The Eagle

Title: The Eagle (12)

Year: 2011

Running Time: 114 minutes

Director: Kevin MacDonald

Cast: Channing Tatum (Marcus), Jamie Bell (Esca), Donald Sutherland (Uncle Aquila) Notes: Nominated for one award.

Rating: 8

Thoughts:   In Roman Britain a young soldier seeks to honour his father by recovering a lost Eagle.

This is a very nice looking film, a bleak and ancient Britain captured well. The story is strong and it's all kept quite pacey.

I do feel that Tatum occasionally overplays the dark and brooding, no doubt directed that way, and sometimes you do feel he could do with cheering up a little.

The fighting is filmed up close and personal, immersing itself in the confusion. Fortunately the fight scenes aren't too long so this style does more or less work.

They play with history a little, to allow for the story to progress, but there is a sense of realism to the setting if not the facts. That makes for a strong starting point for the excellent story, and the cast then does its bit to keep this moving.

It looks great and has plenty of strength, and the interplay between the two main characters is especially good.