Centurion

Ultraviolent historical/epic/action yarn with breathtaking battles including lots of blood and gore . This is a nice as well as exciting production with a big budget , great sets and thundering battles during the Roman Empire . The picture deals with historical facts about confrontation between Romans and Picts . 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 face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts (they were generally thought to not have worn any clothes). A Roman army commanded by General Titus Flavius Virilus (Dominic West) is besieged and deadly attacked . After that , splinter group of Roman soldiers led by Centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack . As they attempt to destroy their leader Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen) and face a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive .

Bloody version based on historical events with overwhelming battles and great production values starred by Michael Fassbender as the fictional Centurion , leader of a motley crew of tough , battle-hardened warriors/underdogs who try to defend themselves against a patrol of bloody Picts led by a brutal warrior woman . The movie has great action sequences well staged with stylish and vitality , thrills , a little bit of romance and is pretty entertaining . Although is a little revisionist about characters , history and time when is developed the action in a dirty , gritty Roman Empire during its period in Britain . Several action scenes are outstanding with spectacular battle images and thrilling fights . Unfortunately, on small house screens much of the splendor will be lost . As the movie makes a big deal out of the supposedly deathly rivalry between Romans and the Picts . German archaeologists have found evidence of the 9th Legion on the banks of the Rhine River and carbon-dated them long after these events took place, suggesting that rather than being wiped out, the reason that there is no evidence of the 9th Legion being in Scotland after these battles is that they moved to Germany . The working title for the film was "Ninth Legion" , the story goes that the Ninth Legion marched to Scotland from York with 3000 men and were never seen of again. Historians dispute what actually happened to them. Some believe that they were disbanded, while others believe that they were massacred .

Stunning battles scenes illuminate the full-blown feats with a plethora of engaging action set pieces on the combats in which the heads and limbs are slice off here and there . Casting is frankly excellent such as Liam Cunningham , Dominic Cooper , David Morrissey , Ulrich Thomsen , Imogen Poots and Paul Freeman and Governor Julius Agricola . Special mention to treacherous , despised role played by Olga Kurylenko as sadistic , revenger Etain . There are great action sequences including the gory battle in woods and the final confrontation at the climax of the film . Impeccable and evocative cinematography by Sam McCurdy . Filmmaker and his director of photography Sam McCurdy spent about two years discussing the look of the film before making it , one thing they were adamant about was that it should be shot on location and nowhere near a green screen. Magnificent and stirring musical score by Ilan Eshkeri . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Neil Marshall (Doomsday , Descent , Dog soldiers). Neil Marshall shot the film in such hard conditions that some cast members suffered health problems . One of Neil Marshall's influences was Walter Hill's The warriors (1979) , this is why Hill is thanked in the end credits . Rating : Good, it's a nice historical extravaganza well set in ancient Rome , done in great scale and praised for its action sequences.

This is a well made small budget movie which gives us a fun and adventurous story with some dramatic scenery and a surprisingly strong cast.

Loosely based on the true story of the Roman missing 9th legion (try reading the following book for a very interesting account of what we know and what is speculated; 'Roman Britain's Missing Legion: What Really Happened to IX Hispana?' by Simon Elliott).

The movie gives a breathless feel with a movie length chase across the Scottish highlands. We are treated to some beautiful aerial shots and as it is set in winter, the movie feels damp and muddy, possible helped by the tones and colours used in the film stock. This dull earthy tones mixed with great costume design gives a gritty and realistic feel eschewing any imagined gloss and glamour of legionary life. The action scenes are small scale but well shot and pretty gory (plenty of heads rolling).

I was pleasantly surprised by this film since my expectations were low as I had never heard of the title until recently. It is not CGI heavy or on the scale of Gladiator, lets say, but creates a very nice story within the small world it portrays.

A nice surprise 8/10.

I recently picked this movie up cheap after watching the Spartacus TV show. I guess i am going through a Roman phase! This movie although not what i was expecting was actually very good.

If you are expecting large scale battles then look elsewhere as ultimately this becomes a chase movie as a small band of surviving Romans are being chased across Scotland by the savage Pict led by Olga Kurylenko.

Kurylenko is fantastic in this, frightening without saying a word. Fassbender is ok, seeming to grow into the role as the movie progresses. He is supported by a band of mainly British actors including David Morrissey. Dominic West steals every scene he is in, in an all too brief appearance.

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie and it just goes to show you don't have to have a huge budget or mammoth running time to create a good movie.

When the final credits were rolling my regular cinema-going counterpart observed "that was one of the most outwardly violent films I've seen since Kill Bill". That's not far from the truth. Limbs are hacked clean off, stomachs are regularly impaled and the claret fluid sprays endlessly. Though the major difference is where Tarantino's homage to the old chop-socky movies from Eastern cinema is cartoonish in its bloody visuals, Centurion is anything but tongue-in-cheek; here the blood, sweat and tears seep into the muddy vistas and bucolic rivers of Great Britain to intensify the atmosphere.

Director Neil Marshall (The Descent) has crafted a gritty movie that at its core is a simple 'cat and mouse' tale – and a highly entertaining one at that – but becomes much more thanks to the efficacious work from all the cast and crew. Marshall himself executes a few impressive sequences, the most outstanding being the initial ambush on the Ninth Legion, showing once again he knows how to stretch a small budget with minimalistic techniques and a passionate approach. Director of photography Sam McCurdy provides a suitably grimy and grainy look that, although at times is too dim, sets the ideal tone for the film. Perhaps Marshall should have monitored the editing closer though, Chris Gill's frenetic cutting very nearly ruins a couple of the fight scenes.

Major Hollywood star in the waiting Michael Fassbender (played the German-impersonating British Lieutentant in Inglourious Basterds) is undoubtedly the standout among the acting contingent. As the titular soldier, Fassbender makes for a charismatic leading man that convinces in both the physical and dramatic elements of the role. I eagerly wait to see what he does as the young Magneto in the upcoming X-Men prequel. Elsewhere The Wire alumni Dominic West is rough around the edges as the gruff General Virilus, Olga Kurylenko is positively bad-ass as the mute, monomaniacal warrior hell-bent on revenge and BBC favourite David Morrisey adds clout in his supporting role of Bothos.

A grubby, gory delight.

4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)

This movie was relatively unheard of when a friend of mine gave a copy of it. I was skeptical since it was not from Hollywood, no big stars etc. However, it proved I was wrong. This is not a masterpiece indeed; but it was able to get me a thrilling ride from beginning to end. To make it short, I would say this is a combination of "BEHIND ENEMY LINES" scenario at the pace and editing of "BOURNE ULTIMATUM" set at the backdrop of "KING ARTHUR". It's true that script does not focus much on character development but it does not cause any trouble in enjoying this action-adventure. As one reviewer has mentioned, I agree that portrayal of a female warrior by Olga Kurylenko is much more realistic and successful than the similar role played by Keira knightly in "King Arthur". It is really sad that movies like this are not given adequate publicity since this is much better than most big budget Hollywood movies that are being hyped inappropriately.