Nearly as awesome as Alexander.

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 2004)

Ever since I read "The Persian Boy" in my teens, I have had an incomparable feeling for Alexander. There was this insatiable need to know all there was to know about Alexander, the Great. Renault did his life justice when she wrote about him in her trilogy ... and after seeing Stone's movie, I believe that he, too, has done his very best in being faithful to the character of one of the greatest of men who ever lived!
I think that each character in the movie was very well cast! Jolie was a brilliant Olympias, Kilmer WAS Philip!!! Frankly, Farell would not have been my first choice as Alexander, but he carries off the role with a great deal of responsibility - and a flair that can be seen in -not all but - some scenes. Like the scene with his mother after the assassination of his father! It is a well-grafted scene - but Jolie has outdone herself!
Stone has used a lot of salient facts within the movie and THANKFULLY, Alexander's love for Hephaistion has been depicted as it truly was in the annals of history! Unlike the hideous distortion of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in Troy, the relationship between Alexander and Hephaistion retains its originality! Stone has shown his utter conviction to keep with the truth of history and even shown the relationship between Alexander and his Persian slave, Bogoas. The topic of which was the central theme in Renault's "The Persian Boy".
Troy seems like a complete farce when compared to this movie!
The plot moves at a steady pace and Stone knows just what factors should be engaged in the depiction of the biographical sketch and what factors should be left out. The story of how he tamed the beautiful and spirited Bucephalus, a horse that no one dared to touch or ride is skillfully shown as well as the fact of how this famous steed carried him as far as India, where it died! And then again, his sacking of Thebes has been neglected in the storyline.
His annexation of Persia and the battle of Arbela - also known as the battle of Gaugamela - is the highlight of the movie. Though I was saddened about the exclusion of his victory over Tyre which is considered to be his greatest military achievement.
Despite the fact that this genre of biographical moviedom caters to the valor and the zeal portrayed by one of the greatest heros that ever lived, there is the infusion of a softness, of aspects of love and of devotion. There is the love between Hephaistion and Alexander, the devotion of Bogoas towards Alexander, and the love-hate relationship between Roxane and Alexander!
As I saw the final scenes of Alexander hallucinating in the final stages of malaria, his anguish bound to the ring Hephaistion had given him, I mentally saluted Oliver Stone for creating this movie. For years I have wondered what a movie on Alexander would be like - if it would retain the truth of who and what the man behind the warrior was - and frankly I am very glad that Stone's vision was not too far from mine. I highly recommend this movie to all those who want to know what sort of a person Alexander was - for this is a faithful description.
Hats off to you, Mr Stone!