Starring: Channing Tatum, Jaime Bell, Mark Strong
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald (“State of Play”)
Written by: Jeremy Brock (“The Last King of Scotland”)
If it was possible ignore the inconsistent accents, the hammy dialogue, or the cast full of men playing dress up in 2nd century Roman costumes instead of fleshing out authentic characters, then maybe “The Eagle” would feel more like a fictional epic and less like a second-rate miniseries found on Starz after midnight. Without the sex and the campiness, what’s the point?
Instead, “The Eagle,” directed by Kevin Macdonald (“State of Play”) based on a script adapted from Rosemary’ Sutcliff’s 1950s novel “The Eagle of the Ninth,” takes itself entirely too serious. With a lifeless Channing Tatum (“The Dilemma”) taking the lead, the whole production feels like a charade in Roman warfare.
In “The Eagle,” Tatum plays Marcus Aquila, a young Roman centurion who sets out with his British slave Esca (Jamie Bell) to learn the truth behind his father’s disappearance and tarnished legacy. To bring honor back to his family’s name, he plans to go out and find a symbolic golden eagle, an emblem once carried by his father when leading a 5,000-man legion known as the Ninth.
The plot never expands from there making Marcus’ search for the statue feel more like a high school scavenger hunt. While the numerous battle sequences do their best to keep the action high, Macdonald’s decision to shoot the sword-weilding scenes so chaotically is a misstep. By the third bloodless combat scene, they all start meshing together and lose interest.
Without any depth to the screenplay and some unintentionally humorous homoerotic character interaction, “The Eagle” is all brawn and no bite. Tatum may have that leading man screen presence, but with a script this weak, his frat boy looks can only get him so far. In “The Eagle,” body armor, a wool tunic, and sandals are about all that define him.