Centurion

When in Rome ...

WhenInRome

Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko, David Morrissey

Set against a backdrop of Roman Britain, Centurion follows the escapades of Quintus (Fassbender), a Roman centurion and son of a legendary gladiator, as he leads a group of soldiers on a raid of a Pict tribal camp to rescue their captured general (West). The son of the Pict leader is murdered during the raid, and the Romans find themselves hunted by a seemingly unstoppable group of the Pict’s most vicious and skilled warriors, led by a beautiful and deadly tracker (Kurylenko).

Centurion is not for the faint-hearted. It’s an extremely violent and gory action film. In fact, it’s almost too violent: once you’ve seen five decapitations, you’ve pretty much seen them all.

However, the main flaw of the film is the script. At times the dialogue errs on the side of cliché and many of the characters appear to be underdeveloped, which is a shame when you consider the quality of the cast.
It’s not a disaster by any means, but it’s pretty cheesy and generic stuff – too much guilt and not enough pleasure.