I lost an hour and a half of my life watching this drivel. From poor directing, acting, confusing plot, lines that are beyond bad... I need to find a way to remove this "movie" from my memories. Two stars because I am in a generous mood.
70 Reviews
I wanted to like it
GeorgeWHAMMYBush12 May 2020
This movie is a subject matter I like so I gave it a shot but wow.
My biggest issue is Mickey Rourke. He fumbles through his lines while reading them off a teleprompter. He's wearing fake eye lashes on one eye and has manicured nails. He looks ridiculous.
The filmmakers must have really struggled with him. They had an idea in mind and they went for it. In many scenes the other actors give it their all which is why I gave this a 4.
The effects aren't great. I can forgive that. The action is okay. I can forgive that.
Mickey Rourke ruins the whole thing. He obviously can't even memorize a few lines now. I hope they didn't pay him too much. He clearly didn't prepare and was probably a nightmare to work with.
My biggest issue is Mickey Rourke. He fumbles through his lines while reading them off a teleprompter. He's wearing fake eye lashes on one eye and has manicured nails. He looks ridiculous.
The filmmakers must have really struggled with him. They had an idea in mind and they went for it. In many scenes the other actors give it their all which is why I gave this a 4.
The effects aren't great. I can forgive that. The action is okay. I can forgive that.
Mickey Rourke ruins the whole thing. He obviously can't even memorize a few lines now. I hope they didn't pay him too much. He clearly didn't prepare and was probably a nightmare to work with.
My god this was just...boring...painful.
XrayAtheist8 May 2020
Mickey Rourke routinely mispronounces name after name. Caligula becomes Caliglia. Parthians becomes Parthinians. And he mispronounces Paetus as Paiteus throughout THE ENTIRE FILM. Nobody took the time to correct him? Or is he just an unreachable knucklehead?
The special effects are cartoonish. The music is out of place. I don't think there are ever more than 4 people in a single scene at the same time in the entire film! The budget for this must have been less than the price of a fully loaded Hyundai Elantra. Some decent drone shots of cliff climbing. The main character obviously worked hard throughout the production. But...I cannot believe I spent $7.99 renting this. I should flagellate myself for this unforgivable mistake.
The special effects are cartoonish. The music is out of place. I don't think there are ever more than 4 people in a single scene at the same time in the entire film! The budget for this must have been less than the price of a fully loaded Hyundai Elantra. Some decent drone shots of cliff climbing. The main character obviously worked hard throughout the production. But...I cannot believe I spent $7.99 renting this. I should flagellate myself for this unforgivable mistake.
Sooooooo BaaaaaaaD!!
matthewjames-8938512 May 2020
Well, I literally set up an IMDB account to review this one movie. I hope it's the last time I feel compelled to do so. Here goes.
I'm genuinely shocked how bad it is. I kinda feel for some of the up and coming talent who will have this on their filmography.
I recommend just trying to watch 30mins but if you manage the whole thing without turning inside out in a succession of "This is Soooo Baaad!" Cringe Spasms then you're not paying much attention or you're dead..
The Climbing scene is a continuity nightmare I still can't figure out which mountain he's climbing..
The fight scenes are ridiculous
Mucky Rourke embarrasses himself with mispronunciations of Roman names..
I kept looking across the sofa at my girlfriend we both couldn't believe what was actually happening, she wanted to turn it off but I held her hand firmly in mine and look her in the eye and said "We can do this if we stick together we can make it through" ;)
This movie may get cult status as with all the lockdown going on people will be more inclined to take a dive into the unknown. Beware tho if you do, it will take you deep, deeper than you ever knew you could go..
I feel bad for hating on this as some people will actually have put some genuine effort into it, but it's just poorly directed.. Sorry José Stick to being a producer..
I still don't know what on Earth was going on maybe I should watch it again..
If you're with someone and you want them to dump you I'd whack this on and tell them it's you're favourite film of all time, whilst watching it keep reaffirming how great it is. It won be long before they leave you...
Anyways as they old saying goes "Can't knock a trier" or maybe you can in this case.
Enjoy:)
I'm genuinely shocked how bad it is. I kinda feel for some of the up and coming talent who will have this on their filmography.
I recommend just trying to watch 30mins but if you manage the whole thing without turning inside out in a succession of "This is Soooo Baaad!" Cringe Spasms then you're not paying much attention or you're dead..
The Climbing scene is a continuity nightmare I still can't figure out which mountain he's climbing..
The fight scenes are ridiculous
Mucky Rourke embarrasses himself with mispronunciations of Roman names..
