Centurion

Plot synopsis:
Beginning in 117 AD, the narrative opens with a Roman soldier fleeing across a snowy landscape, saying: "My name is Quintus Dias. I am a soldier of Rome, and this is neither the beginning, nor the end of my story."
The Romans have been unable to fully conquer Britain, meeting the fiercest resistance in the north, and the Picts of Alba are engaging in a guerrilla campaign against the Roman forts along the Glenblocker line and the Gask Ridge at the southern border of the Scottish Highlands. At the Roman outpost of Pinnata Castra, Pictish warriors led by Vortix and Aeron force surprise and kill the entire garrison, taking only one survivor for questioning, the second-in-command, Centurion Quintus Dias, because he can speak the Pictish tongue. Dias is brought before the Pictish king Gorlacon, who has united the northern tribes. Dias is brutally interrogated, but two weeks later escapes on foot.
However, a messenger dispatched by the fort's commander has reached Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britannia, who wants to obtain favour with the Roman Senate, hoping to secure a transfer back to the comforts of Rome. He dispatches the Ninth Legion, under General Titus Flavius Virilus, to eradicate the Pictish threat and provides him with a female Celtic Brigantian scout called Etain. As the legion marches north it encounters Dias and rescues him from his pursuers.
Etain betrays the legion to Gorlacon, leading them into an ambush where they are annihilated. The general is captured. Dias is one of the few survivors, along with the legionaries Bothos, Thax, Brick, Macros and Leonidas, and Tarak, a cook. They set out to rescue general Virilus and, after a few days' travel, they find him at Gorlacon's village and sneak in at nightfall. However, they are unable to break his chains and he orders them to leave him and get back to Roman territory. During the attack, Thax, taking shelter in Gorlacon's hut, suffocates the king's young son to prevent him crying out.
The next morning, Gorlacon burns his son's body on a funeral pyre and forces General Virilus to fight Etain in single combat. She kills him and Gorlacon then sends her after the fleeing legionaries at the head of a small group of mounted warriors, including Vortix and Aeron, to seek revenge for his son's death.
The seven Romans plan to travel north (away from Roman territory) to throw the Picts off their trail, then head west, and then back south. After several days' pursuit, the Picts catch up with the fugitives, who jump off a cliff into a river to escape them, although Tarak is killed before he can jump. Macros and Thax become separated from the others. Dias and his group camp for the night, while their trackers set up camp across the river. Dias and Brick launch a night raid on the enemy camp, killing two men and severely wounding a third, from whom they discover that they are being pursued because of the death of Gorlacon's son, which Thax kept secret. However, Etain has launched her own attack on the Romans' campsite. Dias and Brick return to their camp to discover Leonidas dead and Bothos wounded.
Macros and Thax are now running from a wolf pack. Thax pretends to fall, with the wolves in close pursuit, and cries out to his comrade for help. Macros returns to help him and Thax hamstrings him to prevent him from standing, allowing Thax to escape while the wolves attack and devour Macros. Dias, Bothos and Brick find a hut in the forest belonging to Arianne, a Pictish exile accused of witchcraft who has learned Latin from the soldiers at a nearby Roman frontier outpost. She shelters them, providing food, and medical attention for Bothos. When Etain and her warriors arrive the following day, Arianne confronts her while the Romans hide in her grain store under the floorboards. The next morning they leave Arianne, who provides them with enough food to travel to the outpost.
They find the outpost abandoned, with an order pinned to a post saying that the Roman troops have retreated south, by the orders of the Emperor Hadrian. Seeing Etain and her warriors approaching and fed up with running, they set up a defensive position inside the fort. Brick is killed, but the three Romans kill Vortix, Aeron, and the rest of the Picts, with Dias ending the fight by killing Etain.
Taking the Picts' horses, Dias and Bothos continue southwards and en route are reunited with Thax. Upon reaching Hadrian's Wall, which is now under construction, Thax, afraid that he will report his actions, threatens Dias and they fight, with Dias killing Thax. Bothos, joyfully riding towards the Romans, is mistaken for a Pict because of his clothes and is shot by an archer. Dias reports to Agricola, who is concerned that news of the legion's annihilation might cause other tribes to rise up against them. He is also fearful of his record being tainted by a military failure, and decides that the Ninth Legion's fate should remain a mystery and that Dias must be killed. Dias, however, manages to foil the attempt on his life by Agricola's daughter, although he is badly wounded in the thigh during the fracas. He escapes from the camp and returns to Arianne in the forest. As the weakened Dias lies in her arms by the stream, he and Arianne kiss. The film ends with Quintus Dias adjusting the narrative of the film's opening line:
"My name is Quintus Dias. I am a fugitive of Rome, and this is neither the beginning, nor the end of my story."

