The Last Legion (2007)

As the Roman empire crumbles, young Romulus Augustus flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain to track down a legion of supporters.

Director:

Doug Lefler

Writers:

Jez Butterworth (screenplay), Tom Butterworth (screenplay)

Stars:

Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Firth	...	Aurelius
Ben Kingsley	...	Ambrosinus / Merlin
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan	...	Mira (as Aishwarya Rai)
Peter Mullan	...	Odoacer
Kevin McKidd	...	Wulfila
John Hannah	...	Nestor
Iain Glen	...	Orestes
Thomas Brodie-Sangster	...	Romulus Augustus (as Thomas Sangster)
Rupert Friend	...	Demetrius
Nonso Anozie	...	Batiatus
Owen Teale	...	Vatrenus
Alexander Siddig	...	Theodorus Andronikos
Robert Pugh	...	Kustennin
James Cosmo	...	Hrothgar
Harry Van Gorkum	...	Vortgyn

Storyline

Circa 460 A.D. Mira was born in a warrior-family in Kerala, India, was well versed in martial arts and self-defense, so much so that she was recruited by the Spanish royalty and re-located to Constantinople. From there she was instructed to assist Roman Commander Aurelius to plan the escape of 12-year old Romulus Augustus Caesar from a prison in Capri after his parents had been killed by the leader of the Alliance in turmoil-stricken Rome that has seen the deaths of five emperors in five years. Mira, Aurelius, and a Priest, Ambrosinius, along with a handful of loyal soldiers were successful in the escape plan and deliver Romulus to Roman Senator Nestor. What the crew do not realize is that their task is not over yet, for Nestor is all set to betray Romulus, leaving them with no alternative but to flee to Britannia, where they will be forced to confront a seemingly invincible Vortygn, whose main aim is to obtain a powerful sword that was meant for defense and defeat, and also ensure ...

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Plot Keywords:

roman legion | 5th century | caligula character | merlin character | king hrothgar character | 

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Taglines:

The untold beginning of the King Arthur legend.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Doug Lefler says that the story idea started as a film concept at the Dino De Laurentiis Company, then Dino De Laurentiis brought Valerio Manfredi on as a historical consultant and he fell in love with the idea. When progress at the Dino De Laurentiis Company on this movie stopped, Valerio Manfredi went off and made a novel of the idea, which became successful in Europe, and helped get this movie going again.

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Goofs

The invention of stirrups did not reach the Roman Empire. This invention arrived only after the fall of their reign, around the 7th century. As such the horsemen could not have used stirrups as seen in this film.

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Quotes

[Romulus is brought in chains before Odoacer]
Odoacer: Is it for you that so many people have died? Such an innocent face.
Wulfila: The blood of the Caesars runs in his veins.
Odoacer: Lord Wulfila here thinks I should fear you. Is this true?
Wulfila: He is the last of the bloodline! End it now! Old Rome will die, and we will rule!
Odoacer: "We?" *We* rule? Take care, Wulfila. Sometimes your tongue runs ahead of your brain.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Cringiest Movie Monologues (2016)

User Reviews

Features exciting fighting scenes, impressive battles and fabulous costumes

This is a nice production with an average budget, great sets and thundering battles about the fall of the Roman Empire. Although the complete Roman Empire decline and fall took centuries, by the end of fifth century it was simply a battleground for warring rival Caesars and Barbarians chiefs. The Germans gather, take over and pull down the Roman gates. The Goths commanded by Odoacer(Peter Mullan), king of Herulos, invade Rome(476 AD), assesinated Orestes(Iain Glen), father of emperor Romulus Augustulos (Thomas Sangster). The young Caesar is sent to Capri along with his preceptor Ambrosinus(Ben Kingsley). A motley group of soldiers led by loyal Aurelianus (Colin Firth) are assigned by senator Nestor (John Hannah) to free him. They're accompanied by a beautiful Indian warrior named Mira (Aishwarya Rai). Without another alternative, they travel to Britannia to meet the last legion, located near the Wall of Adriano; but they're pursued by relentless barbarians (Kevin McKidd, James Cosmo). Although the Romans had partially withdrawn from Britain and its politics essentially dissolved into chaos. Later on, it's thought that a minor war lord, probably named Artos, did his best to maintain civilization and Christianity in the west of England.

This is a larger-than-life production with good direction, interesting scripting, and enthusiastic performances place this far above the usual empty-headed historical spectacle. Several action scenes are outstanding with spectacular battle images and thrilling fights. Unfortunately, on small house screens much of the splendor will be lost. You will be left with the wooden Colin Firth and the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai in a love story that was underdeveloped due tho the film's emphasis on spectacle. The picture packs colorful cinematography by Pontecorvo and evocative musical score by Patrick Doyle. The flick is professionally directed by Doug Lefler, who previously made ¨Dragonheart , a new beginning ¨. Rating : Good, it's a nice extravaganza well set in ancient Rome, done in great scale and praised for its action sequences.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Germany]

Country:

UK France Slovakia Tunisia Italy Bulgaria

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Legion

Filming Locations:

Cerveny Castle, Pezinok, Slovakia

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,746,312, 19 August 2007

Gross USA:

$5,933,494

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,303,038

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company, Quinta Communications, Ingenious Film Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1