The Eagle Has Landed

So last night I watched Centurion for the second time, and I greatly enjoyed it. Just like I did the first time. Movies always seem to be a little better the second time around, mainly because you catch more as far as dialogue and catch more in the scenes overall. Maybe another reason I liked it so much the second time was that this time, I, maybe even subconsciously, was comparing it to The Eagle, which I saw last weekend and reviewed early last week. I said it then and I'll say again. Centurion is a better movie, with better acting performances with better battle scenes. The Eagle added a chase element, but it's nothing like what you get in Centurion, which makes the best possible way to describe the film a mash-up between Ridley Scott's Gladiator and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.


The movie begins with sweeping shots over the snow-coated mountains and ice-laden streams of Scotland, getting us off to a start that forced me to switch on the gas fireplace next to the recliner, savering the warm glass of Gabbiano vino in my hand. The film was written and directed by Neil Marshall, who, in Centurion, made the names of the actors and the movie title appear to us very Stone Henge-like upon the mountaintops. We turn the corner of those mountains to have other names pop out at us. But a director can't carry a film all on his on, just as I mentioned in my review of The Eagle. Centurion treads on the same subject matter, and though the premise of The Eagle was a good one, the one for Centurion was much better.

In 117 AD, the Roman Republic had long morphed into the Roman Empire, swallowing up Gaul (France) and Greece with its eyes set on Germania and Britannia. They had already taken southern Britannia, but sought to push further into what is now Scotland and Wales. I believe there were three Roman command posts, or garrisons, in Britannia at the time the movie takes place. Centurion Quintus Dias (Northern Irish actor Michael Fassbender from 300 and Inglourious Basterds), son of a Roman gladiator who earned his freedom, is stationed at the frontier garrison, often enduring sleepless nights in the freezing cold winter months of Briton. After leading a resistance against an nightime attack on the garrison at the hands of the Picts, a brutal Scottish tribe, Quintus is taken hostage and the movie seems over before it begins.

Meanwhile, we're introduced to General Titus Flavius Virilus and his Ninth Legion in their garrison dining hall. I truly believe that writer/director Neil Marshall knew his Roman history and based Virilus on Mark Antony. Virilus is loud, bruttish, and impulsive. He loves a good brawl, a strong drink, and a beautiful woman, found in the mute Pict tracker and traitor to her own people, Etain. Virilus is beloved by his men, as we see him arm wrestling and drinking with them in his opening scene. He wears a scraggly beard and disheveled hair, just like we hear of Antony while embarked on battle campaign. Plutarch said of Antony that "his swaggering air, his ribald talk, his fondness for carousing in public, sitting down by his men when they ate, or taking his food standing at the common-mess table made his own troops delight in his company and almost worship him." This passage almost totally and completely describes the character of Virilus, and being that Antony is one of if not my favorite figure of ancient Rome, Titus Flavius Virilus was a joy to watch on-screen. And Dominic West (300, The Punisher: War Zone) played the part so well that I can't imagine anyone else in the role. Virilus and his Ninth are called to arms when the Roman governor of southern Britannia, Julius Agricola, receives the go from Emperor Hadrian back in Rome (who we sadly never get to see). Agricola is played by Paul Freeman, who made his bones in the 80s as Dr. Rene Belloq, arch nemisis to Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Neil Marshall didn't cast a lot of A-listers, but a bunch of solid actors who are either big in England, Ireland, or are simply forgotten about. Olga Kurylenko plays Etain, as ruggedly attractive as she is brutal and sadistic. She soon proves more trouble for the Ninth than she's worth, making her a formidable villain alongside the rugged terrain.,

Back in the seemingly fleeting life of Quintus Dias, the centurion escapes from the Pict village to run shirtless through the snow to the headquarters of the Ninth Legion, where he joins with them in their plans to march on the Picts. But the Picts are guerilla fighters, smaller in number but maybe even more vicious than the Romans invading their homeland. We immediately begin to root on Quintus because he's a good guy, but the Romans are ultimately wrong in their intentions, attempting to take over territory that doesn't belong to them. Not sure if Neil Marshall was going for it, but he paints a picture in which the Romans deserve their devestating losses, but circumstances see to it we don't root for the Picts either. We can empathize with Etain and Gorlacon, the Pict tribal leader, but we certainly don't call them heroes - as justified as they are.

