Hollywood is not exactly averse to trying its hand at historical epics -- with films like Gladiator, Robin Hood (both by director Ridley Scott), 300, Pathfinder, The Last Samurai, and the motion-capture visual feast that was Beowulf all being released in the 21st century alone.
Next month we’re going to have another one of those historical action films on our hands in the form of the Roman epic The Eagle. Last month we got a look at the trailer for the movie and it looked to be the PG-13, some would say safer, version of Brit director Neil Marshall’s Centurion. Following the surprisingly decent-looking trailer for The Eagle, Focus Features has released some new TV spots and images for the film.
Before we get to the new promo stuff, take a look at the official synopsis for The Eagle:
In 140 A.D., two men – master and a slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism. Twenty years earlier, Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius Aquila, marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists.
Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Flavius’ son Marcus (Tatum), determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out into the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the hallowed Eagle.
Now that you’re clued in as to what the movie is about, check out the new TV spots and images, courtesy of Focus Features.
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For the rest of the image gallery head over to the official Focus Features website.
The obvious comparison -- which fellow Screen Rant writer Sandy Schaefer noted when the trailer was released last November -- is to Neil Marshall’s underrated Centurion but The Eagle also reminds me of last year’s Robin Hood. Even though the two are set in widely different time periods and are not connected story-wise, the aesthetic of both films is similar. And something tells me The Eagle will follow in Robin Hood‘s footsteps by having lots of violence but none as overly graphic as the violence found in the aforementioned Centurion.
One of the main reasons I am looking forward to The Eagle is the fact that it’s directed by Kevin MacDonald. No, it’s not just because he’s also from Scotland ( 
) but rather I am a big fan of his two previous (fiction) features, The Last King of Scotland and State of Play. Although MacDonald is treading new ground with this historical action movie, from what we’ve seen from the the movie so far, I have faith that he will deliver the goods.
The Eagle stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Mark Strong, Donald Sutherland and Dennis O’Hare. The film, as stated, is directed by MacDonald and the script was penned by Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland) from the book The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.
The Eagle lands in U.S. theaters on February 11th, 2011.
Source: Focus Features
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