Centurion (2010)

A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack.

Director:

Neil Marshall

Writer:

Neil Marshall

Stars:

Michael Fassbender, Andreas Wisniewski, Dominic West

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Fassbender	...	Centurion Quintus Dias
Andreas Wisniewski	...	Commander Gratus
Dave Legeno	...	Vortix
Axelle Carolyn	...	Aeron
Dominic West	...	General Titus Flavius Virilus
Dhaffer L'Abidine	...	Arm Wrestling Opponent (as Dhafer L'Abidine)
JJ Feild	...	Thax
Lee Ross	...	Septus
David Morrissey	...	Bothos
Simon Chadwick	...	Carlisle Messenger
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Gorlacon
Ryan Atkinson	...	Gorlacon's Son
Paul Freeman	...	Governor Julius Agricola
Olga Kurylenko	...	Etain
Jake Maskall	...	Roman Officer Argos (as Jake Maskell)

Storyline

Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pictish 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.

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Plot Keywords:

roman | legion | general | britain | sole survivor | 

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Taglines:

Fight or die.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence, grisly images and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK France

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

23 April 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Centurião

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$42,826 (USA) (27 August 2010)

Gross:

$122,288 (USA) (24 September 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Pictures International, UK Film Council, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Neil Marshall 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.

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Goofs

The spear the IX Legion carries is a period-correct piece of Roman military equipment, known as the hasta. While certainly less well-known than the pilum (plural pila) throwing spear, the hasta would be a better tactical choice for a legion marching into heavy forest where the space required to bring up and throw a pilum properly is not guaranteed. The hasta, being basically a "typical" spear, is a more versatile weapon. It should be noted that every legionary was issued both a pilum and a hasta, though the pilum featured more prominently in the Romans' preferred open-field strategies.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Centurion Quintus Dias: [narrating] My name is Quintus Dias. I am a soldier of Rome, and this is neither the beginning nor the end of my story.

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Crazy Credits

The end of the closing credits state that "This film is based on a 2000 year-old legend", referring to the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Hispana or Ninth Spanish Legion in Roman-occupied Britain around 117 CE.

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Connections

Referenced in Edición Especial Coleccionista: Zombie Town (2010)

User Reviews

Playing cat and mouse with the Picts

A group of Roman soldiers who survived an ambush are chased relentlessly by a hunting party of Picts. As with every other movie by Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday) this big screen epic attempts to mix the grittiness of European filmmaking with the entertainment values of Hollywood movie-making. And as is becoming signature with this director, Centurion pursues his tradition to feature very strong and memorable female characters.

While it is Centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) who is the protagonist as the somewhat reluctant leader of our heroes, the most memorable character on screen is Etain, a Brigantian tracker played by Olga Kurylenko. Etain's tribe was massacred by the Romans and she took refuge with the Picts. Her backstory is a powerful device that explains all the hatred she has for Romans and the length she will go to exact revenge. Neil Marshall makes great use of actress Kurylenko and she literally eats the screen in almost every scene she is in, despite her character being mute. Etain reaches iconic status as far as I'm concerned, much like Karl Vreski (Die Hard).

The actual plot, despite its historical context, is less Gladiator and more Apocalypto. Several battles are extremely gritty, entering gory territory as blood flows. There are a lot of CGI sequences mixed with traditional effects but they do not detract from the experience too much. Quintus' bunch of survivors are portrayed by a group of effective actors but the movie's short length prevents much characterization. Where Marshall is more effective is in the portrayal of the Picts. In very few words, several characters stand out throughout the movie.

Everything is fairly entertaining but the movie never quite reaches classic epic status due to its short length and several incongruities. For instance, I still don't understand why two healthy and armed soldiers would run away from wolves, nor why wolves would pursue them (that simply flies in the face of anything we know about the behavior of wolves). Etain is also ordered to severe the heads of the men she is chasing but conveniently omits certain characters so that they survive their injuries, which makes no sense and is transparent bad writing. Likewise, when the Romans have a chance to steal or kill the Picts' horses, they simply ignore this opportunity. These plot holes add up pretty fast and detract from our experience, turning what could have been a classic into just a great pop corn flick.

But an entertaining pop corn flick it is, despite its faults! I wish Marshall would be slightly less ambitious, as it seems he is at his best working on smaller scale movies but he still has a knack to shoot fun films and create engaging characters. Special kudos for not glorifying the Roman empire and especially, for not portraying the Picts as clear-cut villains. Although the structure of the film firmly puts the Picts in the "baddies" slot, there are several hints and a lot of subtext that, on the contrary, showcases the Roman empire as bloodthirsty invaders, plotting backstabbers and savages themselves.

Every amateur of sword epic will want to see this one at least once, possibly several times.