Scottish director Kevin Macdonald began his career making documentaries like "Touching The Void" and his Oscar winning film "One Day In September." But it was his feature film debut "The Last King Of Scotland," which won actor Forest Whitaker his Oscar and put the director on the map. He went on to direct the excellent yet underrated film "State of Play," which starred Oscar winners Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren and Ben Affleck. Now the director returns with his latest movie the "Sword & Sandals" epic The Eagle starring Channing Tatum ("Dear John"). The film is based on author Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 historical-adventure novel "The Eagle Of The Ninth" and in addition to Tatum boasts an excellent supporting cast including actors Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot"), Mark Strong ("Kick-Ass"), Denis O'Hare ("True Blood"), and screen legend Donald Sutherland ("Klute"). Unfortunately, as much as I like Tatum as a person, his subtle performance is lost amongst the action and the strong performances from his fellow cast members.

One of the interesting things about the film is that Macdonald chose to cast American actors as the Romans and have them use their own accents. The effect doesn't quite work and at times even feels silly. It's almost laughable to see Denis O'Hare and Channing Tatum walking together in Roman uniforms talking like they're at a major league baseball game. But I appreciate the fact that the director tried to go against the grain with the casting. It's become standard that in the movie world Romans speak with English accents and now I think I know why. There is a regal quality to the British accent that allows an actor to not look ridiculous while wearing an armored skirt. This experiment is distracting at first but eventually evens itself out by the second act of the film. Macdonald, along with his "King Of Scotland" writer Jeremy Brock, made several other changes to the original story when they were adapting the book into the screenplay. Another one of those changes was in the relationship between Tatum's Marcus and Bell's Esca. In the book Esca is Marcus' loyal servant, and here he is his slave. The change seems more contemporary and fits the tone of the film better.

The movie begins by introducing us to Marcus Aquila (Tatum), a Roman centurion who is ridiculed by his peers because of his shamed father. The Romans blame Marcus' father for leading his legion, the Ninth, to their deaths twenty-years earlier. Marcus has a chip on his shoulder and after loosing his cool in battle he goes to stay with his uncle (Sutherland) in Britain. It is there that Marcus meets a slave named Esca (Bell) who is appointed to serve him. When Marcus learns Esca's true heritage he demands that he take him beyond Hadrian's Wall into Caledonia (Scotland). Along the way Marcus and Esca test each other's patience but slowly bond on their epic journey. Once they arrive, Marcus confronts the Pictish tribes in order to recover the legion's eagle standard and restore his father's reputation.

The Scottish landscape that is used as the backdrop to the film is beautiful and Macdonald does a great job shooting it. He also sets an interesting tone for the movie by showing a muted version of Scotland rather than the green one we are used to. But the film suffers from a lack of action in major points of the movie. I know this isn't a gladiator movie per say but I was expecting a little bit more action. That being said, this is not a bad movie. It might not be as good as it could have been but it is still an entertaining film. Channing Tatum gives a decent performance and is very believable as a Roman soldier but the actor suffers in his more dramatic scenes. Tatum has a very likable personality, which helps the actor's performance throughout most of the film. But it doesn't help when he's sharing the screen with heavy weights like Donald Sutherland or Mark Strong, who are both very good in their small roles.

One of the strongest performances in the film comes from Jamie Bell who gives a very clever performance as Esca. The actor has been giving many good performances lately and this one is no different. He gives a scrappy attitude to his character. At the same time, you can feel the resentment he has towards Marcus underneath every word he says. In the end, The Eagle works on some levels but lacks the excitement and style of a "Gladiator" or "Spartacus." This movie is more of a historical drama than an action film. It's really an emotional story about a son's journey to clear his father's name. On that level the movie works. I can't say that I would recommend you rush out and see this film in the theaters but I do think it is worth a look when the movie is available on DVD, Blu-ray or Netflix. If you do go to see The Eagle and you are expecting an action-packed "Sword & Sandal" picture, I think you'll be disappointed. But if you are in the mood for an epic historical drama, then maybe The Eagle is the movie for you this weekend.