Centurion Reviews 3

http://movievantagepoint.blogspot.com/2010/12/multi-layered-blood-and-guts-treat.html

Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Centurion: "A multi-layered Blood and Guts treat."

Rating:***

By Da’Mon Guy

Centurion is a little known, enjoyable, action packed fictitious tale based on the historical events that surrounded the disappearance of the Roman 9th legion. The film premiered in limited release in August of 2010. Centurion stars Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Bastards), Dominic West (Punisher: War Zone), Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) David Morrissey (Basic Instinct 2), and Axelle Carolyn (Doomsday).

Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pict raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon. (Imdb.com)

The movie is an enjoyable fable set in the time of the Roman empire. The subplot of the main story is the Roman’s attempted conquest of a nomadic people known as the Picts. The main story surrounds the remaining soldiers of the Roman 9th legion that try to return to Rome after a failed confrontation with the Picts. The remaining group of seven men then try to escape the land of the Picts. They attempt to trek back to Roman territory but in the process they are then hunted by the Picts. The movie is really simplistic in nature, a chase film. The Picts led by Etan (Kurylenko) are on a blood hunt chasing after Dias (Fassbender) and his remaining Roman soldiers after one of them killed the Pict king’s son.

The film is a multi layered story. On the surface, it’s an action movie, but beneath the blood, guts, and gore, it’s a film that is filled with deception, mistrust, betrayal, loyalty, and the need to find one’s true place in the world. The movie does a good job at showing the more barbaric nature of both sides of the conflict as the Romans attempt to conquer the seemingly barbaric Picts but the Romans are equally as uncivilized, just in a different way. The movie also shows in detail how both races of people are not oblivious to persecution of their own kind. From one another and from within. Both cultures turn on their own people for the sake of its beliefs. The Romans for glory and the Picts for religion.

Centurion is filled with action and is graphically violent. This is not a film for the weak stomached, the conflict is brutal but fitting. The cinematography and action sequences are very well shot. The fight scenes are swift, bloody and violent. A good representation of the time of the movie. The film contains one of the better confrontation scenes that I’ve seen in a period based film as the Picts commenced a surprise attack of the 9th legion. The film is has a really good look in spite of a lack of budget.

The film is carried by a duo of commendable performances. Micheal Fassbender, and Olga Kurylenko both give entertaining performances. Fassbender and Kurylenko’s characters are the central focus of the film. Fassbender as Quintus Dias is compelling. Kurylenko is equally good as the mute Pict, Etan. Usually known for her looks more than her acting Kurylenko gives a decent performance as the driven female barbarian. She is very convincing as she doesn’t contain any line within the film. Dominic West made an very brief but confusing performance as the Roman general. The character was initially portrayed as a “bad ass” but was quickly dismissed as he was captured and killed. The character’s only relevance was to serve as motivation for Fassbender’s character, Dias.

Centurion is a mildly enjoyable movie. The film will be more entertaining for fans of period based films. However, the story is simplistic and enjoyable. The movie isn’t a must see but it is more than adequate enough to satisfy a boring night at home.
Posted by Da'Mon at 8:34 AM

http://www.cantstopthemovies.com/?p=4425

Written on December 22, 2010 at 4:38 am by Ryan
Centurion (2010)

I am not a star type person. There is not one single celebrity out there that makes me see a film just because they are the stars. Casting can make a movie more or less desirable to me but it is not the end all of the conversation. Directors, on the other hand, can get me into a movie seat if certain people are responsible for the film. Names like Fincher, Spielberg, Scorsese and Crowe are people who I will watch their films no matter what because they have over and over again proved that, while they might have an off film, their film work prove that they make exciting and ambitious films. Some up and coming directors that are about to make the jump to this list are JJ Abrams, Joe Carnahan and Neil Marshall.

Neil Marshall might not be a name that many people know, but he has really impressed me with little horror/thriller pictures that are at one time tense and smart. The little seen Dog Soldiers is a great little B-picture, The Descent was a terrifying claustrophobic horror movie and Doomsday was a mess but a mess that kept your attention. Now his latest film is called Centurion and was never given a chance before hitting video. This is a shame because the film is a rough and tough little action film that is great way to spend 90 minutes.

Centurion tells the story of the lost 9th Roman Legion. While history has never been able to uncover what happened to this army, Marshall comes up with his own story and runs with it. The year is 117 AD and the Roman Empire is at the peak of their size and power. On the outskirts of their Empire, which is present day Northern Britain, the Romans are engaged in a bloody and never ending battle with the Picts, fearless and hearty soldiers that show no quit. The movie starts with a Pict raid on a Roman outpost, leaving only one survivor, Quintis Dias (Michael Fassbender). Dias escapes from captivity and meets up with the 9th Legion, under the capable guidance of beloved General Titus Virilius (Dominic West) who are on orders to attack the Picts once again.

Sexy, scary and deadly all wrapped into one package.

By this time in the movie, I did not have high hopes for the movie because it felt like the first 15 minutes of Gladiator spread out over a full feature film. The film had the same color tone, the same types of costumes, was shot in a similar manner and took place in frigid woods just like the Scott film. Then the movie surprised me by veering off the traditional swords and sandals type film into something totally different. The legion is betrayed by Etain (the beautiful Olga Kurylenko), their mute guide, and slaughtered. Titus is captured and only a handful of men are left. One of the survivors, Dias, takes charge and decides the only thing they have left to do is go on a mission to rescue Titus.

At this point, the movie has turned into a type of Dirty Dozen, men on a mission behind enemy lines film and the movie really starts to zing. The men have very little supplies, the clothes on their back and no hope of finding reinforcements, but yet the march towards the enemy instead of away from it and Marshall uses this plot to his advantage by ratcheting up the tension and action to make it feel like the soldiers are on a suicide mission. Yet, the movie still has another trick up its sleeve and changes again after the failed rescue of Titus.

When trying to rescue Titus, the men not only alert their presence to the Picts, but also kill the son of their leader, turning them into marked men. Etain, the best tracker in the area, takes some of her best men and hunts them through most of Britain. Quintis and his men, no matter how fast they run, how far they travel or how clever they think they are being, Etain and her posse are nipping on their heels. When Centurion turns into a cat and mouse type chase film, I fell in love with the film. Etain, while not in appearance but definitely in her steadfast belief in her objective, reminds me of the Terminator. For Quintis and the survivors of the 9th Legion, there truly feels like there is no escape from this woman. They can’t outsmart her, hide from her or fight her. They are on the losing side of this game and the men feel it, but still don’t give up. Thanks to how director Marshall builds up Etain as a character, I feel like she was one of 2010’s most memorable and threatening villains.

Definitely one of the funnier screen grabs I have seen.

After watching Centurion, I now feel like Marshall has directed 3 very surprisingly entertaining films and I can’t wait until he is given the reins of a big budget project, because I think he can hit it out of the park. By taking a genre who has been done to death and turning it on its ear, the movie becomes something that is at one time truly original but at the same time comfortably familiar. Centurion is a violent, bloody, action spectacle that anyone that likes sword and sandal epics should watch immediately. The action is well staged, the characters memorable and pacing fast and exciting. The movie is on Netflix Instant Streaming right now and it is definitely worth a watch, if for no other reason than to see an up and coming director flex their muscles.
Centurion (2010)

This film is on DVD, Blu-Ray and Instant Streaming.

Directed by Neil Marshall
Starring Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and OlgaKurylenko

http://www.ctrl-x.com.au/2010/12/centurion-dvd/

Centurion (DVD)

Posted by Ctrl-x on Wednesday, December 22, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I’ve kind of had a thing for the Roman Empire ever since I read I, Claudius. They had good dress sense, were ambitious (admittedly, to a fault) and enjoyed the finer things; wine, deliciously cooked meats and sexual acts involving more than two people.

But what I also find fascinating is that the Roman Empire had the largest and most regimented army known at the time (and the only one ever to have good dress sense), that seemed utterly unbeatable both in number and ability.

