Coulda Shoulda Wasn't

Rating: 6/10 (21 July 2006)

There is so much cinematic potential in the story of Alexander the Great - and almost none of it made it to the screen. Mythic/historical gems like the Gordian Knot, the siege of Tyre, and it's all left by the wayside in favor of over-emphasizing Alexander's bisexual nature. After about the fourth or fifth reference to this, I felt like saying "enough, we get it already." Despite how much was made of the cavalry charge, that scene, along with many others, really felt as if Oliver Stone wasn't so much directing a new movie but borrowing heavily from others (Braveheart comes to mind rather readily, but there are similarities to many other films), and there were many other battles to choose from, much more pivotal and important, that would have also greatly added the character depth that was ultimately missing from this film. (I can't fault the actors for that, either, as blame rests solely on the people who made the decisions about what scenes went into the finished film.) For as ambitious as this film was supposed to be, it was quite a let down and again, that's as much from what was left out of the film as what was in it. As a gay/alternative lifestyle pride film, it works, and Colin Farrel's acting is grounded enough, but anyone looking for a solid historical epic should rent something else.