I kept looking across the sofa at my girlfriend we both couldn't believe what was actually happening, she wanted to turn it off but I held her hand firmly in mine and look her in the eye and said "We can do this if we stick together we can make it through" ;)
This movie may get cult status as with all the lockdown going on people will be more inclined to take a dive into the unknown. Beware tho if you do, it will take you deep, deeper than you ever knew you could go..
I feel bad for hating on this as some people will actually have put some genuine effort into it, but it's just poorly directed.. Sorry José Stick to being a producer..
I still don't know what on Earth was going on maybe I should watch it again..
If you're with someone and you want them to dump you I'd whack this on and tell them it's you're favourite film of all time, whilst watching it keep reaffirming how great it is. It won be long before they leave you...
Anyways as they old saying goes "Can't knock a trier" or maybe you can in this case.
Enjoy:)
Representative
rzemph10 June 2020
This is quite simply unwatchable. The state of decline of Mickey Rourke, whose opening line is a pathetic mispronunciation of "Caligula" - "Caliglia," slurs Rourke - seems somehow to mirror the decline of the entire industry, perhaps of the country as a whole. What little of this I was able to sit through is bad in that grotesque way only a culture in the throes of total disintegration can produce.
If making an Historical Drama try researching history.
amiles7224 October 2020
Don't waste an hour and a half of your life!
npvarley9 May 2020
It's not often that I really criticise a movie, but this movie is utter dross.
From first minute to last, dross. Who thought it was a good idea to cast Mickey Rourke as a Roman general? He sounds like a punch-drunk Rocky doing an impersonation of Rod Steiger. Terrible casting.
The acting was as wooden as the trees in the Armenian forests. The editing and continuity were beyond bad. I mean, really, terrible. When the lead was scaling the cliffs, the continuity was all over the place. He was all over the rock face every 30 seconds, with the same sequence being reused several times, even though he'd moved on to a different section of the cliff just moments earlier.
The fight scenes were pathetic. The Asian woman cast as Rourke's mistress could hardly speak a word of English and mangled the lines badly.
The only one to come out of it with any credit was the actress playing Doria, the Armenian girl who helped the lead when he was lost in the mountains.
Seriously, don't waste your time.
From first minute to last, dross. Who thought it was a good idea to cast Mickey Rourke as a Roman general? He sounds like a punch-drunk Rocky doing an impersonation of Rod Steiger. Terrible casting.
The acting was as wooden as the trees in the Armenian forests. The editing and continuity were beyond bad. I mean, really, terrible. When the lead was scaling the cliffs, the continuity was all over the place. He was all over the rock face every 30 seconds, with the same sequence being reused several times, even though he'd moved on to a different section of the cliff just moments earlier.
The fight scenes were pathetic. The Asian woman cast as Rourke's mistress could hardly speak a word of English and mangled the lines badly.
The only one to come out of it with any credit was the actress playing Doria, the Armenian girl who helped the lead when he was lost in the mountains.
Seriously, don't waste your time.
Mickey Rourke phones it in again.
rago-522199 May 2020
Mister Rourke speaks in the beginning of the movie.
Mister Rourke speaks somewhere in the middle of the movie.
Mister Rourke speaks at the end of the movie.
you have seen this before.. former stars make an appearance and they glue it together as if they we're part of the movie and probably never met the cast.
" here.. say these lines and we will splice you into the movie so we can add your name to the cast and hope it draws paying customers.."
don't waste your time.
Reminds Me Of 1917
Fredtimbo11 May 2020
The script was solid, although it made me wonder if they used the equivalent of the f-word so often in Roman times.
It's misleading to headline Mickey Rourke, who is a great actor, for The Legion as he had relatively little screen time, and Bai Ling had even less than his. I also would have titled the film Noreno, the Roman soldier in which the movie was really about.
This movie will probably get panned partly because of its production value (e.g., low-quality CG effects work, a few undesirable shaky camera shots), but overall I liked it because of the story. It's kind of like 1917 but about the Roman Empire.
It's misleading to headline Mickey Rourke, who is a great actor, for The Legion as he had relatively little screen time, and Bai Ling had even less than his. I also would have titled the film Noreno, the Roman soldier in which the movie was really about.
This movie will probably get panned partly because of its production value (e.g., low-quality CG effects work, a few undesirable shaky camera shots), but overall I liked it because of the story. It's kind of like 1917 but about the Roman Empire.
My kingdom for a horse.......
refordgarry8 May 2020
Could've been good. Decent enough rescue story, 61-63 AD (Tacitus) about messenger trying to break through to Roman General Corbulo in Syria from Gen. Paetus, desperate after encirclement at mountainous Tigranocerta, Armenia. Bit like a small town repertory company trying to screen a Blockbuster. Not enough Dollars for a Horse. Would've given a 7 to see a famous reverse-arrow Parthian archer on camel-back. Must've been after they charged the White Walkers - right?
