Quintus Dias And The Ninth Legion

The movie starts off in a snowy landscape where you see a Roman soldier, introduced as Quintus Dias, fleeing from Pictish Warriors that had captured him in a Roman fort raid. Just as Dias was found by the Pictish people, soldiers from the Ninth Legion saved him and took him in as a Roman soldier. The Ninth Legion had been sent out by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britannia, to get rid of Pictish threat and to help obtain favor with the Roman Senate. Etain, a Celtic Brigantian scout, was the female appointed, under General Titus Falvius Virilus, to guide the legion through battle with the Pict people. However, Etain betrays the legion by leading them to a Pict ambush where almost the entire legion is destroyed. The group of 7 that survived (including Quintus Dias) set out to rescue the General, who had been captured by the Picts.

After unsuccessful attempts to rescue the General, he is killed by Etain.

Because of almost getting killed by Etain and the Picts, the remaining survivors were weak and in need of shelter. They stumbled across a hut in the forest belonging to Arianne, a Pictish exile accused of witchcraft. She provides shelter and an ample amount of food & medical attention. After becoming fond of Arianne, Dias leads his men to an abandoned outpost where they defeat Etain and her warriors. Returning to the Romans as a victorious soldier, Agricola believes it is best that the fate of the Ninth Legion should stay a mystery. After killing Dias didn’t work, Dias flees and returns to his love,

Arianne.
Overall, the director did a very good job of blending what was historical fiction and truth. The Pict Tribe was more than just the “bad guys” in the story. For example, when the story of Etain’s childhood hardships was brought to the attention of all the viewers, its produced a sense of compassion for Etain. The suspenseful music was very effective in making situations intense and it kept the viewers at the edge of their seats. The amount of blood and detail made every battle scene seem more real than if it were clean. I found this movie very interesting and I would recommend it to others because it encouraged me to want to learn more about the mystery of the Ninth Legion.
One specific section I found very interesting in this movie was when Arianne blindly trusted the Roman soldiers and helped aide them into recovery. As a Pictish exile, she was not fond of the Pictish people, but she feared people that came across her hut. By convincing everyone she was a witch, Arianne avoided any visitors or potential danger. When she ran into Dias, she was accepting without much persuasion. I thought that was a form of foreshadowing to the ending because they end up being in love.
This movie left me with a look at how no matter what you do, you’ll always be looked at for something you did, no matter how much more good it did than bad. This movie followed the journey of the Ninth Legion while focusing on Quintus Dias and the lengths he went to just, so he could stay loyal to Rome. No matter how hard he tried, he became a fugitive instead of a savior. I would give this movie an A because it gave an accurate description of the historical events that happened before and during the Ninth Legion. It gave the viewers an opportunity to learn about the cruelties in the Roman system in the first century as well as what the Roman soldiers had to go through to gain respect and honor.