Good Effort!

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2004)

Being a fan of historical epics, I was naturally looking forward to Troy. However, having seen Gladiator a dozen times, I knew it would be hard work to surpass that masterpiece, and with respect, it doesn't. However, it is still a great epic, with strong performances and a flowing storyline. Eric Bana puts in a good performance as ever benevolent Hector, Prince of Troy; Brian Cox as the evil and over ambitious king Agamemnon; Orlando Bloom as Hector's foolish younger brother, Paris; and of course, Brad Pitt as the Adonis warlord Archilles. With so many characters, it's understandable that audiences might get lost unless they are familiar with Homer's Illiad. But the film still manages to provide a smooth storyline to Homer's account of the Trojan war, all be it, a Hollywood version, where the Gods are not involved at all. Added to that, the battle scenes are breathtaking and the fight scenes Eric and Brad provide deserve admiration for their athletic prowess. On the whole, it's hard to fault the film except, it's not as gritty as Gladiator, doesn't give the audience a feeling of being there, and unless audiences are familiar with the Trojan War, many may not see what a good effort it has been.