In their latest DVD release, Celador Films brings you Centurion, a tale of Romans versus Celts in their raging wars of the early first century.

Set in the year 117AD, Centurion follows the story of the 119th Roman garrison stationed in Northern Britain and their attempts to contain a tribe of rebel Celts. After the outpost is destroyed in an attack by the Picts, the rebels hunted by the garrison, a splinter cell of seven soldiers who have survived the attack, led by the centurion Quintas Dias, continue in their attempts to contain the rebels although they find themselves becoming the prey more often than not. Aside from fending off wolves, starvation and the blistering cold of the Scottish highlands, the men find that, in order to bring down the Picts, they must first destroy their leader, Etain.

Etain has an animalistic hatred towards the Romans, for when she was a child, she witnessed her parents butchered by Roman soldiers, who then rendered Etain mute by brutally cutting out her tongue. From that point on Etain was raised and trained by the Picts to become a brutal killer set only on revenge against the Romans. As the surviving group dwindles they happen upon Arianne, a supposed witch living in exile, who provides the three survivors with food, shelter and tends to their wounds. The story continues to the inevitable bloody and brutal duel between Etain and Quintas bringing the story to its resolution.

The casting of Centurion is one of the film's strong points. Michael Fassbender takes the lead role as Quintas Dias, the Roman centurion, backed up by David Morrissey as Bothos and J.J. Feild as Thax, the other Romans in Quintas' splinter cell. The female lead Etain is played by none other than most recent "Bond girl" Olga Kurylenko who convincingly plays the victim set on revenge. Also appearing in the film are Dominic West as the Roman general and Imogen Poots as Arianne.

The DVD does contain an impressive number of special features including a feature commentary with director Neil Marshall, a behind the scenes special, deleted scenes, b-roll and outtakes. In the vein of the many movie incarnations of the King Arthur stories with its undertones of British patriotism and bitterness towards the Roman empire, Centurion is very ambiguous in that you're not entirely sure whether to sympathize with the Romans or the Picts. The pacing and ultra-modern editing techniques used in the movie give it a contemporary feel in an otherwise very dated film. This heightens the sense of adventure and suspense while watching the story of a battle wherein everyone is aware of the outcome of the war. Centurion is overall a solid DVD worth a watch, although it feels generic and nothing about it particularly stands out.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars