DVD: The Eagle (12)
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There's something old-fashioned about Kevin Macdonald's adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 Roman yarn The Eagle of the Ninth.
Eschewing the CG-saturated action of recent big-budget sword'n'sandal epics, the former documentarian strives for historical grit over brutality, immediacy over scale – unlike recent Ninth Legion bedfellow Centurion from fellow Brit film-maker Neil Marshall, which went for Michael Fassbender's exposed jugular.
A solid boys'-own adventure, The Eagle's wings are clipped by two-dimensional drama, embodied by its leading man Channing Tatum, whose Marcus Aquila looks the part but indulges in some decidedly 21st-century pouting. Tatum sets off with a slave (Jamie Bell, shackled in every sense) to cross Hadrian's Wall into savage Caledonia (the cinematography is suitably chilly north of the border) to find the golden eagle standard of the Ninth Legion, who disappeared mysteriously 20 years previous, commanded by Aquila's father.
With the conclusion and Aquila's family honour never in doubt, much of Sutcliff's story is left in the mud. The key relationship between the leads never moves beyond buddy-buddy bonding. But the sturm und drang of battle against feral Picts is hearty enough, even if it would have been scarier to create an army of bile-spitting Frankie Boyles to decimate Roman self-esteem with off-colour gags about Caesar's wife.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments