During the last six months or so, I have seen at least a dozen of Valentino's films--probably more. And apart from THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALPSE, this is probably his best film among them. Unlike THE SHEIK and SON OF THE SHEIK, this film seemed to have aged pretty well and I enjoyed the film immensely. In so many ways, the film made Valentino seem less like a prissy male lead, but a more Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks-like character--handsome but rugged and manly. He played a character much like Robin Hood, but instead of stealing from the rich, he and his band of kin attacked the forces of an evil Russian family that has stripped them of their land and fortune and he nicknames himself "The Eagle". And, while Valentino had every reason to want to kill the patriarch of this clan, not unexpectedly for a Valentino film, the evil man has a sweet and beautiful daughter--who is destined to fall the Eagle. All-in-all, a nice blending of romance, adventure and sentiment into a timeless movie that is still very watchable today. Good stuff.
Review of The Eagle
