Wings of Eagles is a Chariots of Fire sequel of sorts that paints the story of 1924 Olympic Gold-medalist Eric Liddell.
A Scottish man who felt he must do the lords work and be a missionary to teach children in war-torn China.
Despite the cruelty of the Japanese soldiers, Wings of Eagles paints a raw and emotional picture of endurance, hope and the passion of the human spirit.
Liddell set up a system to smuggle food into camp for prisoners and for the starving guards but due to behind the scenes politics this film was purposely promoted for a Chinese audience and therefore Eric Liddell (Joseph Fiennes) takes somewhat of a back seat.
The movie itself was funded and filmed in China so the focus of the main plot seems somewhat divided.
Had the movie focused more on Eric I feel we would have been dealt a much finer product as a result.
That’s not to say Wings Of Eagles isn’t an enjoyable movie, far from, but it’s a shame that a film should project such a crossroads to its audience without diluting the supposed main story.
Whilst we are shown a glimpse into the prisoner’s life and Liddell at work the film starts it’s build up its focal point of a foot race between Liddell and the captain of the Japanese forces.
If Liddell wins medicine and food supplies will be provided to his fellow prisoners.
The foot race is built up to be the climactic finale to the movie, no doubt trying to encompass the same impact as the final sprint in Chariots of Fire, but this one somehow falls a little flat in comparison.
Wings Of Eagles is a film restricted by those behind it but still stands as a raw and emotional tale.
A film where even Fiennes may not have been given centre stage entirely, he still managed to shine in every scene and gives us a movie that’s well worth paying attention to in the end.
It’s not the kind of movie I would usually watch and I was engrossed for 90 minutes and I can’t argue with that.
Wings of Eagles glimpses at human nature and the brotherhood that we all share when put into sticky situations.
Quite a compelling tale that deserved to be let off its leash and explored in more detail.
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Wings Of Eagles
Summary
Constricted by behind the scenes politics Wings of Eagles is still a raw and emotional tale that dwells into the power of brotherhood and the determination of the human spirit.
