'The Illiad' might have been twisted, but the movie is very good.

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2004)

I have always been interested in mythology, and when I heard of 'Troy' I was happy and found the wait long and restless. 'Troy' doesn't delete anything from the plot of the source material; just adds to the plot to make the movie an epic. It has been successful in keeping my attention during a 165-minute marathon.
Brad Pitt fits Achilles in my imagination, but that's only after I found out he would play the famous Greek warrior. Eric Bana does all an actor can do to portray Hector, and Orlando Bloom does the same with Paris. However, I can't imagine them as brothers, nor the king of Troy (Peter O'Toole) as their father. Despite these shortcomings, the trio of sons and father all play great parts.
Diane Kruger was believable as Helen, and I have no complaints. Agamemnon (Brian Cox) is an unlikable character, but the acting is in no way below par. In fact, it's an achievement to make him unlikable, as that is what 'Troy' asks for. Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus, Agamemnon's equally unlikable brother, also succeeds, as the role asks for him to be unpleasant later in the movie.
Briseis (Rose Byrne) falls in love with Achilles, and this is another of the additions to 'Troy'. I don't know if the filmmakers meant for it to be an interesting part of the story or just to make it longer, or if they were taking a chance to get a truckload of money by showing Pitt naked. It is somewhat interesting, though the movie would have fared well without it (although the Pitt scene might have pushed it a bit higher).

The battle scenes are exciting and action-packed. None of the battles disappoint, one-on-one or the mass collision of armies. In the Hector-Achilles duel, it was the actors themselves mock-fighting, but every blow was aimed to kill. There was no harmless clash of swords or spear upon shield. Every strike was meant to impale you or lop your head off, and I was glad they agreed to make it that way. The Paris-Menelaus battle is also good, though the ending was not to my liking. The army scenes are all great, boasting some spectacular camera angles.
'Troy' is one of a trio of historical movies coming out this summer, but both 'King Arthur' and 'Alexander' will find it hard to beat 'Troy'. The movie is flawed little, and triumphs much.