Directed by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), Centurion tells the story of the Ninth Legion in the year 117 AD stationed in Scotland and charged with taking the region from the Celtic tribes, then known as the Picts, to add to the ever-expanding borders of the Empire. The struggle for ground at the start of the film had already lasted a couple of years, and the Roman’s are having a hell of a lot of trouble with the guerilla tactics employed by their enemy. As they’re used to fighting face-to-face on a battlefield, it’s hard for them to adapt to the crafty techniques of the Picts.

At the centre of the story is Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) a centurion captured by the Picts who escapes their clutches and is asked by Titus Virilus (Dominic West) to accompany him and his legion, lead by a Pict tracker (hot as always Olga Kurylenko) back to the enemies settlement to slaughter them. But, when they are betrayed by their tracker (big surprise) in an ambush by the Picts, most of the legion is decimated and Quintus Dias must take command of the few troops left and try to get them back to Roman territory safely, as well as try to rescue their leader Virilus, who has been taken captive.

The cast works well in this. Fassbender is as watchable as always, as is Dominic West, who plays the role of down-to-earth, among-the-men commander Virilus with charm. Kurylenko’s vengeful Pict tracker Etain is very much a stock-standard action-movie adversary, but she’s nice enough to look at.

Centurion provides more than enough action for the standard viewer, but the fight scenes aren’t all that well choreographed and are pretty low-key. Though fairly gritty, I thought the fights would have worked better if Marshall had edited the film so that we could tell what was going on in them. As is, the edits are too fast-paced, and it seems that the cuts are hiding something, which my best guess is the flawed special effects. These effects weren’t bad, but I just really have a problem with excessive use of computer-generated blood, as it’s just lazy. When they get CG blood to a standard where I can’t tell the onset stuff from the stuff added in post, maybe I’ll change my mind.

There is also perhaps a little too much unnecessary voiceover for my liking, but that’s another pet-peeve of mine that I won’t let a lot of movies get away with.

A little better than most no-brainer action films, but not by much.

3/5

http://sffhub.com/2010/12/23/centurion-review/

postheadericon Centurion Review
December 23rd, 2010 | Author: bryanst

You may remember a couple of months ago I did a post on both Soloman Kane and Centurion. While I was able to watch Soloman Kane right away, it took me a long time to get to see Centurion. Finally, I watched it last night, and I have to say, it was even better than I thought it was going to be.

Centurion, directed by Neil Marshall, is set in Roman Times, 117 AD to be exact, and follows Roman centurion Quintas Dias. After a Pict attack on a Roman outpost, Quintas is the only survivor. He then meets up with the Ninth Legion, as they are on their way north the strike a decisive blow against the Picts. Following another ambush on the Ninth Legion, the General is taken prisoner, and Dias, along with a few other Romans, are the only remaining survivors.

The movie up until that point is a little bit slow. The first battle scene, where Quintas Dias’ outpost is attacked, seems to be a little bit odd, with the blood splatter and some of the choreography looking off. The parts where we are introduced to the Ninth Legion however, is very good, as we get to see these characters as likable men. The General himself, Titus Flavius Virilus, portrayed by Dominic West, is a funny character, who can quickly switch between lighthearted to brutal.

The character of Quintas Dias, portrayed by Michael Fassbender (you may remember him as the crazy Spartan Stelios in 300) is easily the most likable of all the characters. He is the son of a gladiator, and his father trained him how to fight, telling him that to beat an enemy you must know them better than yourself. Dias has done this, and knows every little detail about the Picts, and can even speak their language. Unlike the other characters in the film, Dias isn’t a typical Roman. He is not prejudicial towards the Picts and others, and he isn’t a blood thristy man. Fassbender portrays Dias very well, and it is largely in part to his work that the movie is as good as it is.

While the opening part is a bit slow and awkward, the rest of the movie is simply fantastic. Dias, along with the others surviving Romans decide to head deeper into Pict territory to rescue General Virilus. Their journey from the site of the ambush to the Pict camp and beyond is full of excitement and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Dias quickly takes up the mantle of leadership from the rest of the Romans, and does all that he can to keep them alive.

It is interesting that after the first fight in the Roman outpost, the rest of the films battle scenes do not seem nearly as awkward, and the choreography is very well done. The final scene especially is fantastic. The final surviving Romans start killing some Picts, and here is this thing with a spear through a guy, that just filled me with joy. It was unequivocally awesome.

It is clear that Neil Marshall poured a lot of his soul into this film, and it really paid off. You can tell that all the actors involved believed in this, and it is a wonder why they couldn’t secure a North American distributor. By the end of the film, you can tell that it covers the story of the loss of the Ninth Legion, and Neil Marshall’s take on it is a very valid one. I highly recommend that you check this film out if you haven’t already. If you are a fan of Roman films (such as Gladiator), than you will like this film as well.

Please comment and share.

http://40til40.blogspot.com/2010/12/end-of-year-list-2010.html

6. Best Guilty Pleasure and Fave New Movie of the Year I Actually Caught On Demand As It Was In Theaters: Centurion. Damn, I love a good B-movie. You don’t have to think, it doesn’t ask anything else of you than to watch it, and sometimes a great filmmaker can take those limitations and make something great. This is not great. It’s a hell of a lot of fun, but as bloody and violent a movie as I’ve ever seen – and damned if I don’t love it for going as far as it does. This isn’t violence – it’s cartoon violence, so over the top and in your face that it’s like watching any one of Braveheart’s battle scenes if they were done by the old Warner Brothers cartoon crowd and extended to 90 minutes. You’ll see more brain bashing and severed heads than in any performance of Titus Andronicus. There are some great things about it: Michael Fassbender gives an Oscar-caliber performance that holds the whole thing together, and David Morrisey and Olga Kurylenko are great, too. Ms. Kurylenko’s revenge seeking Pict is awesome, especially the way she just jumps right in to the horrific primitivism that is the slow, savage chopping of someone’s head off via a handaxe. If you’ve ever seen a movie before, you know exactly what will happen, and that’s exactly what great B-movies do – fulfill the promise. It turns into a chase film that uses every cliché in the book, from the waterfall jump to the centurions’ amazing ability to hide exactly where and when necessary to escape their foes. So, yeah, it’s more violent than Dexter, and, yeah, I’m being asked to identify with a bunch of Roman soldiers who are evil occupiers and who have – for the most part – earned their fate. The difference is that the film doesn’t try to hide any of it, and isn’t trying to make some point. It’s pure, visceral power that could be even better than it is if it didn’t try to give us so many characters to try and deal with, and if the ending didn’t just…sort of happen. I know my history, so I knew what was going to happen, but there’s a suddenness to it that throws it off, just slightly. Neil Marshall is on his way to becoming the next John Carpenter, and Godspeed.

http://theendofcinema.blogspot.com/2010/12/movie-roundup-boxing-day-edition.html

Centurion - A rock-solid, more or less historically-based action film starring Michael Fassbender as a Roman soldier in Northern Britain, the lone survivor of a Pict assault who escapes only to join a larger expedition against the savages that also gets slaughtered, Last of the Mohicans-style. He and a handful of others (including the guy who played Mickey on Doctor Who) go after the Picts to rescue their captured general (Jimmy McNulty). What follows is an epic chase as the Romans are hunted by a tongueless psychotic woman who holds a real grudge (think Magua, again from Last of the Mohicans). As well as being a beautifully shot and competently edited action film (which is a rare enough thing these days, director Neil Marshall deserves a lot of credit, I really should see his horror film The Descent) the film also has at least something going for it thematically. At first, you get the sense that the filmmakers are trying to comment on Iraq or Afghanistan (imperial over-extension and whatnot), but sure enough, as the film goes on it proves to be not so much about the current wars as it is about every war, and every war movie. A tribute to one and critique of the other, and/or vice versa. In the end, it makes the most profound statement of all: rather than fighting, wouldn't we all be better off living in a hut with Imogen Poots?

http://www.cultureblues.com/2010/12/the-instant-movie-club-centurion/

The Instant Movie Club: Centurion
Posted by The Editors • December 27, 2010

Every week, your friends at Culture Blues get together to watch a movie from their Netflix Instant queue. Then, after eating the half-digested contents of a deer’s stomach, they discuss it. This is The Instant Movie Club.

