Petersen takes a simple Homer poem, and constructs a film that is likely to sweep most viewers away, albeit with not as much passion as the Greeks.

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2011)

Historical action epics were the craze of the town in the early 2000s. Started by Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning Gladiator, many other directors followed suit to cash in on the trend. Most of them are failures (King Arthur, Alexander), while some suffer mixed results (Kingdom Of Heaven), but Troy surprisingly gives a good account of itself. Led by Wolfgang Petersen (of Das Boot fame), Troy is a solid motion picture that highly entertains. Apart from the visual spectacle, and the exciting battle sequences, it boasts a good-looking cast. Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom provide abundant male testosterone, but I suspect men weren't so vain at that time.
It's an expensive film, with lots of special effects integrated into live action shots. It sometimes feels 'computerized', but the effects are not badly done. It's a bit long, running at over 160 minutes, and gets a little sluggish at times as a result of the sketchy screenplay. Some may debate over the historical accuracy of Troy; I may suggest they go rent a documentary. Forget about accuracy, films (especially from Hollywood) don't really give a damn. Petersen takes a simple Homer poem, and constructs a film that is likely to sweep most viewers away, albeit with not as much passion as the Greeks.
GRADE: B (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved.