AD 117. The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in the face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts. Quintus Dias (Fassbinder), sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus’ (West) legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon. But when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Enduring the harsh terrain and evading their remorseless Pict pursuers led by the revenge hungry Pict Warrior Etain (Kurylenko), the band of soldiers race to rescue their General and to reach the safety of the Roman frontier.
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October 7, 2010
#1
Review by John E. Larsen
Rating:
This is a story set in the time of Roman Britain. It begins with the `myth’ of the 9th Legion, which might have been destroyed in battle with the wild Picts of Scotland. The bulk of the story though is concerned with the flight of a small group of survivors and the merciless pursuit of their fierce and vengeful enemies.
Frankly I struggle to understand the low profile of this film and the lukewarm reports. In my opinion it is a perfectly reasonable movie with some exceptional aspects. These include the stunning scenery which really conveys the bracing cold and desolation but also beauty of the far-North. It looks like an ancient land, all rugged and wild and is almost worth the price of admission alone. The Picts are hard as glacial ice, tough and violent and look very impressive too.
With the story itself I had a few quibbles but it was serviceable. The action scenes were generally good, even tense in places but I was annoyed with some battle scenes which featured the modern technique of very frequent and too fast cut-a-ways, making it hard to know exactly what was happening. A note here, it is very bloody – there are flying limbs, very crushed body bits and blood splattering everywhere. This is however what the weapons of the time did. Both sides are shown as the hard cases they were too. The Picts are savage but the Romans were hardly the Red Cross. The characters are adequate, with the Pict King and the deadly female tracker being quite impressive. I enjoyed watching the Roman legion on the match and in battle, though its camp routine seemed different to the acknowledged practice. But the uniforms and armour looked pretty good to a layman like me. There was also some funny soldier by-play to provide some chuckles.
So, it’s well filmed, showing the era about as authentically as you can get. The story itself is ok. There are some good twists and at times, some real tension! In all I found it to be very entertaining. It is a muscular film that deserves an audience. If you have interests in ancient warfare, you should find this quite rewarding.
October 7, 2010
#2
Review by K. Harris
Rating:
When I first discovered director Neil Marshall, I was an instant fan. In the horror genre, he did some solid work with the satisfying werewolf tale “Dog Soldiers” and the sublimely staged “The Descent” (which I know has its detractors, but for me was one of the most entertaining films of its year). The “Mad Max” retread “Doomsday” was an inevitable disappointment–but didn’t dispel the notion that, at least, Marshall had a visual flair. I was intrigued to see him wander into “Gladiator” type territory with “Centurion” because the man can stage one heck of a battle. While the film, which is certainly better than “Doomsday,” has a lot going for it–sadly, it ends up missing the mark. My guy reaction as I turned to my friend at the end was “Man, I wanted to like that much more than I did!”
I was genuinely and actively rooting for “Centurion” to be more wholly satisfying–so I guess that’s a positive comment in and of itself. First off, the film looks absolutely incredible. The sweeping countryside and mountainous terrain as the camera pans across is breathtaking. The battle sequences are alive and bloody–not as dreary as some recent higher profile epics. The film sounds fantastic with a pulsing orchestration that fits the film beautifully. But the film’s greatest asset is its star Michael Fassbender. A sensation in the art house favorite “Hunger,” Fassbender claims leading man status with ease. His grounded physicality and intelligence shine through–at times, you think that he’s smarter than the material he’s been dealt.
The film covers the period of A.D. 117 when Roman troops were engaged in a struggle and trying to advance upon the the Picts in the Scottish highlands. The Picts employed guerilla tactics to hold the Romans off for 20 years. I won’t, but could, debate historical accuracy in the film, but it is clearly meant to be an adventure yarn and not a historical treatise. However, the film seems to want us to identify with the Romans and brand the Picts as the villains when all they wanted to do was defend their land from being conquered. Not so bad in my book. My main issues with the film is that sometimes the screenplay can be conveniently silly. Several times the Picts don’t finish off the stragglers after the epic battle by choice (“oh, just let him bleed”). Their guerilla camp is invaded by not one, but about 6, Romans soldiers in a rescue attempt–not very alert for guerillas! And a tracker who could trail soldiers for hundreds of wilderness miles couldn’t find them in a one room cabin! These are but a few examples that had me scratching my head.
