Epic filmmaking has fallen out of favor, but The Eagle fights hard to bring it back. Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) chose to lead a Roman garrison in occupied Britain because that's where his father lost a military standard--a metal eagle, representing the glory of imperial Rome--on an expedition into the northern wilds. To reclaim his family honor, Aquila sets off into native territory to recover the eagle, with only a slave named Esca (Jamie Bell) to help him--but the more Aquila learns about Esca's history, the more he has reason to doubt his slave's loyalty. The Eagle starts with engaging momentum; this is a work of fiction, but there's an impressive commitment to the details of life, evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of a raw and brutal time. (Director Kevin Macdonald began as a documentarian, which no doubt contributes to his appreciation for grit and sweat.) Tatum is not the most versatile actor but he has enough solid charisma to anchor the movie; Bell's fluid emotional presence keeps their relationship dynamic. The movie loses steam in the last third, as the outcome is never really in doubt and the plot mechanics start to feel a bit rote. But for anyone with an interest in the era, or who simply enjoys a taste of blood and thunder, The Eagle has pleasures aplenty.
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Channing Tatum | Marcus |
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István Göz | Cohort Centurion |
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Bence Gero | Celt Boy |
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Denis O'Hare | Lutorius |
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Paul Ritter | Galba |
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Zsolt László | Paulus |
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Julian Lewis Jones | Cassius |
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Aladár Laklóth | Flavius Aquila |
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Marcell Miklós | Fort Legionary 1 |
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Bálint Magyar | Fort Legionary 2 |
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Ferenc Pataki | Fort Legionary 3 |
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Bálint Antal | Young Legionary |
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Lukács Bicskey | Druid |
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Douglas Henshall | Cradoc |
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James Hayes | Stephanos |
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Donald Sutherland | Uncle Aquila |
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András Faragó | Captain of the Gladiators |
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Jamie Bell | Esca |
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Simon Paisley Day | Surgeon |
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Dakin Matthews | Claudius |
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Pip Carter | Placidus |
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Ben O'Brien | Milecastle Guard |
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Róbert Bánlaki | Young Rogue Warrior |
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Brian Gleeson | Traveller 1 |
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Jon Campling | Traveller 2 |
| Director | Kevin MacDonald |
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| Writer | Jeremy Brock, Rosemary Sutcliff | |
| Producer | Caroline Hewitt, Duncan Kenworthy, Miles Ketley, Charles Moore, Tessa Ross | |
| Musician | Atli Örvarsson | |
| Photography | Anthony Dod Mantle | |
| Edition | Unrated Edition |
|---|---|
| Packaging | HD Case |
| Nr Discs | 1 |
| Screen Ratios | Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) Theatrical Widescreen (2.35:1) |
| Audio Tracks | DTS 5.1 [French] DTS 5.1 [Spanish] DTS [English] DTS-HD High Resolution Audio [English] |
| Subtitles | English | French | Spanish |
| Distributor | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| Layers | Single side, Single layer |
| Edition Release Date | Jun 21, 2011 |
| Regions | Region 1 |
| Watched | |
|---|---|
| Index | 3964 |
| Added Date | Dec 12, 2012 01:15:23 |
| Modified Date | May 17, 2019 03:36:50 |