This week, we'll be discussing Centurion. Dominic West (The Wire, Punisher: War Zone) goes Roman in this sword and shield actioner. The below discussion contains spoilers.

Next Week: The Extra Man – Paul Dano and Kevin Kline star in this adaptation of the Jonathan Ames novel where an aspiring playwright is taken in by a male escort (the kind of escort that doesn’t involve sex, we think).

SPOILERS BELOW!

Jeff Hart: I’m a Neil Marshall fan. I mean, I actually own a copy of Doomsday. The guy makes highly entertaining B-movies that manage to be interesting from a critical standpoint without sacrificing any of the blood and guts so important to the genre. However, with Centurion, the most epic and least terrifying of Marshall’s oeuvre, I feel as if he has bitten off more than he can chew.

Centurion isn’t a bad movie, especially if it’s to be compared only against straight-to-DVD B-movies (a comparison that Marshall’s obvious talent makes unfair). The problem with Centurion, and perhaps this is what happens when you take Marshall out of the economical cave or post-apocalyptic dungeon and transplant him to the sprawling countryside, is that it’s too loose, poorly paced, and uneven.

This is a chase movie, but it also utilizes the familiar one-kill-at-a-time technique of horror movies. Here, our small band of lookalike Romans are gradually killed off by the marauding Picts. Surprisingly, the horror aesthetic doesn’t translate well to the action movie form – the suspense develops too slowly, the bloodshed is too infrequent. In an action movie, we root for the heroes to kick as much ass as possible. In a horror movie, we root for the monster/killer to cause as much carnage as possible before getting dispatched by the hero (or not). Centurion doesn’t strike the right balance between those two ideas and suffers for it.

There are things to like about Centurion. The final fight sequence trots out the classic yet often underutilized action movie trope of “everyone has someone to fight,” leading to a very badass climax. Michael Fassbender and Dominic “McNutty” West turn in solid performances. There’s also plenty of barbarian eye candy, owing to Marshall’s prodigious skill at making dirty and frightening women seem sexy. And, if you’re into allegory, there’s a healthy dose of the thinly-veiled kind when the Pict leader lays out to a captured McNulty just why everyone hates America. Er, Rome.

I wouldn’t totally write-off Centurion. For some people, it’s probably worth seeing. Like me, those people like seeing arrows get thrust into eyeballs and can tolerate a few pacing problems for the sake of quality B-movies. Everyone else should stay away from Centurion and Neil Marshall in general.

What the f&#! did I do?

Jeremiah: Jeff really nails the many things wrong with Centurion. The lack of suspense, the poor pacing, the Romans that I actually thought looked different but still didn't distinguish themselves enough. Furthermore, the action, one of Centurion's highlights, provides plenty of blood and guts but not enough excitement to save the rest of it.

But who cares about what's wrong with Centurion? You can read that stuff anywhere. There are many things I really liked here. For one, I found it refreshing to see a sword and shield tale with relatively modest aims. Usually these movies have major award aspirations or a desire to create some historical epic. Rarely are they so intensely focused on delivering simple B-movie fun.

I did also like the thin, almost arbitrary, attempts to give Centurion depth. The scene Jeff mentioned, where the Pict leader describes the evil done by Rome, really worked for me because of McNulty's response. He has none, except to spit at the Pict's feet. In Centurion, Rome is a corrupt empire run by scumbags and the Picts are basically honorable savages. Our small band of protagonists are noble (except for the one bad guy), but until the end of the movie there is no separation between Rome as an empire and these characters. They might be good men, but they know of the bad done in Rome's name and continue to soldier on. Centurion never really asks its audience to worry about questions of morality, but a little gray makes things slightly more interesting and slightly less cookie-cutter.

Finally, there is Centurion's crowning achievement, that final battle that Jeff commended. The choreography, camerawork and editing are far from flawless, but you'll have to search for action movies with better staging in the climactic battle. As Jeff pointed out, the “everyone has someone to fight” trope is inexplicably absent from so many films that beg for it (The Expendables) and it pays dividends here once again. The way that the separate little fights overlap and affect each other makes the whole thing dynamic and thrilling.

There's no doubt that I'm being a little too kind to Centurion. For its many interesting ideas and moments of B-movie greatness, it never all comes together. The payoff in the last battle goes a long towards salvaging the whole experience for me though.

You are a god among insects. Never let anyone tell you different.

Is Centurion a serviceable blast of B-movie fun, or are Jeff and Jeremiah the world's only Neil Marshall apologists? How is Magneto's dorky-looking helmet going to fit Fassbender's head? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

http://thomas4cinema.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/centurion-neil-marshall-2010/

Centurion (Neil Marshall 2010)

* December 30, 2010 – 12:34 am

Quantcast

Neil Marshall is one of these strange directors whom I would never take seriously, but usually does not fail to entertain me. I remember that I was one of the few people who liked his previous post-Apocalyptic, post-MadMax craze called “Doomsday”, the sheer level of ridiculousness made it worthwhile. Here we have another genre movie, but now no road warrior, but straightforward knights, or rather the fighters travelling with the knights on their crusade. They fight viciously, and they run after their foes – or from them mostly – as if there is no tomorrow. I have not seen such running since Atanarjuyat and Lord of the Rings, it is impressive and completely over the top, especially big blokes that they are…

The fight scenes look amazing, I have to say, especially the computer animated blood spattering all over the place in slow motion, that has some style. And the actors getting involved in all this are not of the typical C movie style: David Morissey? Michael Fassbender?? Adam West???

Oh and I was wondering whether the modern swear words were actually in use at the time… amongst Roman soldiers in particular. But guess what: they don’t give a damn, and neither did I watching. Just wondering…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_%28film%29

http://www.schlockmania.com/centurion/

CENTURION: For Those About To Conquer, We Salute You
CENT-icon

The suc­cess of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator prompted a brief revival of sword & san­dal cin­ema. Action fans would have no doubt wel­comed a string of macho sword and san­dal epics. Unfortunately, the films that resulted — Troy and Alexander among them — were over­stuffed and unfo­cused big-budget duds that failed to deliver the old-school hero­ics and bloody sword­play that genre fans were hop­ing for. As a result, the revival qui­etly fiz­zled out.

It might have been a dif­fer­ent story if Hollywood had instead pro­duced some films like Centurion. This recent British effort from Neil Marshall is exactly the kind of rous­ing, bloody adven­ture fare that action fans love. For starters, it uses a novel set­ting as its hook: it takes place in England dur­ing 117 A.D., when the Romans were try­ing to con­quer that land and found them­selves locked in bat­tle with the tena­cious, guerilla-minded Picts. The film illus­trates this con­flict in its open­ing scenes as a Roman set­tle­ment is over­run by Picts and Centurion Quintus Dius (Michael Fassbender of Inglourious Basterds fame) is kid­napped because he can speak the Pict language.

After a tor­tur­ous stint as a pris­oner, Quintus escapes and is saved from a group of chas­ing Picts by Roman sol­diers. He teams up with their gen­eral, Titus (Dominic West), and they plan an attack of the Picts with the help of rene­gade Pict-turned-guide, Etain (Olga Kurylenko). Unfortunately, she is a double-agent who leads them into an ambush that wipes out most of the Roman bat­tal­ion and ends in the cap­ture of Titus. Quintus ral­lies with the sur­vivors and plots to free Titus. It’s a sui­cide mis­sion — and even if they res­cue the gen­eral, they have to escape through treach­er­ous for­eign lands as the wolf-like Etain leads the chase.

The end result is a brac­ing mix of the old and the new: it’s got the macho heroes and the derring-do of vin­tage sword & san­dal epics but it is has updated the for­mula in some inter­est­ing ways. For exam­ple, women have better/stronger roles to play in this mod­ern take on the genre: Etain is a for­mi­da­ble foe (as is Axelle Carolyn, who essays the role of a fel­low female Pict war­rior) and there is also a heroic, inde­pen­dent female char­ac­ter played by Imogen Poots who assists the heroes in the lat­ter part of the film.

Another mem­o­rable addi­tion to the genre in Centurion is a sur­pris­ingly high level of gore for a non-horror film. The action scenes give the viewer no quar­ter as they dis­play all man­ner of hor­rific sights: bloody spec­ta­cles include a spear to the groin, a knife through the eye into the brain and a sword impal­ing one hap­less soul through the mouth as well as count­less slash­ings, behead­ings and limb-lopping. Some of the arte­r­ial spray effects are han­dled via CGI and that might annoy a seg­ment of the audi­ence — but these effects are ren­dered bet­ter than in other recent CGI gore spec­ta­cles (ahem, Ninja Assassin) and the dig­i­tal stuff is com­bined with plenty of old-fashioned on-set gore FX.

Centurion is also skill­fully acted by a well-chosen European cast. Fassbender is suit­ably dash­ing as the never-say-die hero and han­dles the action with con­fi­dence. West also reg­is­ters strongly as the macho gen­eral and Liam Cunningham gets in a few nice scenes as a sur­viv­ing sol­dier who becomes a trusted ally for Quintus. On the vil­lain side, Ulrich Thomsen gives a sub­tly omi­nous per­for­mance as the Pict leader but its Kurylenko who really car­ries the bad-guy side of things. Her char­ac­ter is mute so she has to con­vey every­thing via phys­i­cal pres­ence and she makes it work with a feral yet haunt­ing take on the role.

Finally, Marshall’s direc­tion seals the film’s barn­storm­ing appeal. Fans who feared he might have lost his way with unfo­cused, curi­ously unin­spired Doomsday can breathe a sigh of relief because his work here is focused and sharp. He main­tains a taut pace through­out, han­dling both the large-scale and more inti­mate scenes with con­fi­dence as he punc­tu­ates the film with sev­eral pre­cise, hard-hitting action scenes. He also makes fan­tas­tic use of the win­try coun­try­side set­tings, effec­tively deploy­ing a reg­u­lar stream of aer­ial shots to enhance the film’s visual scope. If there’s a crit­i­cism to be made here, it could be said that the final few scenes seem a lit­tle hastily-constructed com­pared to the rest of the film — but that’s a small quib­ble in light of how well the film works overall.

To sum up, this trib­ute to a vin­tage genre has enough forward-thinking ele­ments to allow it to play well on mod­ern terms. Thus, Centurion is a solid selec­tion for cult film types in search of a qual­ity mod­ern action flick.

http://blog.stevepalmer.com/2010/12/ralph-and-karen-here-for-few-days-dvd.html

Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Ralph and Karen – here for a few days + DVD: Centurion

On a much more joyful note, Ralph and Karen joined this evening. They’re staying for a few days, in part, to discuss some of the details for ‘the event’, now that there’s only 351 days to go! Smile

stars4.5

DVD (Blu-ray) CenturionAfter a tasty meal of home-made shepherds’ pie plus the obligatory quantity of alcohol, we sat down to watch Centurion, a sort of Gladiator-lite but with (even) more blood and (much) less of a story.

Starring Michael Fassbender, it’s certainly not a film to watch whilst eating your kebab if you’re squeamish. It didn’t hold-back in the blood department or the ‘thuds’ and ‘squelching’ sounds during the numerous fight-scenes – yuk! – and was the most graphically violent films I’ve ever seen. On the plus side, the scenery was stunning and the sound-track was pretty good too! Definitely worth a watch – just don’t eat at the same time!

Related articles

* Thrilling Clip From 'Centurion' (screenrant.com)
* MOVIES: 'Centurion' Isn't Just Violent, It's Bloody Stupid (kitsapsun.com)
* Review: Centurion (cinematical.com)
* Why You Need to Start Paying Attention to Michael Fassbender (cinematical.com)
* DVD: Centurion (15) (independent.co.uk)
* Centurion Review (screenrant.com)

Uploaded by Steve Palmer at 23:00

FEATURE: 2010 Year in Review

Dec - 29 | By: Josh Nelson

Another year at the movies fades to black. In keeping with the critical tradition it’s time to roll credits and briefly recap some of 2010’s most memorable releases. Rather than attempt to rank the year’s Best films (arguably a futile and impossible task since I wasn’t able to see everything), I instead present to you a selection of my Top Cinematic Recommendations of 2010 (listed alphabetically):

Centurion

After the disappointment of Doomsday (2008) Neil Marshall returned to form with this historical epic set in 117 A.D. about a group of Roman soldiers on the run from a tribe of vengeful Picts. With its unmistakable allegorical resonances to contemporary conflict, Centurion traded of the generic characteristics of the war film and the result was an engrossing bloody spectacle. If you missed this in its limited cinematic release track it down, least of all for Michael Fassbender’s excellent turn in the lead role.

http://lilifae.livejournal.com/47784.html


Tired of the same old uf heroines?

* Jan. 3rd, 2011 at 7:02 PM

Movies we watched are:

Centurion – only reason to watch this is Michael Fassbender who is really a pretty piece of work. Also, the scenery is amazing. Centurion deals with the disappearance of the Ninth Roman Legion in the lands of the Picts. I think it works well as a precursor for the upcoming The Eagle which I’m very excited about seeing. This is the link to the trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi54565145/ – it stars Jamie Bell, Channing Tatum, Donald Sutherland and a big favourite of mine: Mark Strong, among others.

http://talkingaboutmovies.com/centurion-2010/

Centurion (2010)
2010 | Andreas Wisniewski | Axelle Carolyn | Dave Legeno | David Morrissey | Dominic West | Imogen Poots | Liam Cunningham | Michael Fassbender | Noel Clarke | Olga Kurylenko

Centurion Movie Review …

Centurion is to historical movies what Friday the 13th is to horror movies, instead of a slasher it’s more of a hack and chop! If the sight of blood being shed and heads being literally chopped off disturbs you then I would advise you to avoid Centurion with the same vigour used to avoid your local chatterbox when you’re in a rush. If you can stomach the violence in Centurion it’s well worth watching and the breathtaking scenery of Scotland is stunning.

Centurion follows the Roman Ninth Legion and their relentless march to Scotland from York with the task of wiping out the Picts, a Celtic tribe dwelling in the Scottish highlands. The Picts are merrily obliterating numerous Roman outposts as they learn their warfare techniques, Michael Fassbender plays the role of Quintus Dias a Roman centurion who is the sole survivor of such an attack, he is arrested and taken by the Picts.

In his hope to obtain a safe transfer back to Rome the governor of Britannia sends out the Ninth Legion with orders to travel to the front and rid the land of the Picts. Dominic West stars as General Titus Flavius Virilus in Centurion the general leading the Ninth Legion, he has been provided with the talents of a scout named Etain, who cannot speak but is a formidable tracker. Etain is played by the beautiful Olga Kurylenko and believe me she’s frightening in Centurion you would certainly worry if she was tracking you!

The Ninth Legion happen across Quintus, who has managed to escape the Pict’s clutches and without giving too much away the Ninth Legion becomes a smaller group of men in Centurion. The men include the charming David Morrissey as Bothos and Liam Cunningham who, as always, brings the deadpan British humour with him. The group hear that their general, Virilus, has been taken prisoner by the Picts so they set out endeavouring to rescue him.

Meanwhile our delightful mute tracker, Etain, has joined forces with the Picts and is now tracking/hunting the group of men. Centurion seems to have a complete mixture of everything humour, plenty of violence and even some romance. Quintus’s love interest comes in the form of Imogen Poots (28 weeks later) who stars as Arianne, she lives a solitude life in the forest after being exiled by the Picts and has been shunned for being involved in witchcraft.

Imogen Poots brings her delicate beauty to the role adding true sincerity and although she does not play the biggest part in Centurion she is both captivating and bewitching to observe. She instils Quintus with a whole load of confidence when she says ‘If Etain is hunting you, you might as well be dead already’ very reassuring!

Two of the men are separated from the others and end up being chased by a pack of hungry wolves whilst the others are still being tracked and pursued by Etain and the Picts, think I’d rather take my chances with the wolves than face an angry axe and spear wielding Olga Kurylenko! Centurion has taken her normal fragile beauty and changed her into a terrifying warrior, the fact that she cannot speak is even more frightening! The scenes throughout Centurion which feature her are some of the best and the tracking/chasing scenes through the forest are exhilarating.

There isn’t an awful lot you can comment on about Centurion without giving too much information away and spoiling the whole movie, I am sure you would rather watch it to find out who makes it and who doesn’t. All I can add is it is definitely one to watch but perhaps not when consuming your dinner due to the gore content, there is one particular battle scene that I have to say does seem to mimic a scene in the fabulous Last of the Mohicans. Centurion has replaced the Indians with Romans and Picts but otherwise the set up and execution of the scene is remarkably similar.

The outstanding performances for me in Centurion are by Olga Kurylenko, Michael Fassbender and Imogen Poots. Oh and for all you wolf lovers out there the pack of wolves act well too! Take a look at a trailer below.

http://thecodeiszeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/centurion-goes-medieval-with-its-action.html

Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Centurion Goes Medieval With Its Action
Centurion: 3 1/2 out of 5

Centurion Quintus Dias: In the chaos of battle, when the ground beneath your feet is a slurry of blood, puke, piss and the entrails of friends and enemies alike, it's easy to turn to the gods for salvation. But it's soldiers who do the fighting, and soldiers who do the dieing, and the gods, never get their feet wet.

A fine enough chase film that uses the 2nd century Roman conquest of Britain as its backdrop. While there is solid action throughout the film, once it settles down on its B-movie-like plot, the film works quite well. However, while some of the storytelling is a bit clunky, the visuals present in this film make up for it. Some great scenery is blended with ample amounts of bloodshed that is shot in a very brutal manner. It doesn't hurt that a few good character actors head up the cast either.

Michael Fassbender stars as Centurion Quintus Dias, a Roman centurion who essentially goes through hell, getting beat up constantly along the way. Quintus manages to get captured during a raid of his camp, only to be taken to the stronghold of barbarians known as the Pict. However, Quintus does manage to escape and make his way back to a legion of soldiers lead by General Titus Virilus (Dominic West). This legion is being helped by a Pict tracker known as Etain (Olga Kurylenko), who is a warrior woman with no ability to speak due to the lack of a tongue, as it was ripped out by Roman soldiers when she was young. Things turn for the worse when it turns out that Etain has been leading the legion into a trap, leaving almost all the soldiers dead and the General captured. It is soon up to Quintus and a small group of remaining soldiers to rescue the General, as long as they can survive being chased by the vicious group of warriors now led by Etain.

The film was directed by Neil Marshall, who previously made the spelunking horror film, The Decent, and the messy but entertaining sci-fi flick, Doomsday. The thing that holds true between all of these films, is that Marshall is a fan of delivering some pretty violent movies. Here he has made a sword and sandals film that gets to the point and works as a fairly straight-forward action flick. The way he shoots his action is in a way that is up close but still comprehensible, which is fine. It is a visceral sort of take on the material that makes it all the more effective.


From a narrative perspective, there is a bit more to be desired. It takes a bit of time before the real plot sort of takes hold, having an extended start up of sorts, being sure to handle all of the elements that lead up to its second half. I could somewhat compare this to how Apocalypto builds into its extended third act, which is entirely a chase. In addition, the film doesn't exactly present the strongest sort of characters, beyond some basic traits for each, but the actors involved make up for it, for the most part.

Now, with all that being said, the film works in terms of how well filmed it is. The look of this film, as the soldiers travel across various wintery countrysides, forests, and mountains is all nicely done. While this film didn't see a wide release in America, it certainly has the look of an epic, with all the wide shots of these soldiers. That being said, the film is less than 100 minutes, and knows how to get down and dirty with its violence, without too much fat on the bones of this film.


I must also make a special note about Kurylenko as Etain. While I have not really enjoyed her as the latest Bond girl or in films such as Hitman or Max Payne, I did find her quite effective here. It may have been due to the fact that she only needed to intimidate foes based on here looks and present a physical presence. As she was not required to speak, maybe that was for the better.

The film is overall a little mixed in telling a great story, but the way the action is shot and the fun involved in the whole chase element of the film makes up for it. I have enjoyed Marshall's style as a filmmaker thus far, and continue to hope for more genre exercises in the future from him.

Soldier: He's a ruthless, reckless bastard. And I'd die for him without hesitation.

Posted by Aaron Neuwirth at 12:53 AM

http://themoviebros.com/2011/01/05/centurion/

Centurion
Posted on January 5, 2011 by The Movie Brothers

In 2nd-century Britain, Roman fighter Quintas Dias (Michael Fassbender) is the lone survivor of a Pictish attack on a Roman frontier post. Eager for revenge, he joins the Ninth Legion — under General Virilus (Dominic West) — and journeys north on a mission to destroy the Picts. Writer-director Neil Marshall’s rousing sword-and-sandals adventure also stars Olga Kurylenko as the beautiful Pict warrior Etain.

Brian
Rating: 7 out of 10

It’s awfully hard to make an epic film about the Roman Empire after “Gladiator.” Ridley Scott really nailed the aura and feel of the hard life of the men of that period with his Academy Award-winning film. There’s a lot of people that don’t like Gladiator and felt it wasn’t worthy of the praise it received and I couldn’t disagree more. So, when I started watching “Centurion,” there was an “Oh no” feeling I had. Were they really going to try to compete with Ridley’s film? It sure felt that way for the first 30 minutes. Here we have an army, a general beloved by his men, and barbaric enemies of the north. Then, something great happened. The film took on a totally different approach more akin to Apocalypto. We have a tougher foe on horseback chasing down weaker men on foot in a game of cat and mouse as they try to get back to countrymen that don’t even want them. This approach really worked for me. I love the idea of intelligent warriors trying to figure out how to survive. It would not have been pulled off if not for the great direction from Neil Marshall who is quickly becoming one of the great secrets in film today. If you’re not familiar, he did an amazing job on “The Descent” as well as the underrated “Dog Soldiers.” Since those two films were horror, I was curious how he would handle a film of a different genre and feel and he seems totally comfortable here. Special attention must be paid to cinematographer Sam McCurdy who creates a beautiful sense of darkness and light through the lens. Almost every shot in this film is gorgeous.

If there’s a downside, the plot is pretty thin. While I did find some of the characters interesting, others were throwaways. Also, the progression of the story is hampered in parts by odd decisions that slow it down. Still, if you enjoy period epics with grisly violence, you’ll find a lot to like here.

http://haisayaiksan.blogspot.com/2011/01/centurion-review.html

Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Centurion (review)

I have just watched Centurion on DVD last week, so this is my review about this film.

Many films have told about the Roman emperor on taking over the European land, of course Gladiator and 300 I the most well-known film that appoint that theme. In 2010, Centurion came with the almost-same theme with two films above. If Gladiator and 300 tell about the Roman itself, in Centurion shows us the Roman’s story that wants to get a handle of the Britannia. The story based on 117 A.D and it is about the Roman, which is heading to the north to face the Scotland’s Pict.

The story begin when a Roman legion was escape from the Pictish. Centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) is the only survivor of a Pictish raid and is taken prisoner by Vortix. Quistus Dias used to guard the Roman’s territory. After his escaping, he dispatches the Ninth Legion, to the front under General Titus Flavius Virilus, with orders, from the Roman Governor of Britannian, to go to the north to eradicate the Pictish threat, providing him with a mute female Brigantian scout, Etain. Even it seems easy ealy, but actually they get a huge problem when they are aware that Etain betrays them all to the Picthish king, Gorlacon. Etain, who hate the Roman after the murder of her family, gives them another trouble because all of ways that she gave actually the traps. One by one Roman’s legion dead, and it leaves, Dias, Tarak, Macros, Ubriculius, Thax, Leonidas, and Bothos, as the only 7 survivor.

