The Eagle (2011)

The disappearance of Ancient Rome's Ninth Legion in the wilds of northern Britain has already been fodder for a couple of decent movies in recent years (The Last Legion in 2007 and Centurion in 2010), so what can Kevin Macdonald's The Eagle bring to the party by way of novelty?

Very little as it happens. Twenty years after the disappearance of the Ninth, centurion Marcus Aquilia (the very bland Channing Tatum) decides to head north, accompanied by British slave Esca (Jamie Bell), to retrieve the eagle of the Ninth and restore the reputation of his father (the commander who led the lost legion).

Unfortunately, due to some dreadful pacing decisions, it takes 45 minutes - out of a one hour 49 minute movie - before the main plot actually kicks in, with most of this drawn-out first act being backstory for Marcus that, while featuring a couple of particularly thrilling fight sequences, the story could have done without.

Jamie Bell was an actor it took me some years to warm up to but Esca, despite being a very well-groomed and well-spoken 'savage', turns out to be the most interesting and complex character in the tale.

Marcus, however, although single-minded and dedicated to his cause is exceedingly one-dimensional and it's really Esca (who doesn't appear for the first half-hour) that drives the emotional narrative of The Eagle as he actually questions Marcus' obsession with recovering what is, essentially, just a lump of metal.

The relationship of the two central characters is rather awkwardly forced into a bromance, without any solid basic of trust, that ultimately turns the story into a buddy-cop flick by the time the credits roll on a strangely open ending.

Atmosphere-wise, Macdonald does a great job of a creating a British wilderness away from the areas of Roman 'civilization' although I can't speak to the historical accuracy of his portrayal of the northern tribes (the "Painted Seal" people looked more like Native American Mohicans to me, but like I said this isn't my area of expertise).

An odd film, The Eagle has some visually and inspirationally interesting moments, but takes way too long to find its feet, then has a gripping and exciting run 'beyond the wall' before stumbling again with its bizarre change of tone for the final scene.

The Last Legion (2007)

When you least expect it, a great treasure suddenly surfaces. The Last Legion is both a cracking swords, sandals and 'sorcery' film and a fine representation of my eternal quest for traces of Dungeons & Dragonsyness in movies.

From Ben Kingsley's Jedi/trickster/retired adventurer Ambrosinus to the young Emperor's magic sword, this is pure fantasy adventure, done with great style and all-star cast.

Thomas Sangster (from Doctor Who: Human Nature/Family Of Blood) is Romulus, declared Emperor of Rome the day before the Goths invade and take over.

He is captured, along with Ambrosinus and it's up to Legion Commander Aurelius (Colin Firth) and his rag-tag group of surviving legionnaires - plus beautiful Indian warrior-woman Mira (Aishwarya Rai) - to go and rescue him from his island prison in Capri.

Then things get worse and the group find their only possible allies are the forgotten Ninth Legion in Britain and have to make tracks for Hadrian's Wall... which they discover abandoned; the legionnaires have "gone native".

However the Goths - under the command of wicked Kevin McKidd (later to be Lucius Vorenus in Rome) - are on their trail and have teamed up with British warlord Vortgyn (Harry Van Gorkum) who wants the Emperor's magic sword so he can rule the country.

A lot of people dismissed this great little action-adventure flick because it was not "historically accurate", but since when has every single film been required to educate as well as entertain?

Was Gladiator a historical documentary? Or Clash Of The Titans a study of ancient Greek history ? Or The Good, The Bad And The Ugly an accurate portrayal of life in the Old West?

The Last Legion sets itself up as a prequel to the legendary Arthur myth cycle - which itself is not exactly history, but mostly make believe and symbolism - and that's where the film does make its one error of judgement.

It may be stylistically 'cool' to end with the Emperor's sword (Excalibur) wedged in a stone, covered in moss, waiting for the "rightful ruler" to pull it out... but that wasn't Excalibur!

Arthur was given Excalibur later by the Lady In The Lake...

But that's just geeky silliness, it's like quibbling over the detailing of the armour or the choice of weapons.

The fact is The Last Legion is a cracking adventure flick for all the family and a fine piece of sword and sandal nonsense for any geek worth his salt.

Centurion (2010)

Heroic Roman soldier Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) finds himself lost behind Pictish enemy lines in the north of Britain and in charge of a handful of survivors of the legendary Ninth Legion.

The Legion was slaughtered after being led into a trap by traitorous, mute scout Etain (Olga Kurylenko of Quantum Of Solace).

In trying to rescue their kidnapped General (Dominic West), the stragglers accidentally kill the son of Pict warlord Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen) who sends Etain and Gorlacon's men on a blood feud to hunt down and kill the Romans.

Written and directed by Neil Marshall (who also gave us such classics as Dog Soldiers, The Descent, and Doomsday) Centurion is a testosterone-fuelled Boys Own adventure, a brutal game of cat-and-mouse through the snowy wilderness as the escapees (who count Doctor Who veterans Noel Clarke and David Morrissey among their number) are slowly worn down and forced to make a final stand.

Bloody, gruesome and foul-mouthed, there are definite traces of Spartacus: Blood And Sand here - although bereft of the raunchiness - but the story lacks the intricacies and deviousness of that television show.

As a crowd-pleasing 90-minute diversion, Centurion is good stuff, with its plot twists and turns towards the end adding a degree of mischievousness to the otherwise straight-forward action-adventure.