Mursalin Khandaker
Centurion (2010) is an excellent historical (partly fictional) – thriller movie about the Roman Republic and it’s political and administration stature. Though the film is based on the clash between the Republic of Rome and English Isle – Scottish Gaelic (Pict) people, it generally gives us a picture of that time and the subjective point of view.
Michael Fassbender as Quintus Dias acted brilliantly and as to the mark. The system legion and its relation between the Senate and also the tension between the administration and the common soldiers, basically the social mindset is provided at best even it is recreated in the movie set.
History is a part of us, it is what we are, all the past events made us what we are now. Rome and its legions were known for its hierarchical system. They were always on expeditions and that caused them to war with Germanic tribes and the Other whom Romans called barbarians. In those encounters, many tribes would surrender and join the Rome and for meritocracy, they would eventually get into higher ranks in the legion. One of the greatest conspiracies was done in Germania at Emperor Augustus period by German prince Arminius (who was also a high ranking officer of the Roman legion) in 9AD at the battle of Teutoburg forest and the Romans lost it’s three legions with its commander and local governor Publius Quinctilius Varus. In the end, the command structure broke and nearly all of the legionaries were dead and some of them survived but the whereabouts of the two centurions and their men were unknown.
The movie Centurion (2010) gives us an opportunity to feel the condition of the common Roman soldier and hegemony that were dominant at that time. We highly suggest anyone whether as a viewer, critic of history or student to watch the movie to get an insight of that age. We will not spoil the story by discussing its plot as we already discussed much of Rome and one of its devastating battle with the Germanic tribes in Teutoburg forest.