The forest terrain becomes a major disadvantage for the Ninth Legion, or the Legio IX Hispana (so named because they conquered Iberia, or Spain). As I said, the Picts are guerilla fighters who use guerilla tactics, which is why the Romans have had so much trouble conquering all of Britannia. The Ninth shifts into defensive formation while the Picts roll flaming boulders at them, which actually looks a lot cooler than I just described it. After the first onslaught, the Picts rush out to attack. The battle that takes place in its wake is bloody and spectacular. Snow flurries falling and blood spurting and splattering, we get a battle sequence much like the opening of Gladiator. In the DVD extras, Dominic West tells us that some of the actor extras who worked on Gladiator worked on Centurion, and they said the latter was better. It's hard for me to say that as well, as they're so similar. The sequence is definitely gorier, and probably more realistic. I would say that if the one in Centurion isn't equal to that of Gladiator, than it's better. In the wake of the battle, they are seven Roman survivors, which are not all Roman. True to history, our ragtag crew is made up of soldiers from all around the Roman Empire, including two Greeks and man of Indian descent but born in Sicilia (Sicily), all with pretty creative names - including Macros, seen below (who looks a heck of a lot like Ice Cube).

Just like Quintus Dias towards the beginning of the movie, General Virilus is captured by the Picts and the magnificent seven embark on a rescue attempt - which ultimately sees them on the run behind enemy lines. Etain is a tracker with a pretty heavy axe to grind, as she was raped and had her tongue cut out by the Romans at an early age. But some say that when you lose one sense, your others become heightened. This seems completely true in Etain's case, who has the nose of a she-wolf and who really knows what she's doing with a spear. The Roman runners ditch their armor and run through tundras, mountains, and over waterfalls in an attempt to escape the Picts. They're eventually helped a bit by a Pict outcast, Arianne (Imogen Poots, 28 Weeks Later), heavy Scottish accent and all. She's an outcast living in a hut because she's been labeled a witch by the rest of the Picts. I found this element a bit strange, being that the Picts would have been a pagan tribe, engaging in sorts of witchcraft-type, Druid-like pagan rituals. In any case, she's an outcast and therefore offers no allegiance to her fellow Scots.

Even though I don't have a whole lot of viewers on this blog (that I know of), I won't spoil the end. But I will say that the Romans get tired of running, and we see a face off between Quintus Dias and Etain. And even this isn't quite the end, as word comes down from Emperor Hadrian for all garrisons in Britannia to abandon their posts (meaning that the Ninth fought and disappeared for nothing). This is of course the time in history when Hadrian's Wall is first built, to block out the Pictish tribes from the sections of Britannia controlled by the Romans. Without the consent of Hadrian, Governor Agricola makes a decision that greatly affects Quintus and the other men, resulting in a strong climax.

The fate of the eagle itself, the standard carried by the legions that meant everything to them, is a topic still hotly debated. In The Eagle, Channing Tatum sets out on a suicide mission in enemy territory to reclaim the Ninth's lost eagle. In Centurion, the legion's eagle takes a different fate in a scene blatantly clear and poignantly done by the director. To see both films back to back is interesting, to see which avenue the directors decided to take on certain aspects of the disappearence of the Ninth Legion. Both films are based on the vanishing Ninth Legion, and of the two, Centurion gives us a more vividly-imagined idea.

Neil Marshall did a good job as far language went, giving the Picts, whose actual language was never known to history, a Gaelic Scottish dialect in the film. The director of The Eagle gave the Britannian tribes their own language, but I'm not sure which he actually used. Of course, the English spoken in Centurion is actually supposed to be Latin, as Arianne, who speaks Pict, claims to have learned her Latin (English) from the garrisons stationed near her secluded home. Both recent films about the Ninth Legion did well in this aspect of languages, none seemingly better than the other.

The uniforms in Centurion were spot-on and simply looked amazing. Legionaires during the second-century AD would have mainly worn lorica segementata, a type of segmented armor completely different than that worn in the first-century BC by Caesar and Antony's generation. At the time of Centurion, some soldiers would have worn lorica segmentata, and some would have worn chainmail and Roman phalarae medallions. Both types can be seen respectively in the picture below of Quintus Dias and fellow soldier Brick. As far as weapons went, there were a few inaccuracies. The spears used in the film were Persian in style, as the Roman-styled spear, the pilum, was not used at all. The Romans used the pilum for stabbing but also as javelins for throwing. The spears used in the film were mainly for stabbing the enemy attackers. Also, some Roman soldiers, mainly commanders such as Virilus and Dias, would have used a spatha sword, slightly longer than the gladius wielded by the all the Roman soldiers in the film. The rectangle shields were accurate, the helmets looked great, and the uniforms overall were nicely done. I'm not sure if the Roman soldiers wore animal furs on their forearms, but it sure made sense for them to do this in the winter months of Britannia.