The rest legion continues their journey to face the Pictish, even Etain and the Picts are looking for them and want to clean them up. The Roman survives in the snowy-mountain, then they through the forest. Once again, Etain can catch them when they face the stream, without any consideration the Roman jumps into the stream, but Tarak is killed by the Pict archer Aeron before he can make the jump. When Dias, Ubriculius, Leonidas and Bothos catch the land, they realize that they are eparated with Marcos and Thax. Dias and his group continue the trip, but once again they miss one member because Leonidas is killed by the Picts. With the rest of the member, Dias, Bothos and Brick happen upon a hut in the forest and befriend Arianne, a Pictish exile accused of witchcraft, who lives there. She shelters them, provides food and medical attention to the injured Bothos and when Etain comes the following day Arianne hides Dia and his group under the floorboards, on the way to save them from the Picts. After Etain leaves Arianne’s home, Dias directly decide to move on but she prevents him and ask him to stay once more night and in the next morning she will prepare some needs for Dias and his group to fight back Etain and the Pictish. In the other side, Marcos and Thax are running from the wolves but the unpredictable Thax’s action, he breaks Marcos’ leg, and then leave him with the wolves.

In the following journey, Dias and hi group find a Roman’s forgotten-fort. Then, they decide to stay and wait for Etain and the Picts. After that, like our prediction, Etain and the Picts pass that way and there comes a war between Dias’ Roman and Etain’ Pictish. The warfare has won by the Roman, and Dias is the only one survivor from that war.

Dias return to the Roman’s Kingdom, but when Dias enters the camp he reports the situation to the governor. Agricola, concerned that, should news of the Legion's annihilation become common knowledge, other tribes may rise up against them, and also not wishing his record to be tainted by a military failure, decides that it would be better if the Ninth Legion's fate remained a mystery and thus Dias must be killed.

Dias feels disappointed with that decision then the stabbed Dias goes to the Arianne’s cottage and wants her to take care of him. Arianne heals all of Dias’ wounds and happy with Dias’ decision.

Overall, in my opinion Neil Marshall’s Centurion runs monotone and the way of the story was easily predicted. I felt 90 minutes bored, then as the other war-emperor film, Centurion failed to bring something new and fresh or we can say all these parts from this film we have met it in the other ones. But, I think it is a good film for you who want introduce yourself with the early-birth of the United Kingdom and the early of A.D.

"This is neither the beginning nor the end of my story" is the good quote that I got from this film which appears at the start and the end of the film. Based on this review, so I think I can give a rate this film 2, 5 from 5 scales.
Posted by Iksan Mahar at 11:38 PM

http://perceptionistruth.com/2011/01/centurion/

Centurion
DVD, Movie, Review Tagged with: 2011-01-05, adventure, dvd, fantasy, heroic, historical, roman
Jan 072011

Neil Marshall’s output has been a little bit hit and miss for us. I’m not a big fan of the overt horror in Descent, although I loved the blackly comic Dog Soldiers, and I enjoyed Doomsday despite the flaws.

So I wasn’t sure what Centurion would deliver. Set at the time Hadrian started building his wall, the movie kind of tells the story of the Roman 9th legion. Kind of, because it’s actually about a Roman soldier who’s not in the 9th legion, but joins it temporarily.

The legion comes up against the native British Picts, and the movie really covers the results of that encounter.

Centurion contains Neil Marshall’s trademark gore. The hand-to-hand fighting is brutal and blood soaked, there are exploding heads and departing limbs a-plenty. There is significantly less comedy in Centurion than Dog Soldiers, but it’s not lacking entirely. The commander of the 9th is particularly colourful and his introduction gives us a little glimpse of the magic scenes from Dog Soldiers. The story in Centurion is pretty simple, a straight forward tale of betrayal with a hint of love. The depth in the film comes from the incredible breathtaking scenery juxtaposed with the brutal combat and the rigid sense of honour in the lead from Michael Fassbender.

Fassbender is compelling, and his counterpart in the story (the mute hunter played by Olga Kurylenko) provides a worthy adversary. There’s a reasonable amount of tension, and it’s never really clear who’s going to make it through to the end. Treachery comes from all angles, while Quintus Dias (Fassbender) struggles to keep his men alive.

I enjoyed watching Centurion, and while it had some excellent moments, it didn’t deliver the constant high quality of Dog Soldiers. Worth a watch, especially if you’re a fan of Roman historical fantasy, probably higher quality than Doomsday but not Neil’s best.

http://cinephilesanonymous.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/review-centurion/

Review: Centurion

Centurion Basterds.

After his Nazi-killing escapade a couple of years ago (despite his mortifying costly mistake), Michael Fassbender finds himself with the Ninth Legion, pitting against the Picts in the recent medieval war film Centurion.

Beautiful landscapes accompanied the bloodshed and desperation, as the outnumbered Romans are hounded by the army of the vengeful female hunter.

The Splat Pack may be notorious for gratuitous violence in horror, but the carnage Neil Marshall portrays was one worthy instance where the extreme aggression of war was vital in his realistic telling of the historical legend.

The blood and guts empowered the unmemorable characters, who may have seemed rather empty and underdeveloped due to a less-than-iconic script. Michael Fassbender was easily the most (or rather, sole) outstanding actor of the entourage, triumphant in his portrayal of emotions and vulnerability.

The language seemed out of place and some minor inconsistencies hindered the credibility, but hardly mattered in the course of the brutal thrilling action. The excitement was perpetually satisfying its minutes of ‘glourious’ violence interspersed with bits of humour.

http://jeniepiccirillo.blogspot.com/2011/01/centurion-august-2010-april-in-greece.html

Sunday, January 9, 2011
Centurion - August 2010 (April in Greece)

In a time when the Roman legions tried to take over the north england and Ireland (where we spanked their ass and sent them home -- grins to my Italian husband from his Irish wife) The Picts attack stealthily and on one run captured a Centurion. The Picts attack a post and the lonely survivor was taken captive and tortured in an attempt to extract information. His name is Quintas Dias (played by Michael Fassbender.) Right as he is to be executed he is rescued by another group of soldiers, the 9th legion, marching in that direction. He is extremely angry and vengeful and joins the group under the General Virilus (played by Dominic West)
When the general is taken after a battle which left only a handful of soliders alive, and after watching several captives be slain by the lovely warrioress Etaine (played by Olga Kurylenko) they launch a rescue attempt which fails leaving Quintas in charge of the legion. After killing the king's young son the chase is on, trying to get home with the Picts hot on their ass for revenge.

Posted by JeniferPiccirillo at 2:30 PM

http://sonsation.blogspot.com/2011/01/centurion-review.html

Centurion [Review]

Categories: Film, Reviews

Opinion: B-

This isn't an epic big budget blockbuster that you'd expect straight from the ovens of Hollywood studios, but it entertains and overwhelms in terms of gory battle violence that has an excessive amount of mutilation and scarlet splatter. It isn't a marvelous film with certain flaws but it does what it can within limitations and constraints, an admirable effort no less.

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 tribes known as the Picts.

Quintus (Michael Fassbender), sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus’ (Dominic West) legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen). 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, evading remorseless Pict pursuers over harsh terrain, as the band of soldiers race to rescue their General, and to reach the safety of the Roman frontier.

From the man who brought us 2002's "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent" in 2005, you will be able to expect some gritty war action from Neil Marshall as we see man's flesh and blood pitted against various forms of severance and dismemberment when subjected to swords and axes. You get the blood and violence when the script calls for it, nothing more.

So in some ways, it's concisely sweet and spot on when satisfying bloodlust fans.

From the middle mark onwards, all the massive armies are reduced to a mere few who embarks on a non-stop journey on foot to first rescue their captured General Titus Flavius Virilus (what a powerful sounding name! Almost like calling one Superman Ironman Spiderman) from the enemies' camp. With a twist of the screenwriters' pen, it is then turned against them as they are now on foot yet again to escape from their pursuing enemies whom they call Picts.

This is when all the grandeur wide scenic shots come into play.

This chase is possibly the only event in the film that helps to define it's characters through interactions amidst perils. Otherwise, there isn't much to most of the characters, except for one in my opinion - Etain the Huntress, played by Olga Kurylenko (yes, the Bond Girl in Quantum of Solace).

