A strong film with moments of greatness but with problems as well.

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2004)

Any review of Troy must be necessarily long and complicated. It is one of those films that gets some things remarkably right and other things remarkably wrong. The result, imbalanced film-making and lengthy reviews.
The Cast:
Well, so far many have said this and I will add my voice to theirs: Brad Pitt??? Were they thinking? Pitt is a far better actor than most people criticizing this performance grant. But, this was not his performance. They tried harder to match body-type than Screen-Actor type and it hurt the film and Brad Pitt.
Orlando Bloom does a decent job but nothing close to what this kid is capable of. His acting is better than in LOTR and Pirates . . . so he's improving but, sadly, don't expect much from a Paris that comes off more pathetic than necessary
[Blame the script for this as well].
Brian Cox has a good performance but it is shadowed by the sheer brilliance of Peter O'Toole's job as the tragic king of Troy. Undoubtedly, O'Toole will land another Oscar Nod [Supporting of course] and he probably has his best chance of winning one in more than two decades. Eric Bana could surprise us with a
2nd Supporting Actor nod for Troy with a performance far better than many
anticipated. He captured the passion and reverence of Prince Hector in a way that shames most of the other cast members.
I can sum up the ladies of the cast in one word: Forgettable. None of the female characters stand up to their Male counter parts.
The Rest:
Cinematography is well done. Especially when one considers the Cinematographer was strapped with demands to make this film look like a marriage between Gladiator and LOTR. Wolfgang Petersen did a good job working with his Cinematographer to get, what in my opinion, are the best possible shots for the script in many areas.
Art Direction/Set Direction and Costume Design are well done. If you are a historian, archaeologist, or other purist prepare to be disappointed. The Costumes, while authentic looking, are authentic for other armies and other times. If accuracy is the issue, this stuff fails. If a unified wholistic image that is awe-inspiring in areas and captivating in others, then this stuff succeeds. In short, your degree of satisfaction is based on what degree of historical accuracy you are looking for.
Nothing special by way of the Script. Part of Pitt's and Orlando's failure is due to unremarkable lines and even awkward dialogue moments. Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, etc. all acceptable, even well done in areas but nothing so wonderful that we are talking multiple nominations for this film.
And, finally, the Score: James Horner is a great composer but this film's score is nothing more than a glue-job of pirated scores and themes. It is mainly influenced by Gladiator with echoes of even the Hercules/Zena t.v. series. Even more alarming is the direct cut of the main theme of Stargate for the final sequences of Troy and the burning of Achilles's body.
[On a historical accuracy note: There was a lot of Egyptian-like elements in the film. No doubt the use of the Stargate score meant to echo that.]
The Summation:
In short an enjoyable and well put together film. Serious issues in the script and the casting [more the fault of the casting director than the actors themselves] causes distinct problems. Definitely worth seeing once.
6.5/10