I won’t even discuss the unnecessary twist ending or the tacked-on romance, I’ll just say that “Centurion” ended up losing some of my good will. I’d probably still recommend the film as light entertainment, especially if you put your brain on hold, but I wanted it to be great! But look for Fassbender elsewhere–he’s going to be big (I hope)! KGHarris 08/10
October 7, 2010
#3
Review by Senor Zoidbergo
Rating:
Centurion is your formulaic hack and slash movie, but Michael Fassbender (he played the British leftenant in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds) steals the show here. The movie is set in Britain during Roman rule and just prior to the construction of Hadrian’s Wall. Pict tribes and barbarians are constantly skirmishing with Roman troops, raiding border towns and attacking forts. Neil Marshall explores a fictitious version of events to explain the disappearance and demise of Legio IX Hispana. While the real 9th legion may have suffered a defeat by Boudica, queen of the Iceni, we’re treated to an interesting version wherein the entire legion (led in a brief appearance by Dominic West) is decimated while fighting the Picts, leaving a few lone survivors who band together to fight guerrilla style in order to maintain their survival.
It is here that Fassbender shines; he is charismatic as the de facto leader of the surviving band of Roman soldiers cum guerrillas. Liam Cunningham is one of the other recognizable actors in the band of soldiers, and he plays the usual gruff veteran soldier, just as he did in Clash of the Titans. The rest of the soldiers are largely unknowns, well, at least to this American viewer. Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) makes an interesting appearance as a witch, and the witch storyline feels strangely out of place in the movie. The witch is more of an afterthought in an effort to provide some romantic interest to Fassbender. The plot is predictable, but the movie is a guilty pleasure. I’m surprised they were able to equip as many Roman soldier extras as they did in lorica segmentata. Too bad the pila are used incorrectly; it seems Hollywood (I’m looking at you too Gladiator) never gets it right.
For those of you concerned about violence, yes, this movie shows Roman-style warfare in all its brutal, gladius glory. CG blood abounds, heads are bashed, limbs detached, and abdomens disemboweled. One scene with a deer’s intestines strangely reminded me of the tauntaun scene from Empire Strikes Back.
Overall, an impressive job for just a $10 million budget.
October 7, 2010
#4
Review by The Machine
Rating:
This is a combination of Gladiator and 300. Seven Roman soldiers must make their way back to Hadrian’s Wall after their legion (IX) is wiped out by the Scottish Picts. The problem is that a Pict war-party is hot on their trail after the legionnaires assassinated the Pict Chieftain’s infant boy.
If you like 300, Gladiator, The Fall of the Roman Empire or even the Spartacus mini-series and can overlook the plot, you’ll love Centurion because there is plenty of blood and guts to fill two hours of celluloid. This film is an ancient slaughter house.
October 7, 2010
#5
Review by Cheese Steak Jimmy
Rating:
Neill Marshall knows how to make a genre movie. From the ‘Squaddies vs Werewolves’ carnage of Dog Soldiers [DVD] [2002], through the ‘Cavers vs Underdwellers’ horror of his best film The Descent [DVD] [2005], and on to the ‘Lara Croft versus Punk-Rock Cannibal Scots’ remake/homage of Escape From New York, the under-rated Doomsday [DVD] [2008], Marshall has cheerfully hacked and slashed his way through many a limb on his quest for B-Movie excellence.
Centurion is no different, focussing on the mythical Roman 9th Company as they were sent into the wilds of Scotland to tame the Picts, and on Marshall’s reading, face their annihilation. The soldiers are little more than British Squaddies in Roman Garb, replete with English accents and mano-a-mano bravado that wouldn’t seem out of place in modern War movies. Any faint trace of political analogy with the invasion of Iraq that some critics have detected (Dominic West’s General is sent into Caledonia for political reasons, and against his military assessment of the situation) is swiftly dropped after a first-act battle that leaves the Company decimated and the survivors on the run from the Picts, who are themselves surprisingly fleshed out, and dealt with somewhat sympathetically.
As Devin Faraci at Chud has pointed out, the last two acts of the movie are then basically a more violent version of the middle section of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [DVD] [1969] and the viewer barely has time to get to know the outstanding Michael Fassbender and his motley crew before they are picked off in a chase across the mountains of Scotland by the unshakeable Pictish trackers. Shooting in the extremes of Scotland, Marshall excels in capturing the landscapes, and this is a beautiful looking movie that makes full use of mountain tops and foreboding forests.
There isn’t a lot of originality on display here, but then, Marshall clearly isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s clear he isn’t working on a budget anywhere near what Ridley Scott had on Gladiator [DVD] [2000], but he manages to squeeze every drop of money and get it on the screen. (Anyone interested in a more existential/arthouse movie of ‘viking vs nature’ should check out the lower budget, but equally beautiful Valhalla Rising [DVD] [2009]). Centurion is recommended then for viewers who don’t mind accepting the B-Movie parameters that Marshall embraces from the get-go.