Saturday, September 11, 2010

Centurion

Movie name: Centurion
Year of release: 2010
Director: Neil Marshall
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko, David Morrissey, Imogen Poots, Noel Clarke, Lee Ross, Ulrich Thomsen
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:Neil Marshall has built a name for himself with two films, "Dogsoldiers" and "The Descent", both suspense/thrillers with fantastic components. "Doomsday" was a mix of "28 Days Later" and "Mad Max" and though entertaining, it did not expand his universe or garnered him more accolades. "Centurion" is an action film, that takes place in Northern Britain, when the Roman Empire is trying to hold off their opponents, the Picts. The film follows Quintus Dias, the sole Roman survivor of a Pict attack to a Roman fort. The Roman Empire is trying to strengthen their position in that area and for that effect they send the tough 9Th Legion to tackle their barbarian opponents. Quintus Dias attempt to flee his captors and the 9Th Legion thirst for battle meet up in the field, with unexpected results.
Neil Marshall has built a career of writing and directing stories where the action and violent components are always very present. His heroes are at odds with a stronger and sometimes almost impossible opponents, yet in the end they always vanquish. The Roman Empire setting, allows him to change his scenario and to shoot the brutal battle scenes with a ferocity and realism that is quite impressive. The downfall of the film turns out to be the cliches that it encounters, with the running group, the lonely and beautiful witch that takes them in, the dangerous pursuers. The film has very good moments, but it's time for Neil Marshall to expand his screenplays a bit more and allow for more character development. An interesting film.

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