The Eagle (2011)

In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writers:

Jeremy Brock (screenplay), Rosemary Sutcliff (novel)

Stars:

Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Channing Tatum	...	Marcus Flavius Aquila
Jamie Bell	...	Esca
Donald Sutherland	...	Uncle Aquila
Mark Strong	...	Guern
Tahar Rahim	...	Seal Prince
Denis O'Hare	...	Lutorius
Dakin Matthews	...	Claudius Marcellus
Douglas Henshall	...	Cradoc
Paul Ritter	...	Galba
Pip Carter	...	Servius Placidus
Ned Dennehy	...	Seal Chief / The Horned One
István Göz	...	Cohort Centurion
Bence Gerö	...	Celt Boy / Young Marcus
Zsolt László	...	Paulus
Julian Lewis Jones	...	Cassius

Storyline

In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) 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 (Bell), 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

hadrian's wall | britain | honor | disappearance | eagle | 

---

Taglines:

The destiny of a soldier. The honour of a slave. The fate of an empire.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for battle sequences and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Focus Features [us] Official Facebook

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

11 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Eagle of the Ninth

Filming Locations:

Achiltibuie, Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,038,954 (UK) (25 March 2011)

Gross:

£2,770,774 (UK) (15 April 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Film4, Toledo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two lead actors in this film both had breakthrough roles playing dancers: Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot and Channing Tatum in Step Up.

---

Goofs

As Marcus and Esca ride across the countryside, they use stirrups, which are not known in Europe until the 7th century AD.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Marcus Aquila: Marcus Flavius Aquila, Fourth Cohort of Gaul, Second Legion, come to relieve the command.
Lutorius: Lutorius Drusillus Salinator, acting senior officer.
Marcus Aquila: Where's the garrison commander?
Lutorius: He left this morning, sir. Couldn't wait to get away.

---

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.5 (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"The Return of the Eagle"
Performed by Torc
Featuring The Neff Brothers and Atli Örvarsson

User Reviews

Excellent adaption from Sutcliff's novel

I thoroughly enjoyed Rosemary Sutcliff's adventure novel and I felt this movie was true to the book, with a few changes that actually made the story better.

First off, Sutcliff wrote a book for teen readers and the movie was done in such a way that I felt comfortable bringing my teenage son to see it. There was violence, owing to the times, but not graphic like most movies these days. In fact, people were killed or executed with most of the gory parts off screen or to the side so you didn't see the actual act. There was no sex or nudity, which for me is a nice change when I want to see a feature film for the story and not have these scenes thrown in for that type of audience.

The story is an intelligent historical adventure bringing the viewer into an unknown world in Northern Scotland. It depicts accurately the relation between the conquering Romans and their subjugated Brittons and Celts. We see Roman period soldiers accurately represented and native Picts as they may have been (without many historical records to verify their way of life).

The movie is also about a friendship that builds between two men from opposite sides of the conflict and the bonds that build despite their differences in culture. There are lots of battles, beautiful scenery, and excitement.

The movie follows Sutcliff's hunt for the 9th Legion Eagle, lost beyond Hadrian's Wall in the the mysterious land of the Picts, ruthless tribes of barbarians in present day Scotland. Despite some recent evidence that the 9th Legion was never destroyed in Scotland, the story is captivating and despite being fiction has a real authentic feel.

I loved this movie and hope for more like it. 10/10