On Wings of Eagles

2016

Action / Biography / Drama / History / Sport / War

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 62% · 5 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 62% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 5.7/10 10 1268 1.3K

based on a true story sports prisoner of war based on true story japanese occupation of china

Plot summary

Eric Liddell - China's first gold medalist and one of Scotland's greatest athletes - returns to war-torn China.

Director

Stephen Shin Photo
Stephen Shin

Top cast

Bruce Locke Photo
Bruce Locke as Old Xu Niu
Elizabeth Arends Photo
Elizabeth Arends as Florence Liddell
Simon Twu Photo
Simon Twu as Chen Quan
Joseph Fiennes Photo
Joseph Fiennes as Eric Liddell
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
885.83 MB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 36 min
Seeds ...
1.78 GB
1920*800
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 36 min
Seeds 2

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 5 / 10

On Wings of Eagles

This film picks up where "Chariots of Fire" (1981) leaves off with the Olympic champion Eric Liddell (Joseph Fiennes) now a missionary in the land of his birth - now war-torn - China. When the Japanese invade, he is initially fêted - well fed and looked after, but that is all part of the ultimate game of humiliation as he is basically being groomed for a race against "Xu Niu" (Shawn Dou). This is quite an interesting depiction of just how this man's Christian faith and sense of decency were pitched against the ruthlessness of his captors who used both physical and psychological methods to reduce their captives to jelly. Whilst this certainly hints at those atrocities, the whole look and feel of the film is just a little sterile and Fiennes isn't really up to much in the lead. Somehow his strength of faith and purpose is lost in a really mediocre production that never quite gets going properly. Based in fact, it does offer us a truth about the truly shameful ending for this man of principle, but perhaps a remake with a better cast, writing and more vision from a director who understands how to better deliver a story of a complex individual would leave us feeling better fulfilled. Watchable, but forgettable I am afraid.
Reviewed by greggthompsons 7 / 10

Uplifting film sharing the life of a great man

A good, if not great film. Could have been a lot better but some great scenes and glimpses of a wonderful man with a faith lived very well. So many Christians give Jesus a bad name but Eric Liddell lives with compassion, sacrifice and courage. Well worth a watch.
Reviewed by macadam122 7 / 10

Good film but...

This was a highly watchable film with good performances from Fiennes and the supporting cast. I know it's a small quibble, but I had an aunt who spent some of her childhood in a Japanese internment camp and these actors were simply too well fed. I'm not asking for the kind of extreme method acting that Chris Bale goes in for, but a loss of condition and a bit of weight loss would have added to the authenticity a little. The conditions in these places were atrocious and there just wasn't any non-make up suggestion of that. I don't know how close to the story this was but apart from my rather mean quibble, it was a good film. A couple of collar bones from naturally slender guys does not starvation show!
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