Tags: murder, violence, action, revenge, historical, sadist

Review:
get real (yes, that applies to Latin as well).Perhaps your biggest mistake in assuming history of this movie is your statement: "Then comes the fight scenes and complete absence of interesting Roman tactics, when attacked and flanked on a long narrow path they simply form a 1 man thick shield wall and wait..." If you had actually studied Roman history (which I'm certain at this juncture you have not even cracked open a Tacitus or Pliny or Martial or any other Roman historian) then you would know the Battle of Teutoberg Wald quite well.
Celts (Picts were a Celtic people) were well known for chariot warfare, as were many peoples in the Roman world, as you can see in this movie (especially the battle scene) using chariots would be quite a stupid move as they were in dense forest (use your brain, boy).
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.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.
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.A grubby, gory delight.4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic).
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 .
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 .
Although is a little revisionist about characters , history and time when is developed the action in a dirty , gritty Roman Empire during its period in Britain .
As with every other movie by Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday) this big screen epic attempts to mix the grittiness of European filmmaking with the entertainment values of Hollywood movie-making.
While it is Centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) who is the protagonist as the somewhat reluctant leader of our heroes, the most memorable character on screen is Etain, a Brigantian tracker played by Olga Kurylenko.
I wish Marshall would be slightly less ambitious, as it seems he is at his best working on smaller scale movies but he still has a knack to shoot fun films and create engaging characters.
It stars Dominic West, Michael Fassbender, Olga Kurylenko, Liam Cunningham, Noel Clarke, Riz Ahmed & Imogen Poots.Britain, 117 AD and the Romans are struggling to contain the Picts in Caledonia.
Also if he must stay mainstream then he has to get the budget to do the job properly; witness the digital blood used for the first fight sequences, laughably bad and able to take you right out of the film.At times ridiculous and over the top, Centurion only works well as a pure action flick.
Doomsday was a nice throwback to genre films (even though it didn't really know which one it wanted to be) and now Centurion, which has Marshall tipping his hat to Gladiator and Spartacus.
When you go to see a movie you want to have some satisfaction, and mostly you get it when you sympathize with the hero, you get emotionally involved in their problems and you worry about them.Here, you have two sides and I personally can not empathize with any of them.The Picts, while they have a right to protect their land and families, are shown in quite cruel way and Olga Kirylenko's character is far from being attractive.On the other side the Centurion and his soldiers are nothing but invaders killing and enslaving the locals just for the sake of glory of the Roman Empire.
As I assess this movie there was every chance that he was going to do this again in a Roman vs Pict battle for survival story.
I do not even think of Centurion as a movie, it is more similar to the fantasy TV series like Herkules.On the other hand it has a lot of nice pictures of snowy mountains and grassy hills and some watchable fighting scenes..
Michael Fassbender is excellent as the main lead trying to get the last survivors of his roman army back home but it's gonna be a hell of a run home & the seven men are way behind enemy lines!!!
Doomsday (2008) is another EXCELLENT Neil Marshall film that's got that Warriors vibe all through it along with the tone of escape from new york,another AWESOME movie.
Another excellent & way underrated Neil Marshall movie but hey i loved it.Also i have to say im very happy that this is not another over long BORING historical epic like Braveheart or Gladiator or countless other bore fests!!!
A brutal ancient actioner...The film pans out exactly as the trailer, offers nothing new, done to death story, but somehow, this brutal portrayal of the Romans battling for survival against the tribes of forestry is exciting enough for the entire duration.
I had the pleasure of watching "Centurion" with some of my friends and we were quite surprised by Neil Marshall's directing of the movie.The story in the film is rough and violent like the times in the Roman era-Europe (146 BC - 480 AD) under emperors such as Nero, Caligula etc.Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and especially Ulrich Thomsen as the Celtic chief Gorlacon does a fantastic job portraying the characters.
Gorlacon is merciless but yet sympathetic in the role as a Celt that leads his people under pressure by the Roman Empire.The film is bloody and action-packed so if you like the Roman Empire, Celts and visionary action scenes I would recommend "Centurion".
I know he's a man of the people and likes going to festivals doing Q$As so i'm hoping he reads these reviews........please don't ever do a British gangster movie, you, Ridley Scott, Danny Boyle etc are our only hope for a decent film industry over here.Having said that with this film although i loved it like i knew i would being a Scotsman i was a bit confused as to whom i should be cheering on!.
