Centurion

Written and directed by Neil Marshall, Centurion follows Roman soldier Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) as he and several other men attempt to fight their way to safety after their legion is devastated in a guerilla attack. It’s clear almost immediately that Centurion‘s biggest assets are its various performances and visceral, violent sensibilities, as the movie suffers from an erratic narrative that’s increasingly saddled with a decidedly hit-and-miss feel (ie there’s not a whole lot of forward momentum at work here) – with the episodic midsection certainly perpetuating the picture’s increasingly uneven atmosphere. Despite such deficiencies, however, Centurion ultimately does manage to sustain one’s interest for the duration of its 97 minute running time – with Marshall’s typically (and almost aggressively) in-your-face directorial approach ensuring that the movie’s many battle and fight sequences are exciting and electrifying (ie they’re just so violent, gleefully so). It’s ultimately disappointing, then, that the film is never quite able to become the electrifying epic Marshall has obviously intended, which is a shame given the large proliferation of positive elements that have been suffused throughout the proceedings. (It would’ve been nice, in the final result, if the whole thing had added up to something more than just a passable time-killer.)

**1/2 out of ****