A very poor film

Rating: 3/10 (2 August 2005)

Like other reviewers have stated, there was a real desire to sit down and want to enjoy this epic. I really did. Honest. But the moment Colin Farrel opened his mouth and an explosion of Irish came out I knew then the ride was going to be pretty painful. And boy was it! I have no issue with the 'look' of the film. It is pleasing to the eye in terms of costume, location, battle scenes and the presence of the old great actors in all too short roles. But, and it is a big but, the dialogue! Whoever sanctioned the script by Stone/Kyle and Kalogridis should be shot! The script bears a resemblance to that parlour game where someone writes a sentence, hides it, passes it on to someone else for another sentence, hides it, passes it on.....and the resulting story is, well, need I say more? I can't get into the various arguments regarding the supposed sexuality issues, and how Stone was brave to tackle the topic, it matters very little when your ears are screaming for the dialogue to get real! No, when you have been spoilt with Gladiator and Troy, this is a very poor third.