Spacescope17 (18 May 2012)

nice fight for an under the radar movie.

Thanks for finally bringing back the action to war movies even if it'sa smaller scale one. The villain that really pulls the movie to a headis Olga and omg is she scary. I couldn't believe what I was seeing halfthe time but i couldn't turn away afraid of missing the quick attacks &its action. Plenty of action but not an overdose of slow motion thatmost movies do. Felt the shots kept the movie moving feeling like itwas the legions last desperations, you felt the reality of them beingsomewhat unable to win. But as always you have to find a way to makemen feel better about themselves wen they're getting kicked. And that'swhen they find an outcast of the Pict tribesmen. This outcast is a finebeauty who helps the remaining crew survive & rest up. This moviedoesn't lack in emotional depth like most war movies seem to do. Itslowed down enough & shared enough halfhearted laughs to feel for theseguys. In another form, this movie somewhat reminded me of a robin hoodstory since no one seemed to know who & what they were fighting 4.These men were betrayed & some betrayed some in the group, but theselect few stuck together like Saving Private Ryan men. Music was offand on & kept it somewhat current but laid in the old dungeon likeindustrial feel to it. Overall, i got more out of it than i thoughteven with the narrating voice of the Quintus, that was the geniusbehind the film.

(18 May 2012)

Roman Legions Gathered Together In Scotland and Grooving with The Picts

This review is from: Centurion (DVD) I will never understand movie critics. Every New York paper trounced this film when it was released grousing about Romans having British accents and attacking it as mindless entertainment. Hey, every epic cannot be Stanley Kubrick's 'SPARTACUS" or Ridley Scott's 'GLADIATOR' but if you're looking for a rousing adventure film, look no further. These critics should have stuck with the countless bathroom humor comedies and inane human dramas populating the theaters as of late and leave the action movie genre to the people who appreciate them. Neil Marshall's latest film 'CENTURION' is a relentless experience from the first frame of film projected to the last and you would have to be a block of wood not to be effected by its intensity. Based on a true story about the ninth Roman Legion which disappeared in Scotland in the realm of the Picts on their campaign of conquest, it shows the survivors struggling against the terrain and the cunning of the ultimate Pict tracker to get back home. You've read the reviews contained within this release space in Amazon.com so I won't go on but I will tell you that the action is electrifying with the standout being Olga Kurylenko (QUANTUM OF SOLACE) in a malevolent performance as Etain, the voiceless Pict tracker who never stops her pursuit of the Roman survivors. The filmmakers pull no punches in the realism of the battle scenes and fight sequences , yes, heads are lopped off when they meet a sharp blade and body harm does occur when confronted with arrows,axes and fire so be prepared for a bloody time. Marshall balances how we feel about both Roman and Pictish sides showing the futility of war and invading territories which should not be invaded, hell, he shows the Romans attacking their own men because they are wearing Pict clothing. Comments on the acting of Michael Fassbinder and Dominic West as being passionless and wooden are as legion as the Romans but I think they are perfect showing the way they probably were, arrogant and honorable to their last breath. Magnolia Home Entertainment has released a crisp transfer with excellent 5.1 Dolby Digital EX which was beautifully separated on my sound system and contains a great audio commentary by the director and crew, deleted scenes which show why they were excised for they would have slowed the film down and five behind the scenes featurettes on the cast, locations, and cinematography. Many may conceive this film as mindless eye candy but Director/Writer Neil Marshall has created and produced an intense, nerve wracking 98 minutes of celluloid and should be comfortable in knowing that 'CENTURION" is a cult classic ready to explode.

