










Epic filmmaking has fallen out of favour, but The Eagle fights hard to bring it back. Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) chose to lead a Roman garrison in occupied Britain because that's where his father lost a military standard--a metal eagle, representing the glory of imperial Rome--on an expedition into the northern wilds. To reclaim his family honor, Aquila sets off into native territory to recover the eagle, with only a slave named Esca (Jamie Bell) to help him--but the more Aquila learns about Esca's history, the more he has reason to doubt his slave's loyalty. The Eagle starts with engaging momentum; this is a work of fiction, but there's an impressive commitment to the details of life, evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of a raw and brutal time. (Director Kevin Macdonald began as a documentarian, which no doubt contributes to his appreciation for grit and sweat.) Tatum is not the most versatile actor but he has enough solid charisma to anchor the movie; Bell's fluid emotional presence keeps their relationship dynamic. The movie loses steam in the last third, as the outcome is never really in doubt and the plot mechanics start to feel a bit rote. But for anyone with an interest in the era, or who simply enjoys a taste of blood and thunder, The Eagle has pleasures aplenty. --Bret Fetzer
| Channing Tatum | Marcus |
| István Göz | Cohort Centurion |
| Jamie Bell | Esca |
| Bence Gerö | Celt Boy / Young Marcus |
| Mark Strong | Guern |
| Denis O'Hare | Lutorius |
| Paul Ritter | Galba |
| Zsolt László | Paulus |
| Julian Lewis Jones | Cassius |
| Aladár Laklóth | Flavius Aquila |
| Marcell Miklós | Fort Legionary 1 |
| Bálint Magyar | Fort Legionary 2 |
| Ferenc Pataki | Fort Legionary 3 |
| Bálint Antal | Young Legionary |
| Lukács Bicskey | Druid |
| Douglas Henshall | Cradoc |
| James Hayes | Stephanos |
| Donald Sutherland | Uncle Aquila |
| András Faragó | Captain of the Gladiators |
| Simon Paisley Day | Surgeon |
| Dakin Matthews | Claudius |
| Pip Carter | Placidus |
| Ben O'Brien | Milecastle Guard |
| Róbert Bánlaki | Young Rogue Warrior |
| Brian Gleeson | Traveller 1 |
| Jon Campling | Traveller 2 |
| Tahar Rahim | Seal Prince |
| Thomas Henry | Seal Boy |
| Ned Dennehy | Seal Chief / The Horned One |
| Ralph Aiken | Patrician 1 |
| Granville Saxton | Patrician 2 |
| Walter Van Dyk | Patrician 3 |
| Jan Petrina | |
| Florian Robin | |
| Vladimir Furdik | |
| Steve Abela | |
| Menyhért Balog-Dutombé | |
| Ferenc Berecz | |
| Gergely Bíró | |
| Rob Cooper | |
| Erika Cziráky | |
| Zoltán Danko | |
| Gábor Duck | |
| Balázs Farkas | |
| Kinga Gavalda | |
| Bela Gerner | |
| Richard Hansen | |
| Gergö Horpácsi | |
| László Imre | |
| Roman Jankovic | |
| László Juhács | |
| László Kósa | |
| Géza Kovács | |
| Norbert Kovács | |
| Balazs Lengyel | |
| Akos Lenkei | |
| Philippe Losson | |
| Zsolt Magyari | |
| Mike Möller | |
| Béla Orsányi | |
| Ronnie Paul | |
| Levente Tamási | |
| Marek Toth | |
| Damien Walters | |
| Reg Wayment | |
| László Adamecz | |
| Hriszto Bablakov | |
| Nikola Bablakov | |
| András Bajtay | |
| Sándor Bányai | |
| Norbert Bilkó | |
| Gábor Boda | |
| Csaba Brém | |
| András Csikós | |
| Arnold Gerhát | |
| András Handler | |
| Gyula Harangozó | |
| Tamás Hernyák | |
| András Honffy | |
| Péter B. Horváth | |
| Szilveszter Horváth | |
| Róbert Ivján | |
| Cszba Katona | |
| Csaba Kemecsei | |
| Gábor Kiss | |
| Krisztián Krisztánovics | |
| Sándor Lakrovits | |
| Levente Ledényi | |
| Miklós Lissa | |
| Dániel Major | |
| Dániel Megyeri | |
| Dávid Mester | |
| Sándor Micskó | |
| Dániel Ábris Milvay | |
| Dénes Nagy | |
| Balázs Németh | |
| Roland Pál | |
| Richárd Petö | |
| György Popovics | |
| Gergö Preszmayer |

