The movie has great action sequences well staged with stylish and vitality, thrills, a little bit of romance and is pretty entertaining. Bloody version based on historical events with overwhelming battles and great production values starred by Michael Fassbender as the fictional Centurion, leader of a motley crew of tough, battle-hardened warriors/underdogs who try to defend themselves against a patrol of bloody Picts led by a brutal warrior woman. As they attempt to destroy their leader Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen) and face a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive. After that, splinter group of Roman soldiers led by Centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack. A Roman army commanded by General Titus Flavius Virilus (Dominic West) is besieged and deadly attacked. ![]() But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts (they were generally thought to not have worn any clothes). The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. The picture deals with historical facts about confrontation between Romans and Picts. ![]() ![]() This is a nice as well as exciting production with a big budget, great sets and thundering battles during the Roman Empire. Ultraviolent historical/epic/action yarn with breathtaking battles including lots of blood and gore. 4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic) Elsewhere The Wire alumni Dominic West is rough around the edges as the gruff General Virilus, Olga Kurylenko is positively bad-ass as the mute, monomaniacal warrior hell-bent on revenge and BBC favourite David Morrisey adds clout in his supporting role of Bothos. I eagerly wait to see what he does as the young Magneto in the upcoming X-Men prequel. As the titular soldier, Fassbender makes for a charismatic leading man that convinces in both the physical and dramatic elements of the role. Major Hollywood star in the waiting Michael Fassbender (played the German-impersonating British Lieutentant in Inglourious Basterds) is undoubtedly the standout among the acting contingent. Perhaps Marshall should have monitored the editing closer though, Chris Gill's frenetic cutting very nearly ruins a couple of the fight scenes. Director of photography Sam McCurdy provides a suitably grimy and grainy look that, although at times is too dim, sets the ideal tone for the film. Marshall himself executes a few impressive sequences, the most outstanding being the initial ambush on the Ninth Legion, showing once again he knows how to stretch a small budget with minimalistic techniques and a passionate approach. ![]() Director Neil Marshall (The Descent) has crafted a gritty movie that at its core is a simple 'cat and mouse' tale – and a highly entertaining one at that – but becomes much more thanks to the efficacious work from all the cast and crew. Though the major difference is where Tarantino's homage to the old chop-socky movies from Eastern cinema is cartoonish in its bloody visuals, Centurion is anything but tongue-in-cheek here the blood, sweat and tears seep into the muddy vistas and bucolic rivers of Great Britain to intensify the atmosphere. Limbs are hacked clean off, stomachs are regularly impaled and the claret fluid sprays endlessly. When the final credits were rolling my regular cinema-going counterpart observed "that was one of the most outwardly violent films I've seen since Kill Bill".
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |