Excellent, Without a doubt!!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Sharpe's Eagle was the first book in the bestselling series by Bernard Cornwell, and one of my favourites. It had it all: danger, heroism, massed battles, adventure, and plenty of peril. Sadly, this television movie lacks a decent budget, so every action scene from the book suffers, and many are missed out. The huge marching French column at the end of the novel is nothing more than a few French stragglers, the whole "cut off on the other side of the river" scenario is simply excised, and the final confrontation between Sharpe, Harper, and a couple of huge axe-waving heavies is totally missed.I could cope with the lack of excitement if the rest of the film was done well, but it's not. The acting seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Bean, Box, O'Malley, and Troughton all put in very good performances, as does a youthful Daniel Craig playing a roguish bad guy. But the rest of the cast seem to give hammy turns, especially Michael Cochrane's excruciating Simmerson. The movie is heavy on talk and dialogue and moves at a sluggish pace. The Portuguese locales look very nice, as do the costumes and sets, but it's not enough to save the film. Even though Bean does his best, SHARPE'S EAGLE is a disappointment.

Sean Bean returns in this, the second entry in the Sharpe movie series, which sees Richard Sharpe reluctantly serving under the command of a ruthless and sadistic 'Horseguards' fop Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson, who's incompetence results in the death of the highly respected Major Lennox, a company of soldiers, and the loss of the King's Colours.Also Simmerson's cowardly retreat from the action, allows Richard Sharpe and his crack company of Rifles to save the day, gaining Sharpe another promotion, this time to Captain.Captain Sharpe however has sworn revenge for Lennox's death and is determined to realise Lennox's dying wish, which is for Sharpe to capture a French Imperial Eagle from the battle field to adorn his grave.However with disgrace staring him in the face, an embittered Simmerson is out to extract his own revenge upon Sharpe, with the help of his worthless nephew Lt. Gibbons and the dangerously nasty Lt. Berry played with a deliciously evil sneer by a very young Daniel Craig.Set just before and around the historical battle of Talavera, this is one of the best entries in the series with welcome returns for Daragh O'Malley, as Harper, Assumpta Serna as Teresa, Brian Cox as Hogan and David Troughton as Wellington.

The action and, let's face it, Sean Bean are what brought me to this series, but the wit and humor are what make me watch it over and over. One of the best one-liners from "Harper" requires you to know the historical context behind it, but mostly you can enjoy this series without knowing much history at all. Sean Bean is wonderful as the romantic hero who is not afraid of anyone or anything as he takes on the daring missions his superiors set for him. And Brian Cox is a real standout as the finageling Irishman who pulls many of Sharpe's strings. Daragh O'Malley is a rare find as Sharpe's sargeant too. The production quality is good and the locations and set dressing are very realistic. I especially appreciate that the actors actually get dirty when they fight (something you don't always see in these period pieces). A great episode chock full of 'eye candy'. It's going to be hard not to wear out the DVD with this episode.

This installment in the career on Richard Sharpe is possibly the best of the series.It is a mix of terrible leadership, outstanding battle scenes, and bitter rivalry between officers.Sean Bean is perfect as Sharpe, but this film lacks the beauty of Elizabeth Hurley, who appeared in Sharpe's Enemy, later in the series.