(2012-04-28 12:16:43)

Superpower invades country encountering guerrilla warfare

Centurion is Neil Marshall's take on the legend of the disappearance of the 9th Legion in Scotland in AD 117.Known for horror movies-Dog Soldiers,The Descent-he gives us a gritty,realistic,action epic of gore-fest proportions(ferocious battle scenes,bloody carnage, axed heads).We feel the cold weather sharper than a wolve's tooth.We are in the mud,rain and bogginess of Scotland,with an army stationed far from home,fighting a war politicians deem to be a lost cause,against tribes who mount guerrilla attacks then disappear into the shadows.The core of the film is centurion Quintus Dias(Fassbender) who is being chased at the start of the film who gives the voiceover narrative. After his garrison is attacked, and Dias captured,governor Agricola sends the 9th Legion north to crush the Pictish rebellion.Accompanied by a Brigantian tracker,Etain(Kurylenko),the legion marches north of Roman territory and finds Dias,shortly before being ambushed by Picts.Unknown stories are at the source of the energy of this subject.Most of the legionaries are killed and their general Flavius(West),is captured.Etain has betrayed them.She wants revenge.Her backstory is her father murdered,her mother and herself raped by the Romans and her tongue cut out.Marshall explores the legend not historical fact,driven as we are by our sense of the underdog,we are intrigued by the way Scotland put a barrier to Rome's expansionist ambitions.We get little sense of the Pictish sense of injustice:they become demonised,we root for the surviving remnants of the 9th under the leadership of Dias, the movie largely becomes a thriller chase of the Romans by Etain's Picts back to the garrison. There are eye-gougings and amputations and a skimpy romantic sub-plot, all but concealed behind the desaturated geysers of blood.Dias becomes the only survivor as Agricola orders the Romans to keep the failure of the 9th secret.I liked the acting of West and Fassbinder,and the naturalistic photography but the story got a bit lost and petered out unsatisfactorily. I preferred The Eagle's version,where the Romans are given American accents."A War without honour,without end."

Bob The Barbarian

(2012-04-28 07:13:16)

Perfect Movie

I cannot believe this has a 6.5 on here, that's very sad, It makes meashamed to be American, when our populous cannot tell a good movie froma bad one.This movie is absolute poetry, it's just beautiful. Great scenery, somegreat quotes, Honor and Respect, and just all around great charactersand actors.By far the best thing that's come out this year.The action scenes are great though there are lot's of camera cuts It isactually still enjoyable and everything in between is just as excitingand attention grabbing.You could not ask for a more complete movie, this is it people.As far as Med-Evil and sword and sorcery movies go, there are few thatare great, and this one is just amazing.If you're a Fan of 300, Gladiator, Pathfinder, anything with swords,watch it.

baron_genitalstrassen

(2012-04-27 01:25:13)

Could have been a good flick..

Well..let me be straightforward and tell it from the beginning: i likethis movie. Maybe because Scott's Robin Hood was disappointing. Maybebecause the team behind was bold enough to try making an indie movieable to play in the big league. Maybe because they had the good idea tobring several actors from the Danish School (both theater and movie).Maybe because they had the good idea to end the old tradition anddepict war as gruesome as it is. No guts no glory.Several damaging issues might count for the missing 3 stars in my vote(3/10) - the shaky camera - too simple screenplay - the crumblingcastle (really people...was not there any better idea to "allow" thedanish mercs entering the castle than a herd of pigs put on fire? ) -Speaking about the Danish Mercs. Why were they speaking modern Magyar?Was this movie supposed to be played only in US ? If an medieval Norsespeaking consultant might be hard to be found i would expect findingfew modern Danish speakers to make the voice overs. Should't be thatexpensive. By the way, the Magyar language is related somehow with theFinish language but no way with any Scandinavian languages (Norse,Swedish, Danish)

(2012-04-26 12:38:34)

UK Film Commission PC yawn fest

This review is from: Centurion (Amazon Instant Video) When I saw the UK Film Commission scroll by on opening credits I feared I was in for a multicultural debacle like the BBC Robin Hood series and I was unfortunately not mistaken. Apart from the silly casting theres really not much character to the film to make it exciting. The early battle scenes and the scenery are enjoyable but overall Id say this film is a $1 red box rental at best. If you want a mindless fun period movie in recent releases Id say Outlander is a better bet. Its silly but more enjoyable to watch than Centurion. My buddies warned me Centurion was a one buck movie, next time I'll listen.

