Centurion

The young British writer-director Neil Marshall has so far specialised in low-budget horror films, notably the subterranean shocker The Descent, but his latest project marks an ambitious change of gear. Set in Scotland in the year 117AD, this handsome historical epic follows a renegade handful of Roman soldiers as they are pursued by violent Pictish tribes across rugged Highland landscapes. It was partly inspired by historical fact, although Marshall cites Walter Hill's seminal New York street-gang thriller The Warriors, itself an update of ancient Greek folklore, as a key influence. There are some obvious contemporary parallels to be drawn here about imperial crusades, illegal occupations and terrorist insurgents. But Marshall does blood and guts much better than emotions and ideas. There is no political subtext in Centurion. In places, there is barely even any text. Which is a shame, because the cast features an interesting mix, including the Hunger star Michael Fassbender, Dominic West of The Wire and the former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. Sadly, they are all given little to do besides declaiming stilted B-movie lines about vengeance, death and honour. Mostly they just slash and bash each other to a bloody pulp. Again and again. With its striking visual effects and wintry mountain vistas, Centurion is certainly an impressive lesson in how to make a handsome sword-and-sandals epic on a tight budget. In its favour, it lacks the bloated self-importance of Gladiator or the laugh-out-loud absurdity of 300. Unfortunately, it also lacks dramatic depth or credible plot, ultimately boiling down to one long cross-country chase punctuated by a series of bloodthirsty battles. In terms of his cast and his technical skills, Marshall has clearly graduated from the pulpy genre-movie league. But he needs to upgrade his characters and dialogue if he ever hopes to appeal beyond the grindhouse fanboy market.

With more dialogue and better characterisation this might aspire to being a great warrior film.