Bullet Points: Age of Treason

Here’s a question I never asked myself… I wonder if Bryan Brown (F/X) and Matthias Hues (I Come in Peace) were ever in a movie together?

I got the answer to that unasked question anyway, when I recently sat down and watched the 1993 made for TV movie, Age of Treason…

• When In Rome: Bryan Brown plays Marcus Didius Falco, a private investigator in Ancient Rome. Brown’s Falco provides inner monologue narration through out the movie, because nothing screams Ancient Rome more than a guy with an Australian accent. But in order for the movie to be period specific, everybody would be speaking Latin, so that’s the type of thing you have to let slide. But what I will not let slide is the Welcome Back, Kotter-esque font that was used for the credits… if ever there was a time to use the default Times New Roman font this was it. But obviously Times Old Roman would have been the best option in this scenario.
• Your Rents Due Mother F#cker: In addition to being a private investigator, Falco has some degenerate gambler in him and his luck at the chariot races has not been too good as of late. This means he’s a little behind on his bills and as the movie opens Falco has made his way to the gladiator games where he hopes to collect from a Senator Garrus, who still owed him for some recent investigative work. And it is here that Falco first meets one of the most popular gladiators of them all, Justus (Matthias Hues, Fists of Iron), I say first because these two will be interacting again in the near future…

• His New Assignment: After his meeting with the Senator, Falco finds himself in another meeting with Helena (Amanda Pays, Parker Kane), which was the less problematic of his options at the time. Helena wants to hire Falco to find her younger brother, Cato, who has gone missing… a strange request since Helena is well connected, with her husband Pertinax (Art Malik, True Lies) being a high ranking official in the Roman Empire… but Falco needs the cash so he does not put up that much of a fight. Falco is also about to get a partner to work with… in lieu of actual payment, Senator Garrus has signed over the contract of Justus to Falco.
• Murder Mystery: Falco and Justus do track down Cato… unfortunately for Helena, they find him in the Valley of Death… and suddenly Falco’s missing persons case becomes a murder investigation. An investigation that leads Falco, his family and friends to a snake worshipping cult, an uneasy alliance with the Roman Army and uncovering a plot to assassinate Caesar!

Maybe it was low expectations, maybe it was the fact that I have never read the Lindsey Davis books about Marcus Didius Falco, but I found myself enjoying Age of Treason.

Bryan Brown was great as Falco, but Matthias Hues was the highlight for me. I say this not only because Matthias brought the action content with his fights in the Colosseum, but because Age of Treason gave Matthias a chance to be more than a one dimensional villain… here he was on the side of good, playing a man of honor, conveying emotion like a real actor! I would not have expected that from Matthias in a movie released in 1993, but it happened.

Not including some Bonus Bullet Points may or may not be considered treasonous, so I’ll play it safe and share some with you right now…

• If You Ever: …wanted to see Matthias Hues be deflowered by a woman gladiator, then Age of Treason is the movie for you. And if you wanted to read about Matthias’ actual deflowering pick up his book Shirtless in Hollywood.
• Confusing Quote: “One of them is big enough to stand across the harbor and pee all the way to the palace.”
• Familiar Face: Senator Garrus was played by William Hootkins in a dandy of a role. Hootkins has been in some of the biggest blockbusters in movie history including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Batman, but he deserves a tip of the hat for not letting that go to his head and still taking roles in movies like Age of Treason, Hardware and The Breed.
• Slut Shaming Quote: “I’d wager they all got to occupy you!” – Senator Garrus to his wife
• So Long and Good Night: The movie ends with Helena paying Falco a visit, if you know what I mean.