(2012-04-26 17:29:22)

A good movie about the war between Romans & Picts

This review is from: Centurion [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I enjoyed The Last Legion with Colin Firth and this one is just as enjoyable a movie to me. It supposedly depicts the final war that ended the with the Pict's victory over the Romans' Legions and the political posturing within the Roman Leaders. Great scenic vistas, awesome battle between the "savages" and the "professionals". It is a good "historical" story revealing glimpses of the life of Romans and Natives with some romance added plus intrigues between peoples, tribes and friends/comrades.

(2012-04-26 01:49:58)

There will be blood...

... In fact a lethal overdose of blood.How could I not love this movie? Gladiator was one of my all-time favourites, I love Braveheart, and Apocalypto IS still my favourite, so how can I not love this one? Shallow is the magic word. This movie tries to live off its shock value. The gore is presented with gay abandon almost as if it were the main focus point of the film. And maybe it is, I don't know, didn't care to finish it.The frustrating thing is the setting has great potential. Romans are fighting some rebellious tribes in the far north of Britain. You gotta love rebels. Except this movie shows things from the Romans' perspective, which is a let-down, but the deal-breaking flaw is that flying body parts rule the screen, except the heart is missing.3 out of 10 just for the potential.

(2012-04-16 01:12:04)

HK Neo Reviews: Centurion

A brutal ancient actioner...The film pans out exactly as the trailer, offers nothing new, done todeath story, but somehow, this brutal portrayal of the Romans battlingfor survival against the tribes of forestry is exciting enough for theentire duration. Save for a letdown in the formula romantic subplot,the film serves the audience well, with an efficient actioner thatoffers nothing special, nothing new and nothing memorable.Michael Fassbender leads a cast of non-Hollywood heavy weights.Fassbender makes a charismatic hero to follow, while offering nothingingenious in terms of acting; he is suitably capable as a leader of themagnificent seven. The highlight and eye candy comes in the form offormer Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko, who displays some meaty acting chopsby being outright nasty. Perhaps aided by being a mute, Olga is greatand if she shed a few more of those cloths on her, it will be evengreater. Shame it didn't happen, but she is certainly one very hotheroine.All in all, Centurion delivers action, action, blood, blood, violence,violence and absolute brutality. For that it entertained me from startto finish. Yes, I am a casual ancient historian, but if you discountthe factor of any historical accuracy and embrace the film as a fictionor even a fantasy. Centurion can be a joy ride and not unlike the Zthtime of going on the same roller-coaster, Centurion offers the thrilland entertainment, if not for long after the duration. A decent filmfor what it is worth...(Neo 2010) I rate it 6.5/10

(2012-04-15 06:43:54)