Allan Hunter (14 May 2012)

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

(13 May 2012)

Nasty Ancient Britainia

This is a current take on the classic Sword and Sandal epics of the past. The production value is first-rate. The History is not! For one I doubt the Romans would have used a Goth looking Celtic Femme as a tracker. They had their own resources on which to rely, and they were rather chauvanistic in their outlook. The standard portrayal of corrupt Roman officials prevails. This is a gritty and dirty film as far as the shooting goes. The scenery is impressive for sure. The Roman ambush has your cliche Sparticus rolling fire bit which is debatable if anyone ever used in these conflicts. Fight scenes are tough and realistic. The storyline is almost like a WW2 squaddie film grafted onto Roman times. Legion gets wiped out due to predictable Roman incompetence. Handful of survivors fight their way home through the darkness of old Scotia and the Celts. The unfortunate ending has our hero betrayed by the standard corruption of evil Empires that the movies like to show these days. The aged Roman counsel Agrippula was actually a good commander. Not the back-stabbing wretch that is shown here with his evil Courtisan. The end provides for closure with our hero having the potential for a nice romance with a beautiful Celtic witch! Entertaining, good production value, decent acting, BAD HISTORY! It really deserves 3 stars for that, but I decided to show mercy and give it a thumbs up 4 stars.

(11 May 2012)

Decent Theory of a historical event.

This review is from: Centurion (DVD) Considering that the Story of the 9th Legion is really Unknown apart from the point of disappearance, this was a very entertaning yarn of the possibilities. I enjoy these movies as pure entertainment.

yougos_bc (10 May 2012)

Good but nothing special .

Good battles Good scenes and yet the movie leaves you with a smalldisappointment....its sad that though the era and the history of theroman empire is very interesting ,movies like this , Augustus , KINGARTHUR , THE LAST LEGION... represent it . Why can't producers figureout that without a meaning any movie especially historical are not atall interesting... Movies like gladiator or Spartacus thats why they'regreat , besides the great battles the great scenes they also have ameaning and they truly catch the scent and the spirit of the romanempire era something that i felt in this movie was missing (not quiteas bad as the last legion but not even close to gladiator either).Basically a nice movie but definitely nothing special .

Hellmant (10 May 2012)

A "Splat Pack" take on Roman history!

'CENTURION': Three Stars (Out of Five) Neil Marshall (writer and director of 'DOOMSDAY', 'THE DESCENT' and'DOG SOLDIERS') writes and directs this historical adventure film aboutRoman soldiers under attack behind enemy lines in Northern Britain.Marshall is a horror and gore master and a member of the "Splat Pack",an unofficial grouping of named modern horror filmmakers. This film ismore of an adventure / war film but it still has a surprising amount ofgratuitous violence. The film, like Marshall's others, was filmed inthe UK and features actors like Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, DavidMorrissey and Olga Kurylenko (the most recent 'Bond' girl).The film revolves around Roman soldier Quintus Dias (Fassbender) who isthe lone survivor of a Pictish attack on a Roman frontier fort. He'staken captive by the Picts and later escapes. He then is enlisted inthe Ninth Legion and returns for vengeance on the Picts alongsideGeneral Virilus (West). The legion is ambushed, Virilus is takenprisoner and the remaining, living group, of Roman soldiers is left tofend for their own behind enemy lines. The Picts are led by thevengeful Etain (Kurylenko) who led the legion into the ambush anddouble crossed them.The film is mildly entertaining but for me it just doesn't live up toMarshall's other films. I really liked 'DOOMSDAY' and I enjoyed 'THEDESCENT' and 'DOG SOLDIERS'. The action scenes were cool but a littletoo violent, in a way that didn't seem necessary (although I'm one ofthe last people to complain about film violence). The main thing I feltwas lacking in the film is that the characters aren't very interestingor likable (maybe partially due to lackluster performances). I alsofelt kind of strange being forced into rooting for the Roman soldierswhen they really were the bad guys of the film; the narrative was allwrong. Overall the movie is a slightly above average adventure film.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPqFKAK3fro

Stephen (10 May 2012)

Great Film

I always like to watch a good movie where you can lose yourself in the plot. This movie has great photography, pretty darn good acting, a good story and lots of action. Give this a high rating. I wish they made more movies like this.

ajs-10 (05 May 2012)

A very gory action adventure...

