Centurion is a British made film that was originally released in the UK and Greece in April. After being shown at several film festivals across the U.S., it is finally being released on a limited basis this Friday.
The story is based on the legend of the unexplained disappearance of the Ninth Legion of the Roman army. Neil Marshall (The Descent) wrote the story and is also the director of this savage film. The cast includes Michael Fassbender (Jonah Hex), Dominic West (Punisher: Warzone) and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace).
The Roman Empire has taken control of almost all of Europe except for one area of stiff resistance. The Empire has decided to send out one of their top generals, Titus Virilus (West), along with his army to put an end to this stubborn opposition.
When Titus and his men are ambushed by the enemy, he is taken captive and almost all of his men lay dead except for a few. One of those men is Quintus Dias (Fassbender) and he, along with a few other survivors, set out to rescue Titus from his barbaric captors.
Quintus and his men have another big problem. They are being hunted by Etain (Kurylenko), the top scout and a fierce warrior from the group that refuses to submit to Roman rule, and she will not stop until she can deliver the heads of Quintus and his men to her king.
Neil Marshall has said that his film is not intended to be historically correct, it is suppose to be an action movie and it has plenty of that for sure. The battle scenes between the Romans and their enemies, an uncivilized group known as the Picts, are quite gruesome. Audience members with a low tolerance for graphic violence may want to cover their eyes when the bloodshed begins.
In an attempt to counteract, I think, the brutal violence throughout the film, Marshall throws in a small love story between Quintus and a Pict woman, Arianne (Imogen Poots, 28 Weeks Later), who has been exiled for being a suspected witch. Some people may find it a nice diversion from all of the fighting, but I found it to be out of place with the rest of the story and simply uninteresting.
Marshall does a fine job of creating tension during the movie. Everytime Quintus and his men think they have finally alluded Etain, she suddenly reappears with bloodthirsty vengeance in her eyes. After you learn why Etain has so much hatred in her for the Romans, it is not hard to understand why she will not rest until they are all dead.
It also makes it hard for the viewer to have much sympathy for the Romans after you hear of the inhuman things they have done to the Picts. You may hope that the Picts are able to get their pound of flesh. In war, horrible acts are usually done by both sides.
However, Quintus appears to be an honorable man and the performance by Michael Fassbender drives home that point. Fassbender is very genuine in his portrayal of a Roman soldier who is tired of war and really just wants to go home. Dominic West is strong and steady as a Roman general who values the lives of his men. Although Olga Kurylenko has no spoken lines, she wonderfully expresses her emotions with her mesmerizing eyes.
The cinematography by Sam McCurdy, who has worked on several of Neil Marshall’s other movies, is breathtaking. The sweeping aerial shots and wide angle views really captures the beauty of this supposed ancient land.
While Centurion may conjure up memories of Braveheart, it is not nearly as good as that classic, but it is still a pretty entertaining movie on its own.
I saw this movie recently and thought it was an excellent piece of movie-making. What else is there to expect from the man who brought us Dog Soldiers and Doomsday? Action, a hole lot of violence and just the right amount of comedy. Yes the Romans did do horrible things to the Picts, but the Picts probably did worse to them.
The only weak spot I found was the Etain character. She seemed to play only a story-point role, where when they needed to move the characters along she appeared.
But other than that, really good.
RPFX, the Marshall movies you listed, in my opinion, sucked. I think that the only good movie he has ever made was The Descent, which was great. But after reading this great review, I need to see Centurion.
I have been intersted in this film, in spite of Doomsday, Dog Soldiers, etc. It sounded like it would be a fun little action movie, and, based on your review, I’m guessing the film truly is what it sounds like. (I am raising my hopes a tiny bit due to the brief comparison to Braveheart, although Braveheart actually was historically accurate in most ways.) The little arthouse cinema around the corner from me is playing it, so I’m excited to go now!! Thanks for the review!!