Centurion (2010) ★★1/2 out of ★★★★
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko
Directed and Written by: Neil Marshall
A Roman Centurion joins forces with the Ninth Legion to eradicate a savage group of Celts known as the Picts.
I’ve always been a fan of “Sword and Sandal” stories, even the really bad Italian knock-off ones (I.e. Lucio Fulci‘s “Conquest“). I have fond memories of watching Conan and Beastmaster, and even rushing home from school to be on time for He-Man (which I think more than qualifies to be part of said genre). Therefore, I was colored excited after learning the news that director Neil Marshall would be doing a medieval thriller set in 117 A.D. He had already become a favorite of mine after two great horror films (Dog Soldiers and the Descent) and an underrated apocalyptic Sci-Fi flick (Doomsday), so “Centurion” sounded impressive by default. While it is not as epic as I imagined, it still manages to be an extremely fast-paced ninety-minute ride of gory, violent fun.
The entire film is essentially a chase scene. Centurion Dias (Michael Fassbender) escapes Pict imprisonment early on, only to be immediately pursued by them through the icy Scottish mountains and deep forests. It is here where the Ninth Legion (who are on orders from the Governor of Rome to wipe out the Picts) rescues him. A mute tracker named Etain (Olga Kurylenko) is hired by the Governor to travel with General Vuirilius and his men as a tracker. Secretly with the Picts, Etain betrays the Legion, leading them into an ambush where all but a handful are unknowingly left alive. From here on, it is a battle for the men to make it out of the area in one piece.
If not for quick-flash style battle sequences, this film would be strongly hindered by computer-generated blood FX. I am not against CGI, but it is a nuisance when used on a movie with an obviously restrained budget. Luckily, it is a 50/50 mix of computer imagery and traditional makeup gore; and even though the bulk of the action is shown 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 add up the number of dismemberments and impalements in this picture, I would 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 popping up all over the place ever since his minor parts in “300” and “Inglourious Basterds”, and it is great to see him successfully hold his own in a lead position. For a role with zero dialogue involved, Olga Kurylenko does an amazing job of building her character into something believable. She is cold-blooded, completely filled with hatred, and will stop at nothing to kill every Roman in her sight; though, occurrences in her past make her an almost sympathetic character. Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later), Dominic West (300), and Liam Cunningham (Dog Soldiers) all also give above par performances in their supporting roles, as well.
So that about sums it up. “Centurion” is not anything new or groundbreaking, but like all of Neil Marshall’s past films, it is a lot of fun and the story is surprisingly solid for a movie that sounds like a no-brainer at face value. It is a definite recommendation for fans of “Pathfinder”, “Gladiator”, “Red Sonja” and other aforementioned films within the “Sword and Sandal” genre.