This is another take on the legend of the Ninth Legion of Rome. Theydisappeared in mysterious circumstances when fighting the Picts (Scots)during the time of the Roman occupation of Britain. It's quite anexciting tale with a lot of blood, guts and gore along the way.Although it's far from perfect, I quite liked it for its fast pace andsome excellent fight scenes.The Ninth Legion, lead by General Titus Flavius Virilus are sent northto wipe out the troublesome Picts lead by the fearsome Gorlacon.Amongst their number is Centurion Quintus Dias, who has been posted tothe region and knows the type of enemies they will face. They also havea Pict tracker in the shape of the mute Etain, she possesses greatskill when it comes to finding the enemy. The Legion is ambushed andalmost all are slaughtered, but a handful remain alive and try at firstto rescue their captured General and then try to get back south tosafety. With the Picts hot on their trail and the elements and terrainagainst then, can they survive long enough to make it home.This film obviously didn't have a huge budget, but considering thelimited resourced they had, I think it wasn't a bad effort. A decentcast was lead by Michael Fassbender as Centurion Quintus Dias, withDominic West as General Titus Flavius Virilus, David Morrissey asBothos, Ulrich Thomsen as Gorlacon, Olga Kurylenko as Etain, LiamCunningham as Brick and Imogen Poots (great name!) as Arianne. All dida good job in, what must have been very trying circumstances.The plot is quite fast and exciting with some great fight sequences anda few edge-of-your-seat moments. All this was very good and I wasenjoying the chase with a nice little dose of betrayal and intriguethrown in. Unfortunately about two thirds of the way through all themomentum is lost when the surviving few stop to lick their wounds atthe house of an outcast. Although an attempt is made to regain some ofthe lost inertia, it fails to reach the same level. While I thoughtthis section could have bee shorter to help the pacing, I still thoughtit was a pretty good film. It has a 15 certificate here in the UK whichsurprised me a little given the level of violence depicted. But overall, a decent enough film (with a few reservations)… Recommended(just).My Score: 7.1/10

Troy_Campbell (05 May 2012)

A grubby, gory delight.

When the final credits were rolling my regular cinema-going counterpartobserved "that was one of the most outwardly violent films I've seensince Kill Bill". That's not far from the truth. Limbs are hacked cleanoff, stomachs are regularly impaled and the claret fluid spraysendlessly. Though the major difference is where Tarantino's homage tothe old chop-socky movies from Eastern cinema is cartoonish in itsbloody visuals, Centurion is anything but tongue-in-cheek; here theblood, sweat and tears seep into the muddy vistas and bucolic rivers ofGreat Britain to intensify the atmosphere.Director Neil Marshall (The Descent) has crafted a gritty movie that atits core is a simple 'cat and mouse' tale – and a highly entertainingone at that – but becomes much more thanks to the efficacious work fromall the cast and crew. Marshall himself executes a few impressivesequences, the most outstanding being the initial ambush on the NinthLegion, showing once again he knows how to stretch a small budget withminimalistic techniques and a passionate approach. Director ofphotography Sam McCurdy provides a suitably grimy and grainy look that,although at times is too dim, sets the ideal tone for the film. PerhapsMarshall should have monitored the editing closer though, Chris Gill'sfrenetic cutting very nearly ruins a couple of the fight scenes.Major Hollywood star in the waiting Michael Fassbender (played theGerman-impersonating British Lieutentant in Inglourious Basterds) isundoubtedly the standout among the acting contingent. As the titularsoldier, Fassbender makes for a charismatic leading man that convincesin both the physical and dramatic elements of the role. I eagerly waitto 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 thegruff General Virilus, Olga Kurylenko is positively bad-ass as themute, monomaniacal warrior hell-bent on revenge and BBC favourite DavidMorrisey 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)

(04 May 2012)

Good peplum action/survival "western", grandiose settings and an incredible role of Olga Kurylenko!