Neil Marshall's cinematography added greatly to the overall feel of the film, which was gritty, bloody, and often unsettling (like when the soldiers plummet off a cliff into freezing waters). The movie is shot in gray and blue hues, two shades that added greatly to the already drab look of Britain. The snow flurries mixed with the blood and the director's selected camera lense worked very well for the look of the film, bringing to mind that cold, muddy, and bloody battle scene in Gladiator.

Centurion has a great look and a great premise, both working in well with one theory on the disappearence of the Ninth Legion. I look forward to other outings from Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday). He clearly knows what he's doing (for the most part) in Roman historicals, so I hope he tries his hand with another. There's no story left at the end of Centurion to make room for a sequel, but there are so many aspects of Roman history that a director could focus on. Michael Fassbender's character in 300, Stelios, was my personal favorite of the film, and I think he was a good choice for Quintus Dias. Dominic West's character in 300 wasn't nearly as likeable, but he turned in a wonderful performance in Centurion. Olga Kurylenko is a beautiful actress, but Neil Marshall made sure that people focused on the more sinister and dangerous aspects of Etain in the film. I really like this movie, and as I now own it,  I'll be watching it a lot more than twice in the coming years.

"In the chaos of battle, when the ground beneath your feet is a slurry of blood, puke, piss and the entrails of friends and enemies alike, it's easy to turn to the gods for salvation. But it's soldiers who do the fighting, and soldiers who do the dying, and the gods never get their feet wet." - Quintus Dias

Great line. The only thing that would've made Centurion a better movie is if its dialogue had been written by the writers of Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

Birds of a Feather

The recent films Centurion and The Eagle both tread on some really familiar ground. Both cover the disappearence of the legendary 9th Legion, the Legio IX Hispana, caught behind enemy lines in uncharted Britannia in the 2nd century AD. Centurion is a better movie, much more bloody, realistic, with better overall acting performances from overall better actors. But my primary reason behind this blog entry is to write a review of The Eagle, which I saw on its opening night with my wife. I've reviewed Centurion on this blog before, but will soon be erasing it to write an all new one to immediately follow this entry (I'd only seen it once at the time I reviewed it).

I thought Channing Tatum had a good look for a young Roman officer, but maybe not quite the acting skills to pull off an ancient epic. He did a decent job as Marcus Flavius Aquila, but the star of the film was not Tatum or Jamie Bell, who played Aquila's Brit slave, Esca. The star of the film was the director, Kevin Macdonald, and his highly-stylized cinematography. The Romans wore the wrong armor in the film according to actual history, as by the time The Eagle takes place (second century AD), a style of armor called lorica segmentata was worn in battle, as seen above. The style the Romans wore in The Eagle is more like that of the first century BC, worn by commanders such as Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. Though the uniforms were wrong, they were authentic and pretty pleasing to the eye. The standard-bearers, the men who carried the symbols for the legion dressed in animal-skin headdresses, and the weapons, were both accurate. The battle tactics were also accurate, as when the Romans dashed out into warfare, they quickly covered up into their "turtle" formation when they were overwhelmed, crouching as a unit and connecting all their shields for protection.

I also appreciated how the Britannian tribes all spoke their own language, and we were allowed to read their grunts in subtitles. When they come across a hostile Briton tribe, one of  leaders asks Esca why he's speaking to the Roman in the Roman tongue, eluding to the fact that the English we hear in the movie is actually supposed to be Latin - a clever touch.

Although, I didn't care for the look of that particular tribe, the Seal People, painted a shade of bluish-white to go with mohawks that made them look more like a Native-American tribe.

Jamie Bell played his role well as a Briton slave spared in the gladitorial arena and in turn brought to Aquila for further slave service. The overall story was a good one, and it took its time in developing instead of Aquila just rushing out to find the eagle, the heart and soul of a Roman legion, that had vanished along with his father and the 9th Legio Hispana. When I see Donald Sutherland nowadays, I always associate him with a solid B-movie performance. He's probably a really nice guy, but most Romans didn't have beards or wild, flowing hair. His buddy in the film, probably some sort of senator (as I don't think the script ever said), sported similar hair to Sutherland's and even sported a goatee. A goatee? In ancient Rome? Don't think so. I'm not trying to be a history snob or a know-it-all, but one thing I look for in every film set in the ancient world is authenticity. The actors can't completely be blamed for this, as its just as much the fault of the director and the ancient Roman consultant he may or may not have hired for the film.

