Say what you will about Channing Tatum (“G.I Joe”, “Dear John”), but the dude totally kicks ass in “The Eagle”, playing Marcus Flavius, a Roman Centurion and son of a disgraced commander who disappeared along with the entire Ninth Legion and Rome’s beloved Eagle standard in the year 120 AD. Fast forward 20 years, Marcus decides to travel to Britain, in hopes of restoring his father and Rome’s honor by discovering the fate of the Legion and recovering the lost “Eagle”. But the journey isn’t as easy as it seems, especially since Marcus’s only travelling companion is his British slave, Esca (Jamie Bell). So basically, this is a standard action adventure movie, where you put two misfits who are as serious as can be in seeking out the objective of their quest, and become more friends than enemies as we move along. Both actors carry the movie extremely well-It’s true that I had my doubts at first, especially since I’m not much of a Channing Tatum fan (man was he dreadful in “Dear John”). But he certainly showed more acting range here than he did in every other movie he starred in.

But the film’s biggest downfall however is its opening scene. What should have been a two minute introduction goes on for twenty. If you can somehow get through this very long introduction, then you will definitely enjoy what the rest of the movie has to offer. It’s certainly no masterpiece, but I have to say, it’s way better than what I originally expected (and I expected the worst).

Rating: 2.5/4