|
|
Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) tries to survive a surprise attack in 120 A.D. Britain in Kevin Macdonald’s “The Eagle.” |
I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted to see what the two main characters in the ancient Roman adventure “The Eagle” were going to do after the movie instead of watching what they actually did in the movie.
A Roman soldier named Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) and his freed slave Esca (“Billy Elliot” star Jamie Bell) suddenly become liberated from all obligations, and are free to do whatever they want with their lives.
It’s an amazing, uplifting scene filled with excitement and endless possibilities, almost like a defining moment for an ancient superhero and his loyal sidekick.
Instead of the Green Hornet and Kato, they’re the Grim Roman and Esca. What will they do now?
Maybe we’ll find out in “The Eagle 2,” if one comes along.
In the meantime, Kevin Macdonald’s action-heavy “The Eagle” shows how the unlikely duo met in a ragtag story where the viewers must fill in most of the emotional gaps, and the confusing, strobe-edited battle scenes are like pulled punches in a PG-13 movie doing everything it can to avoid an R rating.
In 120 A.D., 5,000 soldiers in Rome’s infamous Ninth Legion mysteriously vanished while on patrol in the northern part of Britain. Also lost: the treasured gold Eagle standard that led the legion.
The commander of the legion: Marcus’ father. (Read more…)