Terrific tale

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2015)

Neill Marshall's Centurion is a brutal, streamlined, balls to the wall story of several lost members of a Roman legion trying to survive the elements, ruthless enemy forces, and each other. It's not so much a sweeping, epic piece like 300, Troy or ones like that, but a more intimate, individualistic take on it. It's like the Bourne Identity of the sword flicks, all tooth and nail survival action as opposed to large scale battle sequences. Michael Fassbender plays , a centurion whose legion is decimated by a rogue group of fierce picts, led by Etienne (Olga Kurylenko in full beast mode). Their commander (Dominic West) can't hold the stragglers together, and soon a group of five or six of them are forced to hurdle through the barren, snowy terrain in hopes of escape from their relentless, pelt wearing pursuers. West is killer good in the few scenes he has, peppering his mannerisms and dialogue with a belligerent glint in his eye. Fassbender makes a stalwart protagonist. The gorgeous Imogen Pootds, a relative newcomer when this was released, is radiant as a forest dwelling loner who takes the gaggle of survivors in and cares for them. Liam Cunningham underplays his ageing soldier role beautifully. The camera work is also to be noted, capturing some stunning fight scenes set atop a snow dusted plateau, and later an abandoned keep. It's a fairly underrated slice of bloody genre fun, with Marshall being no stranger to this sort of breathless escapism, and having helmed the pilot of Game Of Thrones, adding all the right touches to make it well worth our while.