March of the Disappearing Soldiers

'Centurion'- starring Dominic West (The Wire), Michael Fassbender (300, Inglorious Basterds) and Olga Kurylenko (Hitman, Quantum of Solace)- is the latest sandal not-so-epic offered up to the masses and it won't surprise me if most of 'em slap it down. I wanted to like it more than I did, but it just wouldn't let me. The film is loosely based upon the fractional myth of the Ninth Roman Legion, believed to have disappeared en route to their new garrison in 117 AD. Based upon events lacking any real substantive material it takes that germ of an idea and bloats it into something almost unrecognizable. Half-baked story ideas, clichГѓВ©d plotlines and unsupportable actions taken by characters drag the whole thing down into the blood-soaked mud.The movie opens with Centurion Quintus Dias (Fassbender) fleeing his captors across the snowy northland. Flashbacks introduce us to his predicament: two weeks earlier his garrison was overrun and he was spared only because he spoke the Pictish language. After some rough interrogation by Pictish king Gorlacon he escapes and is rescued by the Ninth Legion during their march. The Ninth is commanded by General Titus Flavius Virilus (West), a man respected and beloved as much for his tactical leadership as his rowdiness. Orders come in from the military governor, who feels Britain is lost but needs a victory to grease his way back to Rome. Out of the blue the governor provides the general with Etain (Kurylenko), a legendary Pictish scout who can literally track anything. I'm guessing this skill is based upon the anecdote that losing one sense sharpens the others- her tongue was cut out by legionnaires when she was a child after they killed her family and abused her (which makes her exactly the sort of person a military governor would place absolute faith in to guide troops along to help subjugate her country).After the inevitable and obvious betrayal- though it was a pretty good battle scene- the seven survivors of the massacre, including Centurion Quintus Dias, learn that their general was captured and taken to where Quintus was being held. They follow in an attempt to rescue him but fail, and one of the group manages to kill Gorlacon's young son in the process. Now the survivors must evade a band of vengeance-fueled hunters led by Etain as they try to get back to Roman lines. The hardships of the journey both strengthen their bonds and shows the cracks in their unity. Etain drives her prey hard, whittling down their numbers and inadvertently forcing them to split up. Quintus and what's left of his group stagger into a peaceful glade where Arianne, a beautiful young woman with exceptional healing skills, lives a solitary existence (you DO see it coming, right?). She directs them to a nearby garrison, which turns out to be abandoned, where they're forced to make a stand against Etain and her warriors. But a few final troubles await the survivors when they finally reach what will eventually become Hadrian's Wall, explaining why the fate of the Ninth Legion became a mystery. It all sounds better than it played out.The biggest failing of the movie is it's just too clichГѓВ©d and sometimes just plain dumb, even when not spraying obviously fake CGI blood: Quintus and Etain share some kind of psychic bond- he can feel her rage across the miles- though it's never explained how or why. The biggest chase sequence is completely stolen from 'Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid'(going across the mountains and the river jump). The pictish trackers are ordered to bring the Romans' heads back to Gorlacon, yet when one of the soldiers lies wounded they decide to 'just let him bleed' (wtf?)... so you know what comes next. Arianne has a scar from being marked as a witch by Gorlacon himself- again, why?- thus has no love for 'her people' so is quite willing to host a handsome centurion and his buddies. The other big problem is the somewhat deceptive advertising: billed as the story of the missing legion ala '300', one look at the title tells you different. This is all Quintus' movie- evidenced by his narration and character focus as well as the fact that the Ninth Legion gets slaughtered about halfway through. Since that's what it is, that's what it should've been sold as. But it's not a complete washout- this is a harsh, cold, gritty world built upon blood and struggle but also contains some beautiful vistas and scenery. And both the dialogue and performances are serviceable; everyone holds up their end of the deal. The fight scenes are sufficiently amputative, but the buttery grease on my fingers was more convincing that the stuff spraying across the screen. This flick could've been a whole lot more than it was, but was never given a chance to. A real shame given the premise; it might've made for some interesting character studies and storytelling. I saw it widescreen here in NYC but its also available On-Demand, which is the best way to go; save it for a rainy day in or something.

(2012-04-13 14:41:47)

Another Quality Film from an Independent Film Maker

This review is from: Centurion (Amazon Instant Video) I thoroughly enjoyed this movie with it's conjecture as to the fate of the missing Roman Legion and the role the Picts may have played. The scenery was often breath-taking and the director's decision to film on location was to be applauded. The relatively unknowns in the film were excellent in their roles. Gritty and realistic.

Monsieur_Poopoo

(2012-04-12 22:52:56)

How did they get it so wrong?

Our western world has been deeply shocked by September 11. There's nodoubt about that. But, what has happened to Hollywood??? This awfulmelodrama may be based on real facts, but it is really over the top!The problem is not the suffering endured by the Centurion (theAmericans), it is the dishonest way things are told. Come on! What doesmean this Christian fundamentalist, would be Spartan (Iraqi), when hesays the that he wants two "avenge" all this? And then he serves twoduty tour in Sparta (Iraq)???? Sparta had NOTHING to do with the WTCdisaster! No weapon of mass destruction, no ties with Al Qaida!Nothing! How many lies will we have to endure about this very sadhistorical event? When a movie is so "wrong", it's not cinema anymore.It's propaganda. And propaganda can kill millions... Think about that.Dr Monsieur Poopoo, University of Belgium Laarbeeklaan 103, B - 1090Walloon Region

Andrew O'Hehir

(2012-04-10 06:00:37)

It offers riveting storytelling, gorgeous cinematography and scenery, loads of gore, and a politically complicated history lesson.

robocopssadside-1

(2012-04-10 00:15:46)

Centurion (2010)

A Roman Centurion joins forces with the Ninth Legion to eradicate asavage group of Celts known as the Picts.I've always been a fan of "Sword and Sandal" stories, even the reallybad Italian knock-off ones (I.e. Lucio Fulci's "Conquest"). I have fondmemories of watching Conan and Beastmaster, and even rushing home fromschool to be on time for He-Man (which I think more than qualifies tobe part of said genre). Therefore, I was colored excited after learningthe news that director Neil Marshall would be doing a medieval thrillerset in 117 A.D. He had already become a favorite of mine after twogreat horror films (Dog Soldiers and the Descent) and an underratedapocalyptic Sci-Fi flick (Doomsday), so "Centurion" sounded impressiveby default. While it is not as epic as I imagined, it still manages tobe an extremely fast-paced ninety-minute ride of gory, violent fun.The entire film is essentially a chase scene. Centurion Dias (MichaelFassbender) escapes Pict imprisonment early on, only to be immediatelypursued by them through the icy Scottish mountains and deep forests. Itis here where the Ninth Legion (who are on orders from the Governor ofRome to wipe out the Picts) rescues him. A mute woman named Etain (OlgaKurylenko) is hired by the Governor to travel with General Vuiriliusand his men as a tracker. Secretly with the Picts, Etain betrays theLegion, leading them into an ambush where all but a handful areunknowingly left alive. From here on, it is a battle for the men tostay alive long enough to make it home to their families.If not for quick-flash style battle sequences, this film would bestrongly hindered by computer-generated blood FX. I am not against CGI,but they are a nuisance when used on a movie with an obviouslyrestrained budget. Luckily, it is a 50/50 mix of computer imagery andtraditional makeup gore; and even though the bulk of the action isshown with rapid shots that are gone before you can fully process them,there is plenty of brutality to blow your mind. If I were told to addup the number of dismemberments and impalements in this picture, Iwould run out of fingers and toes to count with.Michael Fassbender does an excellent job in his role as the Centurion,and his narration throughout the film is fantastic. He has been poppingup all over the place ever since his minor parts in "300" and"Inglourious Basterds", and it is great to see him successfully holdhis own in a lead position. For a role with zero dialogue involved,Olga Kurylenko does an amazing job of building her character intosomething believable. She is cold-blooded, completely filled withhatred, and will stop at nothing to kill every Roman in her sight;though, occurrences in her past make her an almost sympatheticcharacter. Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later), Dominic West (300), and LiamCunningham (Dog Soldiers) all also give above par performances in theirsupporting roles, as well.So that about sums it up. "Centurion" is not anything new orgroundbreaking, but like all of Neil Marshall's past films, it is a lotof fun; and the story is surprisingly solid for a movie that soundslike a no-brainer at face value. It is a definite recommendation forfans of "Pathfinder", "Gladiator", "Red Sonja" and other aforementionedfilms within the "Sword and Sandal" genre.