The Eagle was pretty good, worth seeing at least once. Kevin Macdonald in his directing style did a good job of making me flinch in battle scenes. He did a good job at hiking up my anxiety a notch or two and forcing me to lose my breath a bit when Aquila and Esca were in danger of drowning. In a few scenes, Aquila recovers from a battle wound and saves Esca's life in the arena. But how about telling us where our star is for crying out loud! They're not in Rome, but they're not in Britain either. I like using my imagination, but at times I felt my intelligence insulted by lazy storytelling that focuses on some good aspects, but definitely not all of them (leaving out where our characters are at times).

I'll look for a better Roman-era from you in the future if you so choose to make another, Kevin Macdonald. Overall, I liked your movie and its old world score, it's accurate weapons and its chase scenes ala Centurion. But unfortunately, The Eagle didn't make it off the ground as high as I would have liked.

I Spit On Your Grave (Ancient Rome Addition)

Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula is back in the news after 2,000 years.

How is that possible you might ask?

Lake Nemi, Italy

According to recent reports, a man was caught and arrested as he attempted to load a statue into his truck around Lake Nemi, just south of Rome. Commanded to do so, the man led police back to where he'd found the monument. One thing led to another and now the archaeological squad of the police believe the area to be the burial site of Caligula. And with good reason. The statue, made of rare Greek marble, is of a god (Caligula proclaimed himself a living god) sitting on a throne and wearing Roman caligae (sandal boots). The name Caligula is actually only a nickname, picked up during his childhood. Young Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus picked up the Caligula from his father's Germanic legions because he liked to wear caligae and full military attire around the encampments.

As I became all too excited when possible discovery of the tombs of Antony and Cleopatra came about, I will take the information about Caligula's with a grain of salt.

But a big, chunky, idonized one.


                                                                    Death of Germanicus by Nicolas Poussin

Caligula was declared insane by ancient historians and his contemporaries. His father, Germanicus, had been extremely popular among his legions along the Rhine River and the people of Rome. When he ascended to the Roman throne, Caligula was just as popular (though no one probably called him by his childish nickname out of fear for their life). He implemented popular reforms and began massive public works to better the Empire and to appease its people. He reigned for 4 short years, during which he fell gravely ill. He recovered only to turn the whole of Rome upside down with his tyrannical behavior. He made his horse a consul of Rome, he invited Venus into his bedroom at night to copulate with him, and he turned his royal palace into a public brothel. He, and regrettably his wife and infant daughter, were assassinated by his own Praetorian Guards in Rome.

But if he died in Rome and if all the images of him were supposedly destroyed, why do we hear of his possible burial site at Lake Nemi?

Caligula had a royal palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, but he also had two villas - one of them at Lake Nemi. I would love to believe that his burial site has been discovered, and the location and description of the statue adds to the possibilities. But at the time of his death, Caligula was hated by the Senate and by his Praetorian Guard. It's said that the common people, never really in any real danger of his whimsical wrath, actually mourned him. In order for him to have even had a proper burial, he would have been revered or honored in some way. But the common people would not have buried him. He had no significant family left. His mother and father were long dead. He had his brother, Gemellus, murdered after Caligula became emperor. His German barbarian bodyguard unit could have buried him, but would they have known to do it at Lake Nemi? Could his uncle, Claudius, have buried him? I think Claudius feared his nephew more than revered him. And I think that whether or not this is actually the grave of Caligula remains to be seen. We'll have to see what Italian authorities and archaeologists have to say in the coming months. I'm excited by the possibilty, but also grounded in the fact that no one significant in Rome liked him enough to see to his proper burial.

Caligula is a name synonymous with murder and debauchery. He's the most infamous Roman emperor of all time, known for his decadence, whimsical madness, and his marriage to Rome's most promiscuous prostitute, Caesonia. There was a movie about made about him in 1979, a perpetual blood and sexfest featuring Playboy playmates in the cast. In 2005, director Gore Vidal made a faux movie trailer for a new Caligula film, featuring Courtney Love in a role-reversed portrayal of Caligula, Milla Jovovich as Caligula's sister Drusilla and Benicio Del Toro as Caligula's Praetorian Guard captain Macro. Just this year, an online game exclusive to Adultswim.com was developed, entitled "Viva Caligula! In Hell!" in which a shirtless but heavily-cloaked Cailgula attempts to foil the powers of the underworld - including Hitler, Stalin, and Attila the Hun. Caligula has become a novelty, no different from Cleopatra and her casinos and pinball machines. The picture at the top of this blog depicts an already murdered Caligula, the Praetorian who killed him, Gratus, declaring Claudius emperor in the immediate aftermath. This is of course the way it really happened, and knowing that, I find it amazing that Caligula has had such a massive affect on pop culture.