Decline of an Empire

Anyone who gets a film made should be commended, this, unfortunately, is where the compliments end.

The main fault in the film lies in the script. There is no narrative, the writer/director has essentially cobbled together a bunch of scenes in the hope that they will connect with each other with no real threat or drive for the characters. It is understandable why actors such as the late Peter O'Toole and Edward Fox would be attracted to such a piece, if they were given free reign they'd be munching at the scenery like a rabbit on a lettuce leaf. Yet, they're not. These actors are restrained and make for a dull viewing experience. Seeing actors of this calibre being given the opportunity letting rip is always a pleasure, the fact that they are not is a wasted opportunity.

Nicole Keniheart may look the part, but as a unifying presence for the whole story, she fails. There is nothing of interest to her, and the fate that falls on her doesn't have the emotional wallop that the Director was hoping for as we simply don't care for her. She has no character and as such we never truly connect with her. More could have been made of Katherine's affect on Rome and how she changed the lives of others as such it just feels as if her "followers" blindly accept that she is the second coming and go along with her.

On the whole the film is flat and the greatest crime of all: dull. Ridley Scott's latest film "Exodus" suffered from a similar problem, yet at least it had spectacle. Granted this is on a lower budget, but there was potential to do so much with the material but fails miserably. We don't care for the characters, we aren't drawn into the story and the script is risible. There is a great story to be told about this woman and the last days of the Roman Empire, but this is not that film.

On the plus side, it's in focus.

I have only given it 2 as Edward Fox is as splendid as always. The story jumps all over the place, it is historical nonesense and utterly confusing. Some of the acting is worse than dire and the direction is appalling. Peter o'toole is sadly wasted but even with a better script this would have been a film too many for him.

I can understand why this film was not given wider publicity - it is rubbish and you will be wasting your time watching it.

I found this film very interesting not for its apparent all male cast, but rather the strong female characters depicted. Nicole Keniheart as Saint Katherine is just beautiful, mesmerising. Where did she come from!? Empress Vita is strong, authoritative, and the Barbarian women are pretty fun, although pretty brutal at times. It goes without saying that Peter O'Toole and Edward Fox are great. Of course they are, they are Peter O'Toole and Edward Fox! I did find it confusing at times, but it didn't really deter too much from the overall enjoyment. I laughed out loud and cried, so I would recommend that you get comfy with tissues at hand, settle down and enjoy. Nicole Keniheart will be seen again for sure!

Within five minutes I had figured out that this film was made by a woman - a vanity project for the star. It screams feminism. The British warriors fighting the Romans in Northern England are all women, their men having been killed. They even have a token confident assertive black woman ship owner - what was she doing on Hadrian's wall? Katherine's writings are distributed by women couriers, and so on. I was expecting the current obligatory lesbian relationship, but might have missed it when I finally gave up pausing it to do something else and switched it off permanently. Apart from being incomprehensible plot wise, the dialog screamed out for dubbing. I had no problem with the written dialog, just - the - way - it - was - delivered. The leading lady who also produced, spoke in a stilted phonetic English that was excruciating to listen to. Dubbing the foreign actors in normal speed would have sped up the film 75%. OK she gets applause for trying, but the audience deserves better. I really thought I was watching a post war Italian sandals and toga epic.

My question, how did the female Mel Gibson get the funding for this vanity project? It was almost as bad, not quite, but almost, as the independent film about St. Theresa of Liseiux. This film did not even deserve to go straight to DVD, it should have gone into the trash can.

We now know who killed Peter O'Toole. It was Michael Redwood. Assault with a dead film. Inept at best, ham handed writing, lines delivered as if actors were zombies, and Mr. Redwood's claim to fame: music, so over the top as to give the listener instant diabetes. Plan 9 from Outer Space is better than this. Many cite Kineheart as the sole standout in this cast. They are wrong. Vacuous....maybe this is a zombie picture. Maybe Redwood is ahead of his time...Zombies From Rome...dunno. All I know is that I want my money back so I can buy a lobotomy and excise this dreck from my brain. I laugh at those in regard to this film who warn away the end spoilers...the end of this film is a blessing. It's only spoiled in its playing.