The Look of Love (2013)

Biopic of pornographer Paul Raymond starring Steve Coogan and directed by Michael Winterbottom. 

It’s told in flashback, giving an often (deliberately) rather depressing view of the seedy side of London from the 1960s to the 1980s. The film focuses on three of Raymond’s relationships: with his wife Jean (played by Anna Friel), with his girlfriend Fiona Richmond (Tamsin Egerton) and with his daughter Debbie (Imogen Poots). It’s implied that the father/daughter relationship was the most meaningful for both parties, and there’s a poignancy in how that unfolds – despite (or because of) the shabby details around how Raymond made his money.

Overall, while it’s expertly done – and Coogan is as watchable as ever – it's a bleak and oddly unrewarding affair.

Centurion (2010)

It’s 117 AD and a Roman centurion in Scotland (Michael Fassbender) has enraged the local Picts. When one of his men kills the Pict leader’s son, the Picts – led by a mute warrior savage called Etain (Olga Kurylenko) – vow to hunt down the remaining Romans.

It’s an exciting drama and the script is fine, but there’s an absurd amount of blood and gore to the point that it’s distracting and almost fetishistic. This also makes the film look trashier than it is.

As in Prometheus and Alien Covenant, Fassbender is strong in the main role and is the best thing about the film. I also liked the kindly witch (Imogen Poots) who cares for him.

The superior 2011 film The Eagle is set about 20 years later and could almost have been designed as a sequel.