(2012-04-07 17:01:01)

wonderfully gritty realism in historical fiction, however unhistoric

This review is from: Centurion (DVD) This is an absolutely excellent historical fiction film, granted with extreme license. OK, I am a Roman history pedant and aficionado of historical novels, so I brought to this a critical eye, but also a hope that I would get enveloped in the narrative, in subtle character, in wonder at the endless varieties of human ambition. At this, it was so successful that I forgot the present with complete delight, even after 2 full viewings.In terms of history, this is fiction based on speculation about what happened to the 9th Legion, which disappeared from the historical record without a trace - the only way to limn what happened to them is to piece together ambiguous clues, such as the inscriptions on grave stones scattered throughout the former empire. The time is that of the Emperor Hadrian, the golden age of the Roman Empire - the series of good, circumspect emperors who governed judiciously and without the insane excess that is remembered with Nero or Commodus. Rome is one of the largest stable empires the world has ever known, though it has experienced resistance in certain areas, such as the Picts in Northern Britain or the Parthians in Central Asia. Whatever happened, the film that concocts an explanation, and it is as plausible as an other, with plenty of fictional speculation and fantasy thrown in to build a narrative.To be honest, the film either works for you or it doesn't. All I can say is, if you liked HBO's Rome, this is the same kind of grainy, highly textured portrait, just not in the center (Rome) but on the periphery. I believe this preference is personal and subjective, a pure matter of taste. It is extremely bloody, with realistic battle sequences that are not for the squeamish.The plot follows a non-commissioned officer (Centurion), acted by the wonderful Michael Fassbender. Long a fighter of Picts (he knows their language), he survives an attack on an outpost and is rescued by the 9th, who are about to make war on the Picts. They are led by the incredible Dominic West (of The Wire), a charismatic general who has led his men to glory in Spain and is now establishing them in Britain; he is a gifted brute, but extremely popular with the men, from whom he rose by talent. Their scout is Olga Kurilenko (yes, a Bond girl), a mute and mysterious young Pict. After the quick decimation of the 9th, Fassbender and a handful of survivors seek to rescue the general by duty, deep in Pict Scotland. Upon failure and an unfortunate murder, they must flee for their lives while an elite corps of Pict warriors pursue them with a blood oath of vengeance. At their head is a killer of singular talent, whose family was brutalized and executed before her eyes, then she was raped and left for dead. As described, "she is an empty vessel that can only be filled with Roman blood." When you see her, you believe it. I will not reveal what happens, only to say that it is acted to utter perfection.There has been much criticism of the Romans as "good guys" in this film. I think it is far more subtle than that: no one is good, no one bad, they are all just striving to live the way they want, in accordance with their traditions. The Picts are genuinely savage warriors, but the reasons for their ruthless ferocity are completely clear: the Romans brutilized them in unspeakable ways as demonstrated more than once. For their part, the Romans are simple soldiers, part of a military machine the likes of which the world had never known. They are not good guys, they just are what they are: disciplined killers who will follow their leaders to the death for duty and hopefully glory. They are tougher beyond imagination, with their own codes of honor, though clearly one of the survivors is a sociopath. Another much criticized plot incident is the girl and love story. I suppose you could say it is unrealistic, but what the heck, it is a movie. To me, it was believable and moving (in however a superficial way you might want). Roman political machinations are also surprising, believable, and subtle.This is not the kind of thing a pedant like me should pick apart. It is just a darn good story that completely absorbed me for 2 viewings. I will certainly watch it again. Warmly recommended.

