Battles, sword fights, and more.

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2004)

A film always reflects the attitudes of the period in which it was made, and in which it is viewed. Troy is no exception. Whether or not the Trojan war really happened does not matter: given man's need for periodic bloodletting it is more than likely. One cannot help but draw parallels and comparisons with the current times - a war fought on a flimsy pretext to cover the real reason - extending power and a show of force. Agamemnon, having consolidated the Greek states into a coalition with himself as King, is determined to grab rich Troy and show them who is the boss. It is more interesting to watch a tale of times when Kings were warriors who had to fight for their kingdoms and lead their armies into battle, rather than the war being fought from comfortable offices thousands of miles away by men who have never seen action. The saber rattling is the same.

The story is taken from Homer's epic poem of the Greek armada sailing across the Aegean Sea to attack the city state of Troy, on the pretext of avenging the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta by the young Prince Paris of Troy. At the end of a long 10-year siege, the Greeks gained entry into Troy by means of the wooden horse and sacked the City.
In the film version, the siege lasts about 2 weeks. Combatants agree to call it a day and go home at sundown, Achilles is a conceited bisexual thug, Paris needs to be sent off to his room (after a cold shower), and Agamemnon needs to take Pepto Bismol. Helen, the older woman, tries the "my husband doesn't understand me" on young Paris, who falls for it with disastrous consequences, he certainly wasn't thinking with his head, and decent doomed Hector gets stuck with the damage control. They don't call it Greek tragedy for nothing!
The film is an enjoyable way to spend a hot afternoon in an air-conditioned cinema. There are lots of sword fights and combat scenes . The films has a very nice `look'. Interiors are dark and candlelit, exteriors are lit with the brilliant light of the Mediterranean. The colors are lovely, especially the use of the various blue/green shades of the sea in clothes and jewelry. Why they had to depict Troy as being in a sandy desert was puzzling, as the excavations of Troy show it to be located in a green and pleasant pastureland.
Accepting the fact that the 10-year siege had to be was compressed into 2 1/2 hours, my only problem was with the some of the casting. Ms. Kruger, as Helen of Troy was totally wooden; notwithstanding that she wasnt given much to do, any one of a thousand actresses could have made something out of the role. They could have substituted a mannequin for free. Eric Bama who was outstanding as the noble Hector, would have been more interesting had the roles of Achilles and Hector been switched, with Eric Bama playing Achilles. I feel that it is a mistake to combine venerable British actors with American `film stars' as the two have different and not always compatible acting styles. This was obvious in the scene where Peter O'Toole, playing the old King Priam, comes to the tent of Achilles to plead for the return of Hector's body after it has been dragged to the Greek camp behind Achilles chariot. Brad Pitt handled the scene very well, but was completely upstaged by Peter O'Tooles more theatrical style. Troy is an epic film which demands the more grandiose theatrical style of the British actors, as was very evident in Brian Cox's stealing every scene as Agamemnon.