WORLD TOUR Day 35 - Scotland
BEFORE: This is a different film on the same topic - the fabled Ninth Legion of Rome, which supposedly vanished in the wilds of Northern Britain. Yes, Hollywood saw fit to release TWO action movies with similar plots less than a year apart. Where have I seen that strategy before? Warner Bros. released "Centurion" in April 2010, and Focus Features released this one in February 2011. Which studio copied the other's idea?
Linking from "Centurion", Michael Fassbender also starred in a 2001 film titled "Haywire", along with Channing Tatum (last seen in "Public Enemies"). That seems rather fortuitous.
THE PLOT: In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.
AFTER: Well, originally I was going to watch "The Eagle" before "Centurion", and then I switched them at the last minute, which turned out to be the right move. "Centurion" focuses on the men in the Ninth Legion, and "The Eagle" takes place 20 years later, when a Roman soldier goes into the dangerous kingdoms of the Picts and the Ciels to find out what happened to his father, a member of said legion. So "The Eagle" could be seen as sort of a loose sequel to "Centurion", with none of the same characters.
Beyond that, "Centurion" was gorier, and I'll say more action-packed too. It also seemed more relevant to me since the goal was to save the lives of soldiers, and not just to find a non-living symbol. "Centurion" seems to outshine this one in most major categories, except for box office grosses.
Also starring Jamie Bell (last seen in "Nicholas Nickelby"), Donald Sutherland (last seen in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"), Mark Strong (last seen in "Oliver Twist"), Denis O'Hare.
RATING: 4 out of 10 cattle
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