ‘n sandals epics, unlikely buddy films or stories of Roman political intrigue – which The Eagle is in equal parts and at various intervals –the one thing that is bound to strike you as you sit through the Channing Tatum starring adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 boy’s own adventure romp is the curious smattering of accents.

Often a sticking point for those finicky about historical (and regional) accuracy, accents are easy prey when it comes to lavish – and, crucially, American – film productions.

The Eagle being a Transatlantic collaboration – director Kevin Macdonald hails from Scotland while distribution was in the hands of US-based Focus Features – you’d expect a less cringe-worthy take on the way ancient Romans and, in this case, their Briton adversaries, spoke.

But when you see UK’s current It Boy villain Mark Strong (Kick-Ass, Sherlock Holmes, The Young Victoria) playing a Roman-turned-half-Pict who speaks in an American accent, a double-take is more than justified.

This, thankfully or not, is just about the only complicated thing about Macdonalds’s solid but forgettable film.

The opening epigraph informs us that basically, Emperor Hadrian’s Romans were having as much trouble with the Brits as Ceasar from Asterix did with the Gauls. In this treacherous territory – infamous for its savage druidic tribes and dismal weather – the legendary Ninth Legion disappears, their leader disgraced for losing its rallying standard: the gold eagle. 

20 years later, the leader’s centurion son, the broody Marcus Flavius Aquila (Tatum), is stationed as garrison commander in what is now Northern England. He makes his mission clear to his uncle early on: he will follow up on rumours that the eagle lies behind Hadrian’s Wall, and will go on a solo mission to retrieve it… even if the received wisdom claims that no Roman can possibly survive beyond the wall – a merciless hinterland where savages thrive.

Enlisting the help of a Esca (Jamie Bell), a Briton slave whose life he saved when he managed to halt his execution in the gladiatorial arena, Aquila soldiers on regardless. But Esca’s loyalty to his Roman master is openly one of duty, and duty alone… and neither of them can be sure if it can survive the harsh no-man’s land beyond the wall.

Here’s the thing about The Eagle: it’s satisfying precisely for the reasons you’d expect. A heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship forged in adverse conditions. A timeless adventure story where a tough guy metes out tough justice for an unambiguously tough Empire. A journey into the savage lands, where only the stronger – and morally better – will survive. I think you catch my drift.

And this is all well and good (if you can stomach clichés, albeit well-polished ones, as part of your cinema-going escapades). But unfortunately, as the ever-so-traditional story plods on, we have nothing to capture our attention between the skirmishes.

As the pair travel through the land, their journey is depicted through – yep, you guessed it! – a map dissolving into stretches of (Hungarian, by the way) landscape.

Of course it doesn’t help that while Tatum may look like a perfectly chiselled Roman statue, he has the charisma of one too.