On the other hand the characters were engaging and you couldn't help wishing them to safety.....its kind of like watching the battle of the bulge from the Germans point of view.Anyway its a good solid movie well worth watching..
Neil Marshall's bloody medieval chase flick could very easily be dubbed "King Arthur: the prequel." The 2004 Clive Owen-feautring King Arthur origin tale essentially picks up where this film ends with the building of Hadrian's Wall, the ancient Roman fortification that stretched across what is now Northern England.
Both films follow a small band of Roman centurion soldiers battling against the native warriors.
The story for the purposes of this exceptional film, is recalled by the last surviving member of the Legendary Ninth, Centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) who relates to the audience what he remembers of the historical confrontation.
One should know what to expect from a film, I expected decent historical portrayal of how cruel and dangerous life could be in Britain near the year 100, what being a Roman soldier there was like, a bit about Picts being fearsome fighters, and some gory, untamed fighting scenes.
One should not expect a brilliant script in a film like this, sure there were minor complaints to be made: Kurylenko's character was supposedly an experienced warrior but she apparently had no clue how to attack a fort or a village defended by only 3 men..., Picts' leader's son is killed by Romans yet he sends only a handful of Picts after them with a woman in charge??..
The movie is clearly a low budget one, from the moment the film starts with a map of Roman Empire Brittania appearing from the mist while a deep voice explains what goes on to the mostly unknown and smallish cast.
Entertaining, is a good movie for those who enjoy history and the Roman period, or simply for those who enjoy a good adventure or action film..
Michael Fassbender, engaging as always, plays Quintus, a centurion with the Roman Army in 117 A.D. who survives an attack on his fort and subsequently takes part in a mission to eliminate the savage warriors known as the Picts.
And the characters are a solidly entertaining bunch, with the effective twist that one of the main antagonists here is a female, the animal like warrior Etain, played by model / actress Olga Kurylenko, who's quite good in the part.
'CENTURION': Three Stars (Out of Five) Neil Marshall (writer and director of 'DOOMSDAY', 'THE DESCENT' and 'DOG SOLDIERS') writes and directs this historical adventure film about Roman soldiers under attack behind enemy lines in Northern Britain.
The film, like Marshall's others, was filmed in the UK and features actors like Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, David Morrissey and Olga Kurylenko (the most recent 'Bond' girl).The film revolves around Roman soldier Quintus Dias (Fassbender) who is the lone survivor of a Pictish attack on a Roman frontier fort.
I've seen this a couple of times and while it's not a bad little movie set during the Roman invasion of Britain the acting of both Micheal Fassbender and especially Olga Kurylenko elevate it to be better than the script allows it to be.The film itself is based on a real event that happened around the time the Romans were withdrawing from Britain to consolidate power back home and tells the story of the ninth legion which vanished.
Kurylenko plays Etain and doesn't say a single word throughout the whole movie, thanks to a brutal torture inflicted by the Romans, instead her facial expressions have to convey everything she is feeling and she handles the role with amazing skill that I never thought she had.I give this 8/10, not for the storyline which is derivative and dull but simply for Fassbender and especially Kurylenko who shows what great acting is all about..
Can they possibly escape alive?A fast-paced 90 minutes(94 with credits) of chase film with frequent fight scenes - every time you think you know what's going to happen next, you're stunned by where it goes instead.
Review: Although this movie is nearly 3 years old, I quite enjoyed this medieval "On The Run", film which has good performances from all of the cast and a decent storyline.
After watching the making of the movie, it was good to see that the director didn't rely on CGI, which a lot of people do nowadays, and a lot of the action looked pretty real.
At the centre of this story is Quintas Dias, the Roman officer who comes to be in the Ninth Legion when it meets its fate on a forest track Michael Fassbender gives a perfectly-sustained performance as the soldier who realises that his task is to try to find the commanding officer of the Ninth (Dominic West) and then to lead the small band of survivors back to Roman-held territory.
Centurion is a pretty good period movie based in the wilds of Great Britian during the days of the Roman Empire.
As far as the history presented and if it stayed true as far as weapons, costumes, the Picts, I don't know, but for me it was a pretty good movie.Michael Fassbender is a pretty good actor and did a decent job as the Leader character, the Centurion Quintus Dias.
The whole movie centers around the surviving Roman soldiers of an ambush being ruthlessly pursued, behind enemy lines, by their enemy the Picts, and there vengeful female tracker Etain (Olga Kurylenko).
