The Eagle
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland
Release date: February 11, 2011
 
What can we expect from a fearless director who documented mountain climbers’ perilous voyage in Touching the Void and directed a film about ruthless dictator Idi Amin? Director Kevin Macdonald didn’t flinch when making either of those films and he doesn’t wince the least bit here when he decides to direct a film about a Roman soldier in search of Rome’s lost pride (a golden Eagle statuette) during the 2nd century in Briton.
 
An exuberant vitality is brought to this material, a characteristic that hasn’t been put to adequate use in recent historical epics. No slouching is occurring here. Macdonald shows a deepened concern with emotion and the ways of how the Romans and savage races live. In The Eagle we see a juxtaposing of contrasting lifestyles. It’s a treat to see this variety and vitality being distributed freely in an action film by a director who has respect for nature and the olden days of Hollywood’s infatuation with adventure films.