Silent superstar Rudolf Valentino stars as a devilish dark knight in this Russian-set tale. By day an eligible lieutenant, by night he becomes a mysterious outlaw known only as The Black Eagle.
I rarely see this title mentioned on lists of great silent films, and perhaps it doesn't belong in the same heady company with the works of Murnau and Eisenstein, but surely THE EAGLE belongs on anyone's list of the most entertaining movies made during the silent era. It is first-rate escapism, a real "movie-movie" that can hold its own with the best swashbuckling sagas of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn, and that counts for a lot in my book. It's also one of the best movies Rudolph Valentino appeared in (along with his next film, THE SON OF THE SHEIK, which unfortunately proved to be his last), or in any case it's one that holds up well for modern viewers, offering just the right blend of action, suspense, comedy, and romance, all presented at a brisk tempo.
Valentino in his prime