Alexander's closet

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2004)

Alexander (***½ out of five)
Warner Brothers presents a film directed and produced by Oliver Stone and written by Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle & Laeta Kalogridis. Music by Vangelis. Running time: 170 minutes. Rated K15. Starring Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Val Kilmer.
Oliver Stone's Alexander awakens mixed feelings, as it's a magnificent story about Alexander The Great (Farrell) with an off-the-track cast but Stone fails to deliver the answer to what he is asking from us. The question he presents in the film is how Alexander became the Great but the answer we get is actually what made him want to be the Great. Contradicting his own material isn't a good sign but in the end, I must say, Alexander is a decent epic story of a history's greatest legend.
Alexander the Great is known as one of the greatest military leaders, who by the age of 25 had conquered the known world. Alexander had a twisted relationship with his mother, Queen Olympias, (Jolie) who loved her son more than anything else in this world and hated her husband, Phillip (Kilmer), and Alexander's father more than anyone else in the world. To Olympias Alexander is the son of Zeus and Philip is a rapist barbarian. Her life depends on the greatness of her son.
Alexander was raised in the middle of the stormy relationship of his parents but was able to rely on his best friend, Hephaistion (Leto) who was his companion and a lover in his life and during his conquests. Alexander built an army and an empire more stronger, vast and powerful than any other, while other army commanders became an object of mistrust for Alexander and it was them who fought for power after Alexander's mysterious death at the age of 32. The empire he so passionately had built collapsed because his dreams were bigger than it was possible to realize.
What Stone has directed is a history lesson of thee hours length and does not look to entertain the audience but embodies Stone's point of view on the subject matter. We can praise Stone for taking the project seriously but there is and obvious flaw that Stone has not understood. Instead of trying to cover the whole life of Alexander, he should have taken a more limited perspective on the conqueror's life. This would give more space to understand Alexander and not build his life and character on the narratives by Ptolemy (Hopkins). What we want is to see, not to hear.
The story has a focus on the young leader's journeys across Asia with few well realized battle- scenes. Troy was a good example of awfully boring battles that didn't really have any emotional attatchments - and even lesser blood. Exactly, Stone's film isn't about handsome hunks entering a bloodless war zone  even when people are brutally killed - without actually being injured. Alexander is more violent than the epics (LOTR, Troy, King Arthur) we've seen lately, and it fits perfectly here. The unfortunate side of the less-is-more on the war-aspect, is that we don't really get to see his abilities as a leader and a strategist, or a politic. Stone indeed doesn't realize to include the most important aspects of his superiority.
But if you think of this film being about what made him want to be the leader of the world, then you'll be pleased. Alexander's desires are a result of his relationships with those who he loves, and
well, doesn't love. Angelina Jolie shows her teeth as the vicious Olympias, after a string of disappointing performances in the past two years. The scenes between Jolie are Farrell are powerful as they are electric. Val Kilmer is the pleasant surprise as the barbaric father of Alexander, who has more vast look at the world around them. But Farrell himself doesn't have the qualities of a great legend but thankfully the cast surround him works so greatly. And what would the film be without Vangelis, whose orchestral score is pompous but the eastern melodies (Roxane's Veil with Vanessa-Mae !) are the secret ingredients making the food even more delicious.
The Stone-directed epic has some big flaws but the journey we experience is worth seeing at, and at best Alexander is great and at worst just decent but never boring or bad. The cast (except for Farrell) offer worthy performances. One disappointment is the lack of daring scenes between the lovers Alexander and Hephaistion. Sure there's plenty of homoerotic scenes, which is unusual for a big-budget epic but Stone hasn't had the courage to show them even kiss when the pair frankly demands for it! Alexander certainly isn't the usual package you'd expect and that's why it's so interesting. Greek culture is served with a golden plate and the drinks are ice cold!