Neil Marshall
Centurion

First with the splatter "Dog soldiers," then with the claustrophobic "The descent," and finally with the sci-fi "Doomsday," director Neil Marshall has made a name for himself, for better or worse. A young filmmaker who has proven his worth with bold solutions that led to the success of "The descent," for the writer one of the best horror films of the new millennium. "Doomsday" did not convince, which is why many awaited Centurion (2010), his fourth feature film, with impatience and a certain dose of curiosity.

For the first time, Marshall finds himself working on a subject set in the distant past: the film stages the epic of the Ninth Roman Legion, according to some historians mysteriously disappeared in the 2nd century AD Britain. An army sent for the destruction of the Picts, a particularly violent and "bloodthirsty" indigenous population determined to defend their land at all costs. The Legion will welcome Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender), a Roman centurion tasked with defending a fort that fell under the Picts' attack, from which he managed to escape. His goal and that of Titus Flavius (Dominic West) is the ultimate extinction of the Picts. But the two did not account for the brutality of the enemies...

To avoid any misunderstandings: Marshall is a filmmaker from whom, frankly, I would have expected more, but "Centurion" is still a positive work, which in other hands would probably have become an unwatchable historical jumble. A director of action more than concepts, Marshall creates a visually perfect film, with colors, locations, and music all in their place. What the Britisher fails to do is make Centurion not only a film but also a historical reinterpretation. In the end, it turns out that Marshall did not remotely consider developing the various stories behind the Ninth Legion (some claim that it never actually disappeared): Centurion is mainly a thriller heavily characterized by the slasher soul of its director (see the battle scenes to believe), with a not even too veiled vein of action.

On the cinematic level, therefore, "Centurion" is fully successful: various massacres, a story that flows easily without any historical hiccups. Swords and axes open skulls and throats and that's enough: a pity, however, to note that under the heading "character development" Marshall has done zero. None of them (except perhaps the usual traitor) has a marked psychological level that identifies their choices and actions.

Many expected the acclaimed creator of "The descent" at the turning point, the final consecration as a director. In his low-budget productions, Marshall has brought out excellent things, but "Centurion" fails to confirm him at his past levels. It's an engaging and dynamic film, but little "worked" precisely on those elements in which Marshall needed to improve. What a shame...

"In the chaos of battle, when the ground underfoot is like a mix of blood, vomit, piss, and the guts of friends and enemies, it's easy to call on the Gods for help. But it's the soldiers who fight, it's the soldiers who die. The Gods do not soil their robes..."