The Eagle (2011)

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Starring: Channing Tatum, Istvan Goz, Bence Gero, Denis O'Hare, Paul Ritter, Zsolt Laszlo, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Bell

More info: IMDb

Plot: In 120 A.D., Flavius Aquila led 5,000 elite Roman soldiers on a mission beyond the edge of the known world. They and their treasured Eagle standard were never seen again … 20 years later, the commander’s son set out to solve the mystery of their disappearance.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

First of all, I'll watch any film about ancient Rome. I find Roman history fascinating and while this picture isn't as good as it should have been, I still enjoyed the two hours I spent hundreds of years in the past. THE EAGLE is a good looking picture and it's especially surprising that it only had a $25 million budget (I say only because I'm loaded with dough and that's chump change). There's enough to like about it except for one glaring thing and that's the lead, Channing Tatum. He's bland and he brought nothing to the performance that interested me in the least. It reminded me of how Orlando Bloom brought down KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (2005). Add to that Tatum's co-star, Jamie Bell, who brings out a more interesting character and performance. That doesn't bode well. Bell didn't blow me away or anything but he was more compelling than the lead. It's a case of getting the pretty boy instead of someone who is older and better.