Terrible beyond words
tonybuckley-0139010 May 2020
Terrible
lukasgawelek10 May 2020
One of the worst movies I have seen in my entire life. M. Rourke look like a clown with artificial eyelashes and nails, Poor dialouge. Crap story. If wanted to watch beautiful scenery would instead go to Discovery Channel!
Seriously!!?
simondylanwright9 May 2020
Too boring to be a fun watch
phenomynouss15 September 2020
First to say, for a very low budget no-name film, I was highly impressed by the attention to detail in terms of historical accuracy. Set in the early Roman Empire during the reign of Nero, it depicts a legion being trapped in enemy territory in Armenia.
The main character is a Roman auxiliary, Noreno, originally from Hispania and he is sent on a mission by general Paetus to get a message to Corbulo to send his own legion to try to break them out.
Noreno is accompanied by another Hispanian auxiliary. Noreno is played by an Irish guy with a thick Irish accent but apparently this is explained in him being raised in Britannia for a long while. His Hispanian companion speaks Spanish (modern spanish).
As well, the Armenians are described as having support from the Parthians, and a large number of Scythian mercenaries. Impressively to me, much of the "bad guys" hunting after Noreno, due to being played by very european looking guys, are dressed and described as being Scythian. One of them even calls his superior "Saka", a name for a steppe tribe neighboring to the Scythians.
This attention to cultural detail is rather amazing overall, and it feels bad just how thoroughly wasted it is on such a boring film.
The low budget shows pretty hard in the scenes involving the Roman generals, but the majority of the film takes place in vast empty woods and hills, filmed somewhere in Spain or something. It feels a lot like some 80% of this film consisted of a film crew filming some guys hiking and swordfighting in the Spanish mountains.
Mickey Rourke is so completely disconnected from the film that it genuinely feels like his role was added after the fact and filmed months or even a year after the rest of the film was completed.
He plays his role surprisingly well as a disgruntled grizzled old general. Unfortunately his role is almost entirely him droning on ranting and raving at a bust of Nero, telling old soldiers' tales and the like.
As well, somewhat humorously, he proceeds to constantly mispronounce various names, such as turning "Parthians" into "Parthinians" and "Paetus" into "Patitius" or something. The fact that literally every other character in the film who speaks these names pronounces them properly either means no one cared enough to stop him and correct him or they were otherwise intimidated for some reason.
Further adding to the sense of disconnect in Mickey Rourke's scenes, near the end of the film he is abruptly contradicting everything he was ranting and yelling at a bust of Nero about, before being talked out of his bad decision by his Yuezhi mistress, played by Bai Ling for all of about 4 minutes.
On top of being boring, the film at some points seems to have been badly edited. At one point we're shown Noreno on his own, escaping some Scythians hunting him, and he runs into another Roman auxiliary scout. The next scene shows him at a campfire with this other Roman, and with a previously unmentioned Hispanian auxiliary (the spanish speaking guy). He then has a flashback of the Roman auxiliary scout and the Hispanian guy being killed in battle, despite them being alive and at the campfire with him.
Then Noreno is off on his own, with absolutely no mention of these other two with him, or of any battle that took place between him escaping the Scythians and making camp.
On top of all this, the biggest insult is that in a movie called "The Legion", at no point do we ever get to see the legion in question.
The main character is a Roman auxiliary, Noreno, originally from Hispania and he is sent on a mission by general Paetus to get a message to Corbulo to send his own legion to try to break them out.
Noreno is accompanied by another Hispanian auxiliary. Noreno is played by an Irish guy with a thick Irish accent but apparently this is explained in him being raised in Britannia for a long while. His Hispanian companion speaks Spanish (modern spanish).
As well, the Armenians are described as having support from the Parthians, and a large number of Scythian mercenaries. Impressively to me, much of the "bad guys" hunting after Noreno, due to being played by very european looking guys, are dressed and described as being Scythian. One of them even calls his superior "Saka", a name for a steppe tribe neighboring to the Scythians.
This attention to cultural detail is rather amazing overall, and it feels bad just how thoroughly wasted it is on such a boring film.
The low budget shows pretty hard in the scenes involving the Roman generals, but the majority of the film takes place in vast empty woods and hills, filmed somewhere in Spain or something. It feels a lot like some 80% of this film consisted of a film crew filming some guys hiking and swordfighting in the Spanish mountains.