RickHarvey

(2012-04-07 01:25:33)

Great for guts and gore but nothing else

Centurion lack in story and for this suffers a lot. Anything that starsMichael Fassbender is worth watching and as always, he does no wrong.The battle scenes are devilishly beautiful. Maybe to much guts andbones for a 15 but for thankfully, this film takes no prisoners.One Third of the film consists of these battles which is fantastic asthe story rails out in a slow tedious fashion. Rescue leader, let himdie, escape the high mountains. Nothing to it . The last twenty minutesbecomes almost too Hollywood esquire.One encounter which you will look forward too is the fight betwennFassbender and Kurylenko in whom, does a great job as the mute. Thebattle scenes are fantastic but unfortunately, doesn't make up for thenon-existent story

(2012-03-30 16:16:19)

decent small movie that delivers realistic battle scenes.

This story is a made up one. However there is no doubt that fierce female warriors existed back then. Boudica almost drove the romans out of britain but was defeated , barely defeated that is! The acting is good here but really this movie is a chase movie in which a group of legionaires try to escape the picts. WHo later became the scots after mixing with the irish scotti people. The violence is very bloody and realistic but the loss of the legion which here only has three thousand men is far less that the six thousand a legion usually had. So you get what you get here and good looking chase movie. I didn't like the ending though , because I don't know of any returning soldiers betrayed regardless of losses. That part was not right but the fact remains that this is a decent action flick in many regards. the budget was not that big as you really don't have that many sets in this feature. But to be fair they did a good job with the pictish village. This is not a terrible movie , it's not great but it's good enough. Historically even 'gladiator' is all wrong, although commodus was one of romes worst emporers he reigned for twelve years! not twelve months. And people love that movie, including me, I wish the filmworld could get it more right in many regards but this is good enough for a watch and you will root for the Romans. yes, they are the heroes in this movie in spite of the fact that they are out for conquest. And to be fair , once rome was in charge things weren't always totally bad. (years after the initial conquest that is). So this movie politically upset alot of people! I don't care; if I was alive back then. I would rather live in the roman empire than outside of it. The blu ray looks great here and only has one extra feature , a audio commentary. I would say if you want a nice little action flick this is a good one to watch.

headly66

(2012-03-29 23:07:48)

Not a bad tale at all...

Centurion is a tale of survival and revenge, about half way through westill don't know who we are rooting for, the all powerful Romans or thesavage Picts who want to rid their land of intruders. This film is verybloody sometimes to the point of being overdone, heads explode likecantaloupes at the slightest smash yet soldiers take numerous arrowsand sword lashings and survive. Probably the silliest part of the wholestory was the ability of beautiful 5ft 2in 100lb girls to battle guystwice their size wielding 3ft swords. The pace of the movies is good,the action rapid if not a bit redundant, the story a bit thin but allin all a good, gritty adventure.

Neil Welch

(2012-03-27 20:00:38)

Full of joy and good cheer - not really

If you like your films to be dirty, cold, bleached out, full ofviolence and misery, then you're going to have a ball with this one.It's the fag end of the Roman occupation of Britain, and a small groupof Romans is trying to escape from the irate Picts on the wrong side ofHadrian's Wall. The problem is that the mute tracker Etain (OlgaKurylenko) isn't working for the Romans after all.That's it really - one long chase across some of the bleakestlandscapes ever put on film, with intermittent slaughter. The script isfunctional and occasionally witty. The performances are mostly OK,insofar as you can tell underneath the layers of furs and grime.The action sequences tend to suffer from both hand-held camera syndromeand quick cutting syndrome - it isn't always easy to follow what'sgoing on.I do wish Imogen Poots would change her surname, she sounds like acharacter out of Monty Python.But, of its sort, it is entertaining enough.

