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Centurion movie4/10/2023 ![]() ![]() There are a lot of CGI sequences mixed with traditional effects but they do not detract from the experience too much. Several battles are extremely gritty, entering gory territory as blood flows. The actual plot, despite its historical context, is less Gladiator and more Apocalypto. Etain reaches iconic status as far as I'm concerned, much like Karl Vreski (Die Hard). Neil Marshall makes great use of actress Kurylenko and she literally eats the screen in almost every scene she is in, despite her character being mute. Her backstory is a powerful device that explains all the hatred she has for Romans and the length she will go to exact revenge. Etain's tribe was massacred by the Romans and she took refuge with the Picts. 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. And as is becoming signature with this director, Centurion pursues his tradition to feature very strong and memorable female characters. ![]() 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. It's amazing the lengths to which filmmakers will go to work a little nuzzling into a scenario that's about as potentially romantic as a sumo wrestling match.A group of Roman soldiers who survived an ambush are chased relentlessly by a hunting party of Picts. She's a banished Pict, hence a potential friend. Since Etain isn't exactly love-interest material, the filmmakers work in a witchy woman, Arianne ( Imogen Poots), to do the honors. "Centurion" is essentially a chase film, with Etain and company in pursuit of an ever-diminishing cadre of Roman warriors – including stalwart Bothos ( David Morrissey) and goofy Thax ( JJ Feild) – led by Quintus. When in Rome, let's not drag in Abu Ghraib. In some ways " Centurion" is closer to what its effects designer terms "a Roman ' Die Hard.' " It also, in some of its torture sequences, seems to be reaching for contemporary, war-on-terror relevance. Speaking of press notes, I pass along a quote from the film's producer, Robert Jones, extolling its singular virtue: "Gore, a bit more gore, then a sprinkling of blood on top."Īctually, he's selling his film, which was directed by horror maven Neil Marshall (" The Descent"), a bit short. His Quintus can also speak perfect Pictish (which, according to the press notes, is actually Scots Gaelic). Fassbender clearly worked out for this role, and he wants us to know it. Her opposite number is centurion Quintus Dias ( Michael Fassbender), a survivor of the Roman Ninth Legion, whom we first see in a flash-forward sprinting half-naked through snow. Because the Romans cut out her tongue years before, she's mute – not entirely a bad thing given the caliber of dialogue in this film. ![]() Scariest of the Picts is Etain ( Olga Kurylenko), a temptress in animal furs who works for the Romans only to reveal herself as a double agent and the deadliest of trackers. I felt the same way about the Sith in the "Star Wars" series. Given how scurvy they look, the Picts should have a scarier monicker. Set in the 2nd-century Roman Empire, when men were men and launderettes were scarce, it's about a mud-caked band of Roman soldiers who are pursued across what is now Scotland by the local barbarian horde, the Picts. If you thought " 300" was one of the greatest films ever made, if slo-mo arrows piercing armored chests is your idea of a good time, by all means make haste to "Centurion." ![]()
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