Maybe I think too much, a lot of movies that have been released recently express a same feeling, no actress, even has, but not important as men, just two men or more, like friends, but more than friends, like <The Eagle of the Ninth>、<Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows> and <Blitz> yada yada yada. It's very amphibolous between two actors, especially <The Eagle of the Ninth>, you can see the novel or watch the movie, then you'll know what I'm saying.

The story takes place in AD 140 in Britain ruled buy the Roman Empire, which is exactly Scotland where is McDonald's (director) hometown. Film was adapted from Turk Reef's historical novel by Jerry Locke ("Brideshead Revisited"), and 29-year-old actor Channing Tatum ("special forces") is the protagonist who is a Roman general named Marcus Aquila leading hundreds of people. Due to the Celtic's attack, Marcus was seriously injured and lost his army and status. Marcus decided to atone desperately, headed up to the north of Scotland, where is deserted to find the lost Ninth Legion Eagle. Fifteen years ago, the Ninth Legion which was led by his father (Donald Sutherland) somehow missed.

The novel was written by Turk Reef and published in 1954. The novel was sold millions of copies in the decades around the world, and was adapted into a 6 sets mini-TV series by BBC in 1977. The film remake right of the novel was sold in 1998, but has begun to formally enter the remake stage recently. The story background is exited in the real history, that is the ninth legion's  mysterious missing of the Roman Empire in AD 120. The film's main character is named Marcus Aquila. Aquila means "Eagle" in Latin, which is the film's English title "The Eagle".

During this period, Marcus accidentally rescued a slave named Escobar in the arena, and kept him as a servant. Marcus heard someone at a tribe in the north had seen the eagle that his father lost, he was very excited and determined to find the eagle and got it back, aimed to restore honor of his family in the empire. And Escobar happened to born in Britain and was familiar with local environment, so Marcus decided to take him. Along the way, the relationship between Marx and Escobar was changed from the master and servant into a friendship, which has been through the text of betrayal and loyalty, especially in the face of tribal leaders, at that time, they just have each other and count on each other.

Escobar was pushed by his opponent to the sidelines in arena, Marcus was sitting there there and staring at him, directly and intimately, as if they were the only one in the entire arena, and then ignoring the atmosphere in the arena, Marcus put up his finger and saved Escobar, that their first met. And as I said, they became best friends and more closed.

Produced very well, but the story is humdrum, just to retrieve the honor.
- "Hollywood Reporter"
The film suggests a number of strange weird things, such as exaggerating gay masculinity (huh, that's funny, perhaps it just respects the original work)
- "New York Times"

If you watch original work, you'll find out the friendship between them is ambiguous, and that maybe the reason that the novel is magnificent, the film makes lots of money. Is that attracted to you? After all, it's kind of big-budget production, even that two handsome actors are not proper to that type of movie. Anyway, you can watch it on your ipad when you are boring on the metro, figure out how to watch video on ipad with a dvd to ipad ripper, then you can pass your time.