At the Movies with Fatwayne

The title of this film refers to the standard carried by the Roman legions and fiercely protected by the soldiers. The standard was a golden eagle on the end of a long staff and it is said to have represented all that was Rome. To loose the standard in battle was considered dishonorable. Set in 140 AD, we have a young centurion who is desperate to discover the truth of what happened to his father who had the misfortune of not only loosing the Standard of the Ninth but also his entire legion. None of them were ever seen again and now 20 years later his son, Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) is eager to restore his family’s reputation.

None of his superiors are willing to risk an expedition into the unknown and savage land that exists beyond Hadrian’s wall. The wall was built by the Emperor Hadrian to keep the “savages” at bay. Marcus convinces the powers that be to allow him to go alone accompanied only by his British salve, Esca (Jamie Bell). The idea being that two men were no where near as noticeable as a small army. Permission is granted and so off they go into Caledonia (now Scotland) in search of the Eagle.

Their journey progresses as they expected until they learn that they must confront the fiercest of the tribes, the brutal “painted people” or Seal People. There is a lot of story telling before they are in a position to actually have a chance of recovering the Eagle. There are lots of sword and ax battles and many bodies lying about. So if you are into action and adventure you will enjoy this film.

Two things came to mind as I watched this movie. The first was that Hadrian’s wall looked awfully like China’s great wall. I wonder?! Oh well, another thing that made me wonder was the fact that the Seal People (on foot) could keep pace with Marcus and Esca who were on horseback. They not only kept pace but actually caught up to them on the fourth day! These guys reminded me of Ethiopian long distance runners – truly remarkable. Aside from these quirks I really enjoyed this movie. It had an interesting story to tell and the developing friendship between Marcus and his slave, Esca was fulfilling.

Rated  -  PG13  -

Fatwayne’s Rating    

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