Playing it with an extremely aloof manner, her vengeful eyes are the only telltale signs of danger when you don't see her weapon flying right at you. Kurylenko has got the silent role right with her fearful demeanour that even those sitting in the theatre can feel her wrath. This is a great test of an actor's capabilities when one has to depict a character non-verbally.

I also find it interesting to see how the gushes of red are highly in contrast to the bleached out white and gray hued visual treatment. Blood seems to be the only warm element during the bitter winters. It is not certain if the blood is bright on purpose, but you can't help but notice it.

Some might brand this a 'B'-grade production (judging from its opening credits, it probably is), but if you are looking for some bloody war action that tries to justify a peaceful simple life away from the honour and glory of a warworn one, this might be it.

Posted by J-SON at 5:00 PM

http://peckinkub99.blogspot.com/2011/01/centurion-2010.html

Saturday, January 8, 2011
CENTURION (2010)

RATING: 3/5

After hitting considerably low point in the highly-anticipated DOOMSDAY (2008), writer-director Neil Marshall has finally rediscovered his distinctive filmmaking touch in his fourth feature, CENTURION. His first foray into historical action adventure is brutal, gory and above all, an exciting genre picture that most familiar counterparts in the past have failed to deliver (e.g. 2004's KING ARTHUR, 2007's PATHFINDER and 2010's ROBIN HOOD).

The movie opens with a battered Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender), the narrator of the story and a Roman Centurion who is on the run after his frontier fort is being ambushed by Pict barbarians. Quintus eventually joins the Ninth Legion army, which is lead by General Virilus (Dominic West). At the same time, Virilus has received an order to lead his men on a mission to find and kill Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen), the leader of the Picts. Guided by the mute scout Etain (Olga Kurylenko), they set on a journey across the forest but it doesn't take long before Quintus and the rest of the Ninth Legion army realizes that they are being ambushed by the Picts. Apparently Etain has betrayed the Ninth Legion army and she is actually belongs to the Picts. Most of the Ninth Legion army are brutally slaughtered, with only a handful of survivors managed to survive. Among them are Quintus, Bothos (David Morrissey), Thax (JJ Field), Macros (Noel Clarke), Brick (Liam Cunningham) and a few others. They discover that General Virilus is being held captive at the Picts' fort and they determine to save him at all cost. But their rescue attempt failed to materialize, and Quintus is left a task to take the remaining survivors back home. Hot on the trail is Etain and her selected hunters, who is ordered by Gorlacon to hunt them down at all cost after his precious son is killed by one of the survivors.

The story is mainly straightforward, which in turn, a blessing in disguise since Marshall doesn't delve deep into heavy political context often plagued in current historical action adventure genre. CENTURION is essentially a big chase movie, in which Marshall delivers them with sheer urgency. Aided by Sam McCurdy's sweeping and fluid camerawork, Marshall has successfully crafted a pulse-pounding entertainment with plenty of muscular action set-pieces and handful of unflinching violence (even though the movie exceeds too much on CGI bloodshed). Despite what could be a monotonous approach, Marshall manages to slip in a last-minute subplot involving an outcast Pict, played beautifully by Imogen Poots, who helps the wounded survivors with great hospitality. While such subplot tends to be a burden to the actual plot, Marshall is making sure it's a necessity and above all, served as a unique change-of-pace after a series of endless chase scenarios.

The cast is equally credible, with Michael Fassbender delivers a memorably muscular performance as the hardened Roman Centurion. But the biggest limelight of all is Olga Kurylenko, who is particularly impressive with her strong body languages and telling gestures as Etain.

While CENTURION doesn't rank among Marshall's best (DOG SOLDIERS and THE DESCENT), his fourth feature remains a step above from his previous failure, DOOMSDAY.
Posted by peckinkub99 at Saturday, January 08, 2011

http://bunchofsavages37.blogspot.com/2011/01/centurion-film-review.html

Wednesday, 12 January 2011
CENTURION - film review

I never got around to seeing this movie at the cinema but watched it last night on DVD so thought that was a perfect opportunity to scribble (I mean type but scribble sounds a bit more fun doesn’t it?) down a review.

Set in AD 117 the Picts have developed Guerrilla warfare to battle the invading Roman army, picking off outposts here and there. Centurion Quintas Dias (Michael Fassbender) is captured after one raid and taken back to the Picts king. The Ninth Legion are despatched with a Mute guide Etain (Olga Kurylenko), to destroy the Picts but before they can do so they rescue Dias who has escaped and are then massacred (after being betrayed by Etain)apart from Dias and a few others. The General of the Ninth, Titus Flavius Virilus (Dominic West) is captured and returned to the Picts for torture. The remaining Romans attempt a rescue of the General but fail and in the escape the Pict King’s son is murdered. In rage the King sends Etain and a party after the Romans with instructions to bring back their heads.

Neil Marshall’s fourth feature film has both the best cast he’s ever had and ironically this is also his weakest movie to date. His first, Dog Soldiers was a terrific low budget comedy horror with werewolves. His second, The Descent, was a scary, nasty and very gory affair and was quite brilliant. His third was the sadly much maligned (at least critically) Doomsday, which was highly derivative of Mad Max and 28 Days Later but was also bloody good fun. This film is bigger, but messier.

What I have described, briefly, above is pretty much what happens in the first thirty minutes of the movie. I’m all for a film moving fast but this is almost too fast and the film constantly feels as though someone in the editing suite has sacrificed any story or character scenes just to get to the next chase bit. This is where the film falls down for me. It’s just too messy. Also for me I thought the structure of the film could have been a little different, having the mission of the Ninth Legion forming the main crux of the plot and only kicking in with the chase/hunt element of the story for a terrific and pacey final thirty minutes or so. This way we could have built up some characters that the audience might have given a s$#! about rather than having the, admittedly well played by the actors, caricatures on show. For instance, Dias is the son of a Gladiator who was taught how to fight by his father (Good Grief) but chooses not to show any fighting prowess until quite late in the film. By rocketing through what plot there was in the first thirty minutes or thereabouts we suddenly find ourselves with a lot of screen time to pad out and the breakneck speed of the film comes crashing to a halt for a while, where we are subjected to numerous shots of men running and people giving chase on horseback.

This is a big shame as the film has some quite beautifully cinematography of the Scottish countryside and everything looks all nice and muddy and bloody. Dominic West has a ball as the General and is probably the most entertaining character on show. Olga Kurylenko’s role of the mute warrior woman Etain is also pretty impressive as she throws herself fully into a difficult role as a mute savage, but she is all wrath and fury and suits the role very well. Fassbender is okay but he’s pretty much playing the role as “the upper class British Officer”, or at least that’s how he sounds. He looks okay in the action but he’s been better. Noel Clarke is wasted in a role anyone could have played and Liam Cunningham and David Morrissey are very good in fairly thankless roles.

The saving grace for this film is the action. Neil Marshall has proved on his previous movies that he can do action and this does not disappoint at all. Considering this film is a 15 there is a hell of a lot of gore on show. Head are hacked off in bloody gouts of crimson, limbs sliced off, faces impaled with spears and arrows. There’s even a moment when a Roman is taking a leak and he is impaled with a wooden stake right in his genitals. All the battle scenes are full of blood and guts and it’s terrific. There were quite a few moments where I was exclaiming “Jesus” and “Fuuuuuuuuuck”. You know it’s good when I’m making comments like that when I’m watching.

To be fair this is a pretty ordinary film that’s well filmed but not very well put together in the final edit, the actors are generally all good in underwritten roles but the film is elevated from ‘waste of time’ to ‘well worth a rent’ due to buckets of gory violence. Fingers crossed that Neil Marshall’s next movie is far stronger affair.
Posted by Paul E at 08:50

http://unnaturaleye.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-review-centurion.html

Monday, January 17, 2011
Movie Review: Centurion

Centurion is Neil Marshall's latest film. I'm not sure how long its been on DVD and I'm not sure if it was ever in the theaters. I've seen two of Marshall's other films: Decent and Doomsday. Decent had a great first half and a lame second half. Doomsday was good all the way through. Centurion, though, is the best of his films.

