The Eagle-Heroism, Loyalty and Honor are great messages, but alot of Bloodshed makes this movie a Downer

The Eagle-Heroism, Loyalty and Honor are great messages, but alot of Bloodshed makes this movie a Downer

June 21, 2011
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Watching The Eagle, I couldn’t help but feel that I was experiencing a very old-fashioned film. Certainly the movie—which is based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth—owes a debt of gratitude to Gladiator and Braveheart, both of which it strongly recalls at points. But apart from those contemporary cinematic references, director Kevin Macdonald’s constant focus upon honor and Marcus’ refusal to compromise it makes the movie feel like something that could have come out at the time of the book instead of in the second decade of our often-cynical new millennium.

If there’s a cautionary subtext here about the vulnerability of a modern superpower, however, it’s not something Macdonald seems determined to beat audiences over the head with. Instead, I suspect what people will remember most about The Eagle is the film’s unapologetic commitment to honor and integrity.

Like Gladiator and Braveheart, this is ultimately a story about heroism, loyalty and sacrifice—the foundational virtues undergirding a life of honor. And also like those films, a lot of blood gets shed along the way.

Review From: http://www.pluggedin.com/videos/2011/q2/eagle.aspx

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