Spoilers ********
Went to see this with a friend as she liked historical dramas, any more choices like this from her and she will be history. The film is about the search for a eagle figure head lost in battle from the Romans and now in Northern Britons hands.
The film was always going to be compared to Hollywood blockbusters but if it's done well, then it can stand out on it's own, sadly this does n't. For me the first battle was when it all went downhill. There is a battle at a fort and our hero, well against the negativety of his underling, decides to prepare for battle. A battle ensues in the fort and he acts heroically. The fight scenes here could have been so good, the stage seems brilliant, but we are left with camera work where you can't see what's entirely happening, (think Transformers where the robots blend into each other), not enough gore or maiming which happens with weapons. There's another battle soon after and yet again it falls short.
We have a scene with Donald Sutherland doing his now routine elder statesmen role, turn up for 5 mins, give the voice of experience and then onto next movie. Here he seems to turn up for 3 mins 30 and realises eh, mmmhhhh lets appear on a UK talk show rather than finish rest of film.
Anyways the search for the eagle figurehead starts and we have our hero and his new slave on their own. The two lead actors I did not have a problem with at all, give credit where credit is due, they are passable in their roles. We head north past Hadrians Wall, bump into Mark Strong, who has survived a battle in which the Eagle was lost. So we meet the typical Scottish people, that we all sort of know, then there's the little settlement a la Braveheart which is fine. The weather as us Scot's know wet n wild, so some warn clothes etc.
We then meet the Seals, who seem like a race from Last of the Mohicans. I cannot say whether it's accurate or not. As warriors the Seal's run about the highlands scantily clad, with mohican hardo's, as said above Scotland is Scotland, would they really wear next to nothing. All the outdoor shops I know in Glasgow, don't sell a pair of boxer shorts to go walking in the Highlands.
Back at the story, there's a bit of role reversal, slave becomes master. The story itself is not too bad on paper, it whats happened to it when it's got on screen. We have one final fight scene and its like a mini scene from 300, except there are only about 16 soldiers against a force of say 90. 16, if I ever see this film again i'd love to count how many were standing across the river. Battle ensues, Romans and Seals get killed. Seal leader dies, and well eh battle ends, yet there must be a good 50 Seals left against 9 Romans, but hey the Seals must have went home. So bodies of Romans lying on the riverbank and seems like there is a body count of 12 dead and about 8 survivors, I did n't think this is what the term 'extras', meant.
Finally it's back to as another reviewer has said, the English Branch of the Roman Empire where they have what appears to be instant access to the Roman Senate and can hand out accolades instantly. Significantly Donald Sutherland is nowhere to be seen, I think everyone in the cinema and walking out at the end wished they had his foresight.
This film could have been better, the battle scenes for me are where it really let itself down, it could have made a niche for itself. The acting is reasonable, use of subtitles when Gaelic or native language, great views of Scotland. A lot of reviews on here have been from America , giving this film high scores, which it simply cannot deserve.
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