Looking for some bloody action from ancient times? Then the top-studded historical thriller “Centurion” on Netflix might be the ticket. With stars from the worlds of Marvel, “Game Of Thrones” & “The Walking Dead” it goes here violently to the thing!
“Centurion” comes from director Neil Marshall, who was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the ninth episode of “Game Of Thrones” Season 4. The historical actioner is already something special because it shows us the wars of conquest of the Roman Empire for once not from the side of the Teutons, Celts or Gauls. Rather, we experience the whole thing from the point of view of a Roman officer, played by Michael Fassbender.
Also unusual is the relentless brutality with which Marshall stages the battles. This should come as no surprise, as the British director became famous thanks to similarly hefty cinema works such as the war horror “Dog Soldiers”, the cave shocker “The Descent” or the end-time thriller “Doomsday”. The violence, however, is not only meant to shock, but is also a stylistic device in this adventure, which not only features the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands, but also many faces now familiar from big blockbusters.
After I had already enjoyed “Centurion” in 2010 in a sold-out movie theater at the Fantasy Filmfest, I later stumbled across it again on Netflix and felt primely entertained once more. If you enjoy martial action and fascinating historical spectacles based on real events, you should check this out.
Great pictures!
THIS IS WHAT “CENTURION” IS ABOUT ON NETFLIX
117 AD: Southern Britain is firmly in Roman hands. But in the inhospitable, mountainous north, home to the defensible tribe of the Picts, the invaders make no headway. They are repeatedly attacked by King Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomsen) and his warriors, who are as clever as they are merciless.
Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender), the only survivor of such an attack, joins General Virilus (Dominic West) and his ninth legion to finish off the Picts once and for all. The local Etain (Olga Kurylenko) is supposed to help them. But the mute scout and tracker betrays the army and leads it into an ambush that ends in a gigantic bloodbath.
Only seven legionnaires, including Dias, the gnarled Brick (Liam Cunningham), the badly wounded Bothos (David Morrissey) and field cook Tarak (Riz Ahmed), survive the massacre and somehow try to get back to the safe south. But Gorlacon sends his henchmen, led by Etain, after the starving, severely weakened Romans…
“CENTURION” IS NOT A “GLADIATOR “
The brutality of the depictions of physical violence – a flaming arrow bores into the back of a man’s head; someone rams a pointed lance into his opponent’s abdomen; rows and rows of heads are chopped off or even smashed against trees – are violent and certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. But they contribute to making watching “Centurion” an almost physical experience. Neil Marshall makes the bones crack so loudly and the blood splatter so abundantly that it goes through marrow and leg.
Sure, the excessively used (mostly digitally generated) red splashes are more than a little “over the top”. The same applies to the thick application in the play of most actors or the philosophically trimmed texts of Fassbender’s narrator voice from the off. However, this kind of exaggeration and exaggeration gives the whole thing an interesting, theatrical, almost Shakespearean touch – much like it is often the case in “Game Of Thrones”.
Not to raise false expectations: “Centurion” is no “Gladiator” or “Braveheart”. It may not even be a good film in the classic sense. Marshall’s directorial work, however, is damn entertaining. Partly because it attempts to explain, in a thoroughly coherent way, the real-life mystery of the Roman army’s ninth legion, which disappeared without a trace in the second century.
“CENTURION” SHINES WITH STARS FROM MARVEL, “GOT” AND “THE WALKING DEAD “
Besides the historical and cinematic aspects, what I also like about “Centurion” is the top-notch cast. For me personally, it is very interesting to see Michael Fassbender, who is one of my favorite actors, once again in a physically very demanding role. The German-Irish may run extensively, fight, impale or slash his opponents and must take a lot of punishment himself.
In some other action performances, the “X-Men”, “300” and “Inglourious Basterds” star usually leaves the bulk of the technical work to his colleagues and is more responsible for the cerebral or emotional moments – which he is known to do excellently and in which he is of course also challenged here. In this regard, the moments with Imogen Poots (“The Father”), who embodies a young hermit living in a forest cabin and outlawed as a witch, are especially worth mentioning.
But Fassbender is not the only actor whom the broad mass of cinema fans now know mainly from blockbusters. “Venom” antagonist Riz Ahmed, for example, and Olga Kurylenko, who appeared as a powerful adversary in “Black Widow,” are in the mix.
Also Dominic West from the brilliant series “The Wire”, “Game Of Thrones” veteran Liam Cunningham, David Morrissey, the Governor from “The Walking Dead”, and Danish star Ulrich Thomsen (“The Feast”, “Banshee”) mix in heavily. They all do a good to very good job and contribute a lot to the success of this action-adventure.