It stars Michael Fassbender (the English soldier who studied German film in Inglorious Basterds), Dominic West (The Wire), and Olga Kuryanko (Quantum of Solace). Fassbender plays a Roman soldier who is the sole survivor of an attack by Picts (they lived in modern day Scotland). He joins a legion of soldiers heading off to the fight the Picts. The action is bloody and violent. Marshall is a horror director so many of the deaths are inventive and gruesome, however, Marshall doesn't dwell on the gore. When a guy gets the top half of his sliced off you see it happen but Marshall doesn't dwell on it if only because there's half a dozen other people who need to get killed in the scene.

The character development if minimal. Think of one of those old WW2 infantry movies like Battleground or Hell is for Heroes or Sands of Iwo Jima. It's kind of like that but with Romans. Even with the minimal character development I found myself caring what happens to the Romans.

So what's the problem with it? Give it to a guy like Ridley Scott or even Tarantino and they'd add a half hour to it and the film would be an epic masterpiece. Here it's just epic or an epic B-movie. I actually really enjoyed the film and while it could have been better I really wish there were more films like this.
at 11:35 AM

http://wreckhousemagazine.com/?p=709

Monday, January 17, 2011 17:33
Centurion (2010)

I know I know. This really isn’t a horror flick so what the hell am I doing reviewing it? Two words: Neil Marshall. Marshall continues to cut a bloody path through Hollywood, crossing multiple genres and spilling a lot of blood. A lot. Marshall is of course best known for his 2005 flick THE DESCENT, one of the best genre movies of the last decade. But Marshall has also given us DOG SOLDIERS (2002) and the underrated DOOMSDAY (2008). Marshall always manages to milk the most amount of tension and terror out of every scene … something he continues to do in his latest, CENTURION.

CENTURION is essentially a hypothetical story that examines what might have happened to the legendary Roman Ninth Legion, which history shows just vanished without a trace. We follow Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) and a small band of Roman soldiers as they fight for survival behind enemy lines after the Ninth Legion is decimated by the Picts (the “locals” in northern Britain). Marshall does here what he did (albeit a little less successfully) in DOOMSDAY: He takes all the elements that make these 300-like films great and fills his film with them. It’s like a friggin’ “greatest hits” flick!! The cast is solid and the plot is lightening fast. Unfortunately in the beginning it moves a little too fast and I felt like the story was getting ahead of me. But stay with it because it all comes together nicely.

And if you’re thinking there’s no gore in CENTURION because its not a “horror movie,” man are you in for a surprise. The battle scenes are incredibly bloody and gory and he camera never flinches as sword meets flesh. All I’m gonna say is that Marshall employed a lot of amputees in this film!! To give you a taste; not too long after the opening credits a Roman soldier is on watch and decides to take a piss off the lookout post. Before you can say “Day of the Woman” an enemy soldier thrusts a very long and sharp spear into the Roman’s junk. Nice beginning. The only negative thing I can say about the battle scenes was that at times they felt a little mechanical as the camera jumped around the battlefield filming one killing after another. This is a small critique and I attribute it to Marshall still cutting his teeth on filming large battle scenes.

The one thing I found interesting here is with the story. We learn that as powerful and vast as the Roman Empire was, they never really got a foothold in northern Britain. But from the very beginning it’s obvious that the Roman’s are being set up as the protagonists and the northern British (the Picts) are the antagonists. I thought that was pretty odd. Aren’t the Picts just defending their homeland? Right? I’m not crazy; the Roman’s are the invading force … right?? I thought it would have added a lot more depth to the story if the Romans and the Picts were presented neutrally; that we see the story and can sympathize with both sides. Again, a small complaint that didn’t take anything away from my enjoying this film.

The one thing I was disappointed in was the “love story” angle about half way through the film (you’ll know it when you see it). It feels kind of tacked on in order to appeal to a female audience and to provide a much happier ending than what I thought was gonna happen. The way the film was going, and knowing Marshall’s past flicks, I really thought we were headed towards a real downer of an ending (which would have totally worked). But instead we end up with the typical “man gets the girl” Hollywood-ish ending. That was disappointing.

Neil Marshall, though, continues to impress me. He started off deep in the horror genre with a werewolf and “creatures in a cave” flick and has proven that even though he isn’t doing “horror” films anymore per se, he still loves the genre. Marshall has a knack for taking the best elements of a genre and boiling them down to give us a really tight, fast paced flick that is completely entertaining and satisfying. Again, I apologize for reviewing a non-horror flick here but I felt I needed to pass this one along. I totally enjoyed this and highly recommend it.

My Summary:

Director: Neil Marshall (and writer)

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars

Gore: 7.5 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem: 0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

This entry was posted on Monday, January 17th, 2011 at 4:13 PM

http://artsentertainment.domaine-du-pourret.com/2011/01/20/review-of-the-historically-incorrect-film-%E2%80%9Ccenturion%E2%80%9D/

Review of the historically incorrect film “Centurion”
January 20th, 2011 | Author: bettyellison

“Centurion” is writer director Neil Marshall’s take on the famous Roman Ninth Legion, a legion that fought within the Gaelic Wars, solely to vanish from history a number of years later. There are several theories about their disappearance. Some suppose they’ve all been slaughtered, others suppose they simply laid down their arms and went their separate ways. Marshall stated that whereas the film is anchored in reality, it’s not imagined to be “historicly perfect”, and his final intention was to create an action thriller. This is good to hear, as a result of the amount of four-letter F bomb words these Roman troopers drop really took me out of the historic atmosphere.

Films take liberties all the time. No rule was ever written that a movie should be by the laws of reality or science or historical past or something like truth. It occurs that usually in motion pictures, the more imaginative the better. But when you do a period piece, you must be careful. It is very straightforward to get wrapped within the heroism of ancient Rome. That is also simply as simple to be surprised by it. Whether or not you contemplate the “info” essential, it is advisable understand the value of these freedoms.

On the one facet of the spectrum we have motion pictures like “A Knight’s Tale” This one is blatant disregard for history. Of course, the filmmaker didn’t work “We Will Rock You” in a historical part without realizing exactly what line he was crossing. On the opposite aspect of the spectrum, Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” is to most film goers information, quite correct in describing the era which it’s set in.
“Centurion” falls somewhere in the center, which isn’t somewhere that a movie ought to be. Normally you possibly can settle for it as a reputable concept on the fate of the Ninth Legion. However when they start utilizing modern profanity and slang, the illusion falls apart. Due to this, it’s tough to know what to make of “Centurion”. Worse still the slang and cuss phrases are distracting, even when you just try to take pleasure in it for what it is.

Fortuitously, the film’s acting team does a superb job of portraying these out-of-time characters. Dominic West and Michael Fassbender are doing an excellent job of bringing their characters to life and make them really feel actual, even when they are using twenty first century slang.

The supporting cast do their half too, together with Olga Kurylenko from “Quantum of Solace”, whose roles require much less dialog and a lot of creepy staring. Nevertheless she pulls it off fairly well and helps to enhance the movie a lot. The blood letting have to be talked about as a kind of a warning and a temptation for many who like that sort of thing. This movie is violent. Granted, all movies of this type are violent, it is of their nature, however Marshall chooses to show so much, as a result of it is his style. To his credit, the violence not often seems unnecessary. He tries to create a violent world, and depicts that violence is a necessary step. When you see a person’s head carved with an ax, in not one however three quick swings. This serves to ascertain the evil enemy. Marshall does not only serve buckets of Gore for the hell of it, a minimum of not often. Neil Marshall isn’t a bad filmmaker and Centurion’s not a bad movie, however it is not good, either. It’ll only enchantment to these already highly interested in its premise and who can tolerate the violence. At the most I can only give this one 3 out of 5 stars. This blog is sponsored by Peachtree Ink, suppliers of excellent high quality cheap epson ink. In case you are looking for cheap epson ink you might have located an excellent web site to compare your current cheap epson ink cost.Cheap epson ink and cheap epson ink with cheap epson ink also cheap epson ink and cheap epson ink. We can get cheap epson ink with more cheap epson ink and lots of cheap epson ink.