Overlong, overstretched, over-hyped  yet Troy is somehow still entertaining.

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2004)

Rating: *** (out of *****)
On my way to writing this review, I was about to state that Brad Pitt is Troy's "Achilles" heel (boom, boom!) before I realised on reflection that he isn't really that bad as the Homeric warrior. His performance is actually quite typical of the film he stars in  when it's good, it's very good, but when it's not so good, it really drags. With a director like Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, In the Line of Fire) at the helm, perhaps we should've expected a little better.
That being said, Petersen has got most of his priorities right with this epic version of Homer's Iliad. The atmosphere and sets, for example, get few complaints from me, even though the Trojan capital, for me anyway, is unfortunately a little reminiscent of a set from The Return of the King. (That's not the only thing that will remind you of the Lord of the Rings in this film  two LotR alumni, Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean, have major roles.)
More on what the film does right and wrong later  I realise that I should bring you all up to speed with the story. (Homeric scholars, be warned  the original story's time period is shortened rather drastically.) Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), brother of the Greek conqueror Agamemnon (Brian Cox), loses his wife Helen (Diane Kruger) after she is persuaded away by the infatuation of Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom). As Paris's brother, Hector (Eric Bana) is only too aware, this damages an already uneasy alliance with the Greeks and thus war is declared on Troy. Aided by the warrior Achilles, the Greeks appear to have the upper hand.
But whose side are we on? That's a good question. In Troy, there's really no side we really feel like rooting for, as such. What we are actually doing is watching a legend unfold, even if it is not unfolding as well as it could have done.
As I've already stated, I have few arguments against the sets & atmosphere, and the same is true regarding the casting. Of special notice are Eric Bana, Peter O'Toole, Brian Cox, Sean Bean and Rose Byrne. Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger aren't as successful. I probably would have rated Bloom higher had Paris come across as less of a wuss. And yes, shades of Legolas resurface. To be fair to Bloom, I see all of this as more the fault of the writer. As for Kruger, I don't doubt that she's pretty, but she's just not radiant enough. On this evidence, the German newcomer is (I hate to say it) wooden. But again, I'll be fair. The script gives her terribly little to do.
Petersen and his crew don't handle certain sequences very well either. Poor editing in the battles renders them nearly insignificant in comparison to the one-on-one combat fights. (The one between Hector and Achilles is especially memorable.) The occasional bad dialogue is too easy to notice, and James Horner surely could have been a little more restrained with his score during the death scenes.
With less superfluous material, greater emphasis on Paris & Helen's development as a couple and a more consistent showing from Pitt, Troy could have been something really special. In the end it's no more than a solid summer epic. If that's all you want from it, you won't be disappointed  just don't expect it to live up to the hype.