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Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Eagle

A still from the movie 
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland
Direction: Kevin Macdonald
Genre: Action
Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
Photogallery
Old-fashioned action film

Story: Based on a 1954 bestseller by Rosemary Sutcliff, the film traces the adventures of a centurion, Marcus (Channing Tatum) who sets on a perilous journey to restore his family honour in 140 A.D. He is determined to bring back the Eagle, a symbol of the missing Roman Ninth Legion which disappeared after his father's death. He is accompanied by his slave and buddy Esca (Jamie Bell) in this life-threatening expedition.

Movie Review: If you are still interested in a sword and sandal epic when people fought with naked swords and slim knives, minus all the SFX blitzkrieg and rode horses, rather than hi-tech machines, then The Eagle is your weekend watch. With a landscape that brings back memories of Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings) and heroes who bleed and bay for blood, this one's as traditional as they come. Sadly, it lacks the grandiloquence of The Gladiator, despite its wrestle-and-fist fury and tends to become a long-drawn misadventure in places.

Also, it may be set in the distant, very distant past, but all that allusion about defending the Eagle and fighting the savages has a pronounced all-American flavour. Unlike Avatar, this one's heavily loaded against the indigenous tribes, who, with their painted faces and their sinister aura, are truly barbaric and prime enemy material.

The Eagle is low on the thrill quotient and is meant for those who like their drama divested of all CGI-fest.

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