Staring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell & Donald Sutherland
Director Kevin MacDonald
Rated M
Score 4/6

In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.

This movie was based upon the novel ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’ written by English author Rosemary Sutcliff. Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel based on some historical records adds to the myth surrounding the disappearance of the Ninth Spanish Legion around the year 117. It should also be noted that the same novel in 1977 was also turned into a six episode television series.
The Eagle is an epic in every since of the word and is very visually luscious taking you to areas of the highlands of Scotland that will leave you in awe to think that people could have lived there some 2000 years ago.
I thought that Channing Tatum was an odd casting choice; nobody can deny that does not have the physical presence for the role he seemed to lack the emotional depth and fire that necessary for Marcus Flavius Aquila while I loved Jamie Bell’s portrayal of Esca.