James Hitchcock

(2012-03-27 08:10:48)

Men on the Run

It is strange how two otherwise unrelated films on the same topic cansometimes suddenly appear within a short time of one another. In 1960,for example, there were two filmed biographies of Oscar Wilde, a writerwhose life had never previously been the subject of a film, and in theearly seventies two separate studios were, quite by chance, working ondisaster movies about skyscrapers on fire. When they discovered thecoincidence they decided to join forces and produce the film now knownas "The Towering Inferno". More recently, 2009 saw two French biopicsof the fashion designer Coco Chanel, "Coco Chanel et Igor Stravinsky"and "Coco avant Chanel"."Centurion" is another example of the same phenomenon. It was one oftwo films from 2010/2011 about the massacre of the Ninth Legion in theearly part of the second century AD, the other being "The Eagle".Historians of the Roman period are divided about the exact fate of thislegion, but both films explore the theory that it was destroyed inbattle with the Picts, the inhabitants of what was then known asCaledonia and today as the Scottish Highlands.The film is ostensibly set in AD 117, but there are several historicalinaccuracies. The Roman governor of Britannia is named as "Agricola";there were two British governors of this name but the first, the famousGnaeus Julius Agricola, had died in AD 93, and the second, SextusCalpurnius Agricola, would not become governor until nearly fifty yearsafter the events depicted here. The film also refers to Hadrian's Wallalthough construction of the wall did not begin until AD 122.Agricola fears that the warlike Picts are becoming a threat to thepeace and stability of Britannia, so he sends the Ninth Legion undertheir commander Titus Flavius Virilus to subdue them. (The commander'scognomen is spelt as "Virilus" in the cast list, although the correctspelling should probably be "Virilis", meaning "manly"). The Romans,however, are ambushed by the Picts; Virilus is captured and most of hissoldiers killed. The film follows the adventures of a small group ofsurvivors, including the title character Centurion Quintus Dias, asthey attempt to make their way to safety through hostile territory.Neither "Centurion" nor "The Eagle" bears much resemblance totraditional Roman films like "Ben-Hur" or "Spartacus", or even modernones like "Gladiator". They were made on a much lower budget, and on amuch smaller scale than those grand epics. They do not deal with Kingsand Emperors or with great, world-shattering events but rather with thelives of relatively humble individuals caught up in desperatepower-struggles. Yet despite these resemblances there are also manydifferences between the two films.An important element in "The Eagle" is the close friendship whichdevelops between the retired Roman officer Aquila and his British slaveEsca, and the two, very different, men are well characterised byChanning Tatum and Jamie Bell. The characterisation in "Centurion" ismuch more perfunctory; neither Quintus not any of his companions emergeas rounded characters. The one memorable character is the mute Britishwoman Etain who acts as the Legion's guide but who betrays them to thePicts. (Was, I wonder, Etain originally intended to be mute, or wasthis detail added at a later stage to disguise Olga Kurylenko's foreignaccent?) Etain, however, is at the centre of the film's biggest plothole. We learn that she is mute because the Romans, who have alsomurdered the rest of her family, have cut out her tongue, but it isnever explained why Agricola and Virilus are so stupid as to entrustthe safety of the Legion to a woman with such excellent reasons to hatethe Roman empire and all it stands for.I must admit that I found "The Eagle", which is more than just anaction-adventure, by far the better of the two films. It asks somepertinent questions about such concepts as imperialism, honour, freedomand friendship and about respect for alien cultures. "Centurion", bycontrast, is a simple action thriller which avoids asking questionsabout deeper issues. The Roman occupation of Britain is simply used asthe exotic backdrop to a basic men-on-the-run thriller plot which couldequally well have been made about soldiers from any other war inhistory or, with a modern setting, about escaping prisoners or about agroup of friends who have fallen foul of a gang of criminals. In"Apocalypto", Mel Gibson was able to endow a similar "chase" thrillerin an exotic setting with a certain freshness and originality; NeilMarshall, unfortunately, is unable to perform the same service for"Centurion". 5/10

Allan Hunter

(2012-03-22 08:21:12)

Centurion is certainly atmospheric but the brutality and beheadings make it disappointingly monotonous.

Frank Swietek

(2012-03-21 11:17:17)

Really little more than a boys' adventure tale done in a style more gruesome than most...too intense and nasty to be sheer dumb fun, and too silly and formulaic to be taken for a serious historical epic.