I give this movie five stars although I did not like some details - but finally I simply did not have the heart to take one star for them. I liked this movie very much and many scenes are simply unforgettable.The action is set in year 117 AD, in the country which today is called Scotland but which Romans named Caledonia. This harsh and inhospitable land was inhabited by tribes which Romans called first Caledonians and later Picts. Caledonia was the only part of main British island which was not controlled by Roman Empire and Caledonians/Picts resisted fiercely all attempts of conquest - and in fact, in Ist and IInd centuries, frequently attacked Roman part of the island. The movie describes an episode of those Pictish wars, although because of lack of precise sources, it is not exactly based on real events and the names of the main leaders (Roman general Virilus and Pictish king Gorlacon) are fictive.To avoid spoilers I will not say much more about the plot - but please be aware that this is a very brutal and bloody movie, full of scenes of realistically described close quarters combat, but also of torture and murder. I believe this realism is ultimately an asset, but many people (and I think most women) will certainly find "Centurion" too shocking to watch. Under no circumstances children or younger teenagers should be allowed to see this movie - and I would in fact deeply recommend to restrict it only to those who are aged 18 years or more."Centurion" shows a great deal of incredibly beautiful images of nature in northern part of Scotland (especially Cairngorms mountains and Badenoch district), attempting to show how did it look in times when its population was still scarce and nature mostly remained wild and untouched, with wolves and deers more easily met than humans. The forest scenes were filmed in natural parks in England. Those settings alone are a good reason to see "Centurion" as they are simply impossible to describe - you simply must see them! For that reason also I would really recommend to watch it on the biggest possible screen.Actors play well and the characters are interesting and well thought. Michael Fassbinder plays the main hero, centurion Quintus Dias, and his performance is very honest. However, two other actors steal the show from him: Dominic West and especially Olga Kurylenko.Dominic West already showed how versatile actor he was playing the ambiguous character of detective McNulty in "The Wire" but also the abject Spartan politician Theron in "300". Here he portrays the Roman general Virilus in another excellent performance. It was a pleasure to watch him.But the REAL performance is that of Olga Kurylenko, who plays Etain, a silent, never smiling Briton tracker/scout working for Romans. Etain can not speak (when she was a child her tongue was cut off) but still, her character dominates the whole movie - and it is not only because of the great beauty of Ms Kurylenko, as she is mostly wrapped in furs and her face is partly hidden by blue war paintings. Really, I found this character fascinating and totally unforgettable and I am certain she will mark you too!And finally a special mention for Imogen Poots, a very cute and absolutely lovely British actress who plays Pictish sorceress, Arian, and the gorgeous Belgian actress Axelle Carolyn (who is also the wife of the director of the movie, Neil Marshal), who plays Pictish female warrior, Aeron. This importance accorded to women is another point in favor of this movie. In Pictish society women were mostly equals of men and most of them were also warriors, to the point that some fought in battles carrying babies attached on their backs!Now, the one thing I did not totally like in this movie is the flawed representation of the way in which Roman Legions marched, camped and especially fought. When watching "Centurion" you must inevitably ask the question "But how come those guys could conquer so many countries and build a three continent empire?" The answer is, those guys did not - but the real legions did, because they made war totally differently than pictured in this film. And this is a pity, because there clearly was an effort to stick to historical reality - like for example the fact that in this movie Roman soliders wear "lorica segmentata" armour, which in those times just replaced the previously used "lorica hamata" (chain mail). But the effort was not made when the tactics are described.I will just focus on the biggest issue - fighting tactics. Roman regular infantry was so dangerous because it used a mixture of missile and close combat weapons. The enemy was first engaged with highly specialized heavy javelins, the "pilum", of which every infantryman carried two: one lighter and one heavier. The lighter javelin was thrown first (because it had a longer range), then the heavier and then only the legion would close the ranks in a shield wall and engage the enemy with short but quite heavy Roman swords "gladius". The important thing is that Roman swords were perfectly adapted for stabbing (with an upward thrust) but rather poorly suited for slashing. Or in "Centurion" NOT EVEN ONE "pilum" is thrown and in fact Roman soldiers do not even carry them. Instead all of them have classical long spears - which in reality would be used only by a small minority of eldest soldiers (whose arms were not so strong and their eyes not so good anymore) for protection against a possible cavalry charge. Also Roman soldiers slash wildly at their enemies with their short swords, without even trying to use them efficiently...There is also the little point of a general who walks through hostile wild country without any flank guard, even if he has some nimble footed auxiliary light infantry suited for this task - one of the heroes, Leonidas, is after all a lightly equipped Greek slinger. And of course any such expedition should relay for all reconnaissance only on one indigenous tracker and two Roman cavalrymen, giving a total of three (yes, three!) horse riding scouts for the security of a whole army (the Ninth Legion and all its "auxillia").However, although I certainly did not like that part of the movie, all the rest was so good and made on me such a strong impression, that I simply couldn't take one star off the rating.

