Sharpe's Eagle was the first book in the bestselling series by Bernard Cornwell, and one of my favourites. It had it all: danger, heroism, massed battles, adventure, and plenty of peril. Sadly, this television movie lacks a decent budget, so every action scene from the book suffers, and many are missed out. The huge marching French column at the end of the novel is nothing more than a few French stragglers, the whole "cut off on the other side of the river" scenario is simply excised, and the final confrontation between Sharpe, Harper, and a couple of huge axe-waving heavies is totally missed.
I could cope with the lack of excitement if the rest of the film was done well, but it's not. The acting seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Bean, Box, O'Malley, and Troughton all put in very good performances, as does a youthful Daniel Craig playing a roguish bad guy. But the rest of the cast seem to give hammy turns, especially Michael Cochrane's excruciating Simmerson. The movie is heavy on talk and dialogue and moves at a sluggish pace. The Portuguese locales look very nice, as do the costumes and sets, but it's not enough to save the film. Even though Bean does his best, SHARPE'S EAGLE is a disappointment.
I could cope with the lack of excitement if the rest of the film was done well, but it's not. The acting seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Bean, Box, O'Malley, and Troughton all put in very good performances, as does a youthful Daniel Craig playing a roguish bad guy. But the rest of the cast seem to give hammy turns, especially Michael Cochrane's excruciating Simmerson. The movie is heavy on talk and dialogue and moves at a sluggish pace. The Portuguese locales look very nice, as do the costumes and sets, but it's not enough to save the film. Even though Bean does his best, SHARPE'S EAGLE is a disappointment.