Eyes of a Roman

You have to hand it to the Director, CJ Goodwyn... to shoot a feature length, period epic set in ancient history, on an Indie budget but with a big budget feel.....in Texas!! Just incredible. Some great acting, notably from Les Best and the director himself and a real visual treat with the costumes and props. The musical score is excellent, giving the feel of movies such as Gladiator and of course the editing really sets this apart. As I said, this is an Indie film....not a Hollywood blockbuster, but it delivers in so many ways, you will not be disappointed. Can't wait to see what comes next from Trigoodwyn productions.

This movie has some fine attributes despite the low budget. The story, direction and cinematography were what I'd normally see in a higher budget film. The score was very nice as well.

Most of the historical context is fairly accurate and the costumes are fine. However the Parthians of Persia were not barbarians as we see here, they actually had a fairly advanced culture at that time.

Some of the actors were very good, some others less so. The one weakness of the movie is the casting - Crassus was only about 30 when Sulla marched on Rome, and about 40-42 when he won the final battle in the Spartacus slave revolt, so he should have been played by one of the younger actors in the movie.

CJ Goodwyn is an excellent writer and director, but not an impressive actor, so it would have been better if he had cast one of the other actors in the main role.

Overall, it's a good historical movie.

I wasn't sure what to expect when viewing this feature. A friend asked me to go with and although it's clearly an independent film, some things really made it worth watching.

I believe it was made to look older as it was a bit of a haze drab feel, some shadowed faces, but that part didn't bother me much for its era. The gentleman that played the evil Roman leader really knocked it out of the park, excellent actor. The young lady you see grow up in the film truly deserves an award for her performance, not a dry eye in the theater by the end. Although I liked the story, some parts were not as clear to me or left me wanting to see more of what happened.

You can see a lot of hard work went into this film. It shows from the wardrobe, to the fight scenes, in the music, and more. Definitely watch it until the end!

Eyes of a Roman is an impressive Indie film shot entirely in Texas on a shoestring budget. Charismatic Writer and Director, CJ Goodwyn, assembled a dynamic group of over 200 cast and crew who were passionate about the project, spending hours on physical training, rehearsal, and logistics. I met CJ several years ago and we have worked together on various projects. He is very dedicated to the craft and produces a high quality product.

The film has excellent visual impact with intense and realistic fight scenes. Worthy of Indie film awards, it has many salient nuggets for fans of the period. There were many memorable scenes with strong and moving performances depicting internal conflicts that are relevant today.

The musical score is stellar and serves as a superb backdrop with perfect placement. I was impressed with the wardrobe and weaponry, and can only imagine the coordination involved for such a large cast.

I am a fan of period pieces and will say that the film would have benefited from a bit more script editing and actor fine-tuning to include removal of dialogue and mannerisms not correct for the period.

This Texas film is sure to raise the eyebrows of Roman film fans. I'm excited to see more from Trigoodwyn Productions and CJ Goodwyn. Helmets off to the cast and crew for a job well done!

I've seen other feature films from Director CJ Goodwyn and thought the stories were really strong. This is his best work yet though. I hope to see him act more in the future. Les Best is such a freaking indie film star. He killed it with this role, unsurprisingly. I found myself studying the props- they were more realistic looking than I ever would have expected out of a modern day Texas filmmaker. Some green talent throughout but some real shining stars performance wise. I would recommend checking this film out to anyone who appreciates Roman storytelling and/or independent film. Enjoy some raw talent.