Mickey Rourke is so completely disconnected from the film that it genuinely feels like his role was added after the fact and filmed months or even a year after the rest of the film was completed.
He plays his role surprisingly well as a disgruntled grizzled old general. Unfortunately his role is almost entirely him droning on ranting and raving at a bust of Nero, telling old soldiers' tales and the like.
As well, somewhat humorously, he proceeds to constantly mispronounce various names, such as turning "Parthians" into "Parthinians" and "Paetus" into "Patitius" or something. The fact that literally every other character in the film who speaks these names pronounces them properly either means no one cared enough to stop him and correct him or they were otherwise intimidated for some reason.
Further adding to the sense of disconnect in Mickey Rourke's scenes, near the end of the film he is abruptly contradicting everything he was ranting and yelling at a bust of Nero about, before being talked out of his bad decision by his Yuezhi mistress, played by Bai Ling for all of about 4 minutes.
On top of being boring, the film at some points seems to have been badly edited. At one point we're shown Noreno on his own, escaping some Scythians hunting him, and he runs into another Roman auxiliary scout. The next scene shows him at a campfire with this other Roman, and with a previously unmentioned Hispanian auxiliary (the spanish speaking guy). He then has a flashback of the Roman auxiliary scout and the Hispanian guy being killed in battle, despite them being alive and at the campfire with him.
Then Noreno is off on his own, with absolutely no mention of these other two with him, or of any battle that took place between him escaping the Scythians and making camp.
On top of all this, the biggest insult is that in a movie called "The Legion", at no point do we ever get to see the legion in question.
If there is a movie theatre in Hell
emgarb23 November 2020
For those of us who are going to Hell, this would be the only movie playing, over and over again.
If given the choice between watching this movie or getting the Covid, my mask would be off.
Stay away
Stay far away........,
Watching a fly on a wall would be more interseting.
tyrrellu10 May 2020
Really.....Lads....there is an hour and a half of my life i will not get back! and the girlfriends too and she even hit me over the head with the cushion when it was over for putting on the load of tripe! watching turf dry out in the bog would have been more interesting than that load of you know what....as the other comment said..painful well it sure was painful!
Dont get hit with a cushion! watch something else!
Dont get hit with a cushion! watch something else!
Sucks, sucks, sucks
kirkleylad7 September 2020
OMG, this was such a bad film. We stopped not even half way through as it was THAT bad. The soldier character is annoying, useless and well, seemingly inept. The rest is just irritatingly stupid. Save yourself 45 minutes (you won't get much farther) and don't even start watching!
B Grade at Best
stevewseeley20 September 2020
Got to be kidding me
rhaskell-3058223 November 2020
Worth a watch
d-ramseeey8 May 2020
Not to sure why this is rated so low but it isn't that bad. The special effects could be a little better so if you can look past that it's still worthy of renting it. Mickey Rourke who plays the main character was a real stand out also. Nice plot and the ending is pretty good.
Not bad
jamesxtreme8 May 2020
Well, maybe it's not the best survival movie that I've watched, it's low-budget, but it has some nice elements and I enjoyed it. The rhythm could have been improved a bit but I don't think that it's boring at all. Mickey is not in the best years of his career but he still manages to produce a good performance despite his striking make-up. Correct film in my opinion.
Nothing about this is good
threenotch7 June 2020
Script, is rambling incongruent overly simplified. Character development doesn't exist. It reaches for a great place but it is not in the vicinity of good. The jumping editing leaves one wondering just what they were attempting.
I hope every person in this gets better. Mickey won't thoughfor him I just wish peace and an ability to stay off screens.
Nope - this is a miss - boring
joeyford-5534221 May 2020
I am a huge Mickey Rourke fan. He needs to retire. I remember watching the commercial for this, just a monologue by Mr. Rourke; I was thinking that the actual movie must be better than that because it was muddled and he seemed drunk. Nope. the movie is just that bad. It spends most of the film showing a man hike through the woods. Sure, he's suppose to be on a mission to save a Roman Legion but still, it is a boring nature walk that shouldn't have taken 45 minutes. And Rourke seems to stumble through his scenes. The life-time of drugs and plastic surgery and boxing have taken away his ability to speak clearly. He suppose to be the ultimate warrior but he seems to have trouble walking across a room and sitting on a stool. The special effects are B-movie quality. This is just unwatchable. Sorry, MIckey.
A Joke
robert-troi-332-83402011 May 2020
A bloke running through the mountains!
And Mickey O'Rourke nice accent not!
It says this movie is based on real events I don't think so.
Rome was at war with Parthia and the general in charge was called Carbulo that is the only true things in this movie.
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