chernia-739-55522 (03 May 2012)

The real fate of the IX Legio

The real fate of the 9-th is not known, however, although it was indeedpresent in Britain just before Hadrian wall was built there, it is nowbelieved by most scholars that it was later transferred to the east ofthe empire, which was a much more important part to the romans thanBritain. The fact is that names of several high officers of the Ninthwho cannot have served earlier than the alleged destruction of theninth in Britain, are noted in later references, is clear indicationthat the legion was not destroyed but transferred. It may have beendestroyed some 15 years later, during the Jewish revolt of Simon benKosiba (132-136) in which several others Roman legions were wipe-outtoo, the revolt in which almost half of an entire roman army wasinvolved and eventually, was crushed by General Julius Severusfrom…Britain, has also put to the end the name Judea, replacing it bySyria Palaestina, which two thousand years later, claimed by the newarrivals: the Palestinians, as their ancient homeland.

(02 May 2012)

A Better Romans vs Barbarians Movie Than Expected.

This was a surprisingly entertaining flick. I wonder, though, why Romans are usually played by British actors. The Patricians always speak as though they were educated at Oxford and the Plebs sound like the Gecko in that annoying commercial. The perfect example of that being the BBC/HBO TV mini-series "Rome". Hey! If New Yawker Tony Curtis could pull off being General Crassus's Houseboy in "Spartacus", I guess having a London accent ain't all that bad. Fortunately, Olga Kurylenko was cast as the mute Pict guide/tracker/hunter Etain and didn't have to try to convince me that she was a lass who just happened to walk off a modeling runway in Moscow onto the Scottish Highlands.Anyway, "Centurian" was a fun movie to watch just to spot all the similarities it had in it to other movies you've probably seen, e.g., "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "The Naked Prey", "Gladiator", the aforementioned "Spartacus", to name a few. One reviewer likened it to old cowboy and indian movies. I won't go into the plot of "Centurion", as others here have already done so. I simply want to say that this was an entertaining movie to watch, despite all the chopping and hacking off of body parts and buckets of CG blood. Watch the film and don't expect anything more than an action/adventure romp through a small part of Roman Britannia. 4 stars.

(01 May 2012)

wonderfully gritty realism in historical fiction, however unhistoric

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

Catherine Bray (28 April 2012)

What have the Romans ever done for us? Raped and pillaged mostly, according to a film that also appears to want us to root for them. Bizarre

(28 April 2012)

better than the eagle!!

This was well cast. storyline was dense enough to tell the story from both sides of the wall. "Etain" was very well played!!

robocopssadside-1 (27 April 2012)

Centurion (2010)

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

Robbie Collin (26 April 2012)

With raw material this strong, it's odd more of it didn't end up on screen.

(26 April 2012)

Brutally captivating Film!

This review is from: Centurion [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Who cares if it's not 100% historically correct, this film is entertainment. It looks great, sounds great, the war scenes are brutal, merciless and graphic the way War really is. The acting is good, this is not a lame film. Celtic England fighting off Roman invasion, come on, what History fan won't lap this up? Buy it, you'll like it. I am happy I have it.

KineticSeoul (25 April 2012)

Well the action scenes were well shot

This started out really well, than just became boring. The first 10 minof this movie actually had a interesting story or at least was a goodbuild up. Than it just became a story of how the Ninth Legion trying toescape the wrath of vengeance from the picts. There weren't any epicbattles either, there is a scene where it was suppose to be over 3000Romans in the Ninth Legion fighting the picts, but that was the onlyhighlight of this film. After that the surviving Romans on the run fromthe picts. There are some good scenes here and there about loyalty andhonor, but most of it is composed of boring chase scenes. I liked OlgaKurylenko playing Etain who is a tracker, but even that didn't make anysense sometimes. So she can track them from miles away but can't findthem when they are right near her? It's disappointing to see a filmthat starts out with potential later go to waste. On the positive Ithought the action sequences were well shot and you can actually tellwhat the hell is actually going on.5.8/10