Fassbender is a Roman centurion in Britain who has been among the only survivors of two attacks by the warring Picts on his fellow soldiers.
I have seen it 3 times now and think it is worth a good 8+ or in the movies an A- for acting, direction, filming and particularly Set and Costumes.
There was a mêlée scene which reminded me of the opening of Gladiator, without copying it out right.I also had a few plot points where I thought: "why would they ...", or "why didn't they ...", but for the most part the plot made sense and I found the characters motivations and actions believable.The beautiful scenery should also be mentioned and the movie did a great job of placing the action in the scenery instead of just showing it to us.Nit-picking: I didn't think much of the title sequence with it's floating 3d text, other than using an old looking font - I didn't get the connection.
I'm not going to add a plot synopsis, I hardly ever do so I'll cut to the review, CENTURION is an action adventure that combines great story telling with battle sequences that will give BRAVEHEART a run for its money, the performances by the cast are all excellent mainly because each actor fits his or part perfectly, you don't see that to often.With all that said this film doesn't fall into the same league as GLADIATOR or 300, but any fan of the genre would do well to see this, as you can tell straight from the start, its not aiming for any type of award, its aim is to just be a good movie but if you need further motivation to see this, its also directed by Neil Marshall whose credits include DOG SOLDIERS, THE DESCENT and DOOMSDAY..
Also there is a romance, a small, but effective and meaningful, not forced at all.In the end I have to mention the great acting, and introduction of one the creepiest female villain played by a beautiful woman.For the very end I have to add that the Marshalls talent of making intelligently choreographed action sequences is also present, and the scenes are bloody as hell..
Talented and left of the middle director Neil Marshall returns with a 117 A.D story of a group of Roman soldiers who must fight for their lives as they are hunted down by the Picts the savage, elusive and remorseless inhabitants of Northern Britain.In the vein of Beowulf & Grendel (2005) 13th Warrior (1999) and of course Gladiator (2000), Centurion oddly missed a long running large screen release.
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.
Quintus and the soldiers have to get back to Roman territory whilst being chased by Gorlacon and tracker Etain (Olga Kurylenko) who are out for revenge.Marshall sets out to give Centurion an earthy look, colours of outfits are toned down, his camera filters give the film a deliberately dark and grainy look and the whole movie was shot on location in muddy woods and fields in winter.
Centurion is the best post 300 film within the genre so far, a competently made actioneer.Historically it most like that the Ninth Legion was transferred to Germany and then either disbanded or amalgamated with another legion.
If you like ancient Roman centurion/gladiator films with great fighting scenes, a solid story line, then this is a film for you.I enjoyed the film immensely because of the story line and for the entertainment value.This film almost falls in to the "epic" category and I for one have added it to my DVD collection..
one of film who reminds clichés and fight scenes, and brutal confrontations , a necessary love story and a good cast.
Maybe a subplot ( to explain a bit more about the 'captivated woman' or how the centurion became one or how did it end so far from Rome or something ...) to give more layers to the film.The scenes of the battles were good.
I looked at the director and thought "Oh well, he directed Dog Soldiers so whatever it is will be entertaining".The basic plot of this movie is that the 9th Legion of the Roman army get in an ambush.
They run towards the Roman Western Front.For what it's worth the movie is good and entertaining to watch.
I could have written this (or any of you, to that manner) from the dialogues to the main scenes and ending because there were no surprises, it was all predictable, predictable, PREDICTABLE, from the lines to characters.Plus, there were times the action just became boring, with lame motivations and thin-paper personalities and I couldn't see how it could be possible that this was a Neil Marshall's movie, whose The Descent I absolutely adore!What a waste of time!.
This accentuates the battle sequences and makes them more enjoyable."Centurion" contains everything you expect in a film about Romans: blood, betrayal, even a hint of politics – but sorry, no sex.
While there isn't too much depth to the plot or characters, CENTURION is a passable period action film about what might have happened to Rome's 9th Legion.
The cast is led by Michael Fassbender as the titular centurion, Quintas Dias, and has Dominic West as a Roman general and Bond girl Olga Kurylenko as a mute Pict warrior.
The only downside to this aspect of the film was the way in which they were shot, i.e., similar to GLADIATOR and other movies like that.
The directing and look of the movie is great, and Neil Marshall absolutely kills it once again as the director.So overall, good b-movie.
Since I am such a lover of history, centurion was a must for me, especially since it was a Neil Marshall movie - one of my favourite directors.