Centurion

The ghosts of greater films permeate this strange effort from Neil Marshall, the once promising director of such efforts as Dog Soldiers, The Decent and the truly awful Doomsday.

In recent years films that start swords and sandals, or in this case swords and snow as it’s filmed in Scotland, have included greats such as Gladitaot and Sparticus might not offer much in scope but offer plenty of attitude and Marshall’s film sontinues this trend. What it does lack though is any semblance of a cohesive story or credibility (Olga Kurylenko as a pict???) it is bloody and at times fun though. Credit must be given for the well choreographed fight sequences but the modern filmmakers propensity for using cg blood is a worrying trend that Marshall does nothing to change.

For the most part the movie is entertaining and looks exceptional in parts – the scenery is stunning, it’s just when it comes down to it the story and dialogue are severely lacking. The Romans are presented more like knockabout modern squaddies than soldiers of the mighty Roman Empire.

The cast is solid – David Morrisey, Dominic West, Paul Freeman and the lead as Centurian Quintas Dias – Michael Fassbender is compelling enough and as he proved previously (again – in a slightly better film) with 300 he can carry off the physical stuff with aplomb. It must be said though that his acting isn’t all that bad either, especially when he stops gurning in a grimace of pain or angst and stops running away from his enemies. It simply seems that Marshall hasn’t really put all that much decent story in here and what is there is very messy indeed.

So another ok movie if you’re slightly inebriated of an evening but not one to watch if you are expecting a film of epic proportions, how he got West and Morrisey to participate I’ll never know!

Mark Duncan