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Taking a deeper look at current and past films and how they relate to the world today.

Jonathan Kim is an independent film critic who writes and produces film reviews for Uprising and other outlets. He is a former co-producer at Brave New Films.

Read his reviews online at ReThinkReviews.net. Watch his videos at www.youtube.com/user/jsjkim, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ReThinkReviews. ReThink Reviews’ theme song is by Restavrant.

The Eagle

Around 120 A.D., Rome’s renowned Ninth Legion disappeared from the records. This gave rise to the legend that the Ninth had embarked on a last campaign to subdue the tribes of Caledonia, now known as Scotland, and vanished in enemy territory.

The film the Eagle picks up twenty years later, with Channing Tatum playing Marcus Aquila, the son of the Ninth’s lost commander. A decorated soldier, Marcus seeks to restore his family’s honor by venturing into uncharted lands to find the gold eagle symbol carried by the Ninth, accompanied only by his British slave, Esca, played by Jamie Bell, who Marcus saved from execution.

But why would a slave, especially one like Esca whose family and people had been slaughtered at the hands of the Romans, stay loyal to his master once alone and with a homefield advantage? That’s a good question, one that was never adequately answered for me, and which, unfortunately, the entire film hinges upon.

Which is too bad, since the Eagle does many things right, especially in the first third of the film. The sets and costumes are high-quality, and the film is beautifully shot in Hungary and the Scottish highlands. Eschewing computer-generated effects, the Eagle does a good job of depicting the brutality of ancient warfare, including the strategic and technological advantages that helped the Romans win so many battles, and the obsessive, almost religious militarism that enabled the Empire’s spread and drives Marcus’ quest.

And in a bold and deliberate bit of political commentary, all the Romans in the Eagle are played by American actors, drawing a parallel between the Roman Empire and the modern American one, both of which have relied on military might to subjugate much of the world. Characters note more than once that the Romans were exceptionally cruel to prisoners and civilians, perhaps another knock on America’s recent descent into immorality as we expanded our empire into Afghanistan and Iraq. In most toga and sandals films, Romans are played by Brits, reflecting England’s previous imperial tendencies. In the Eagle, the Brits get to play the oppressed natives for a change, including the Seal People, a fictional tribe whose warriors look very much like Native Americans, whose prince is played by an Arab man, and are, unfortunately, the closest thing to the film’s villains.

Esca proclaims that he is against everything Marcus stands for, yet kills several of his fellow Britons during the course of the film. And by helping Marcus take back the Ninth’s eagle standard, Esca attempts to give strength to his oppressors and rob his people of a valuable trophy from one of their greatest acts of resistance. We’re told that this is because Esca honors his word to remain loyal to Marcus for saving his life, but c’mon. The Romans were the scourge of the ancient world, enslaving, plundering and killing the peoples of every culture they came across as they ruthlessly expanded their empire.
Under those circumstances, breaking a promise isn’t so bad.

While the Eagle impresses on many levels, the idea of a slave continuing to aid his master after being handed a golden opportunity to escape and/or avenge his people was simply too much for me to accept, and would be unimaginable if applied to, say, a black slave and a white Southern owner. I realize that keeping your word is important, but if I were a slave like Esca, I would’ve killed Marcus the very first chance I got. Or if I really felt indebted, would’ve simply ditched him, and left a very nice note.

The Eagle is rated PG-13 and opens today.