Brutal Bloody Battling
Geordie film director Neil Marshall is the John Carpenter of our times. Producing spare, on budget, sometimes humorous, always inventive, thoroughly effective horror movies.
His first outing ‘Dog Soldiers’ was a unusual werewolf movie starring Kevin McKidd and Sean Pertwee. Some of the special effects were a bit ropey but it was a debut possessed of unquestionable style and wit. ‘The Descent’ was a good follow up, a genuinely creepy claustrophobic potholing nightmare. His last offering, ‘Doomsday’ whilst well intentioned was ultimately misguided; muddled, miscast and an opportunity missed. So now he’s got his teeth into ‘Centurion’ will all be forgiven?
Set during the 2nd century Roman conquest of Britain ‘Centurion’ tells the mythic story of the Ninth Legion, a group of soldiers who legend has it marched into Scotland…never to be seen again (presumably massacred). This has been widely disputed by academics for many years but no matter…it’s not really meant to be historically accurate. It does however look like a good deal of brutal, bloody fun.
Michael Fassbender stars as centurion Quintus Dias, whom after his legion is ambushed and slain, leads a raid on a Pict camp in order to rescue general Virilus (Dominic West). Fassbender is an actor worth watching. He turned in an extraordinary performance as Bobby Sands in last years ‘Hunger’ and got the nod from Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds. He also starred alongside Dominic West previously in ‘300’. West may not quite share the same level of acting chops but then he is McNulty (lead character in HBO’s incendiary The Wire) so can be forgiven almost anything. Oh and there’s some ass kicking mute eye candy for the boys in the form of Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, so everyone’s happy.
The talented Scottish director and documentary filmmaker Kevin McDonald is also set to release a film later this year entitled ‘Eagle of the Ninth’ based on the popular children’s book, which deals with the same subject. It’s the cliched double bus analogy; commission one movie about Roman centurions fighting Picts, get two.
Centurion is set for release 23rd April 2010
His first outing ‘Dog Soldiers’ was a unusual werewolf movie starring Kevin McKidd and Sean Pertwee. Some of the special effects were a bit ropey but it was a debut possessed of unquestionable style and wit. ‘The Descent’ was a good follow up, a genuinely creepy claustrophobic potholing nightmare. His last offering, ‘Doomsday’ whilst well intentioned was ultimately misguided; muddled, miscast and an opportunity missed. So now he’s got his teeth into ‘Centurion’ will all be forgiven?
Set during the 2nd century Roman conquest of Britain ‘Centurion’ tells the mythic story of the Ninth Legion, a group of soldiers who legend has it marched into Scotland…never to be seen again (presumably massacred). This has been widely disputed by academics for many years but no matter…it’s not really meant to be historically accurate. It does however look like a good deal of brutal, bloody fun.
Michael Fassbender stars as centurion Quintus Dias, whom after his legion is ambushed and slain, leads a raid on a Pict camp in order to rescue general Virilus (Dominic West). Fassbender is an actor worth watching. He turned in an extraordinary performance as Bobby Sands in last years ‘Hunger’ and got the nod from Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds. He also starred alongside Dominic West previously in ‘300’. West may not quite share the same level of acting chops but then he is McNulty (lead character in HBO’s incendiary The Wire) so can be forgiven almost anything. Oh and there’s some ass kicking mute eye candy for the boys in the form of Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, so everyone’s happy.
The talented Scottish director and documentary filmmaker Kevin McDonald is also set to release a film later this year entitled ‘Eagle of the Ninth’ based on the popular children’s book, which deals with the same subject. It’s the cliched double bus analogy; commission one movie about Roman centurions fighting Picts, get two.
Centurion is set for release 23rd April 2010
