I love a great sword and sandal epic. I also love Neil Marshall so the combination of the two should have me giddy with excitement yet, after the release of the first still from a new production mixing the two doesn’t have me jumping with joy.
Centurion, written and directed by Marshall, tells the story of the Ninth Legion of the Roman Empire and their epic battle with the Picts. The film stars Dominic West, Michael Fassbender and Bond girl Olga Kurylenko as a Pict warrior woman.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Marshall can handle the material (his period segment in Doomsday (our review) is proof enough) but I’m not sure Kurylenko can pull off the warrior woman bit. Sure, she may look the part but I’m not convinced she has the ferocity to carry it off well and don’t be bringing up Keira Knightley in Fuqua’s King Arthur as proof that a Pict doesn’t need to be fierce – Knightley pulls off the role nicely thank you very much.
It’s too early to tell how this will turn out but Marshall’s track record is solid and though I’m not a fan of Kurylenko, Michael Fassbender has more than enough talent to carry the production. I can’t wait to see more photos and a trailer for the project which is schedule for release in July. I’m hopeful that it will not only surprise but also impress.
There’s no doubt that Olga Kurylenko is lovely. But I have to wonder, like you, if she can pull off the role of a Pict. I also wonder if she has the ferocity. And then there’s the problem of her nationality. Evidence suggests the Picts were pretty much Celts–they never really died out, just united with the invading Scots to become the modern day Scottish. The lovely Olga, on the other hand, is Ukrainian….