Convoluted, but Nonetheless Entertaining

Rating: 5/10 (18 May 2004)

Troy, more aptly described as 'The Legend of Achilles' is an epic, action-packed film depicting the Trojan War (duh) and the Fall of Troy (since one couldn't get this from the title). Amidst the tanned, shirtless beauties (Bloom, Pitt, Bana), the lovely, extra-squwishy sound effects, the booming, patriotic music and the exquisitely volatile characters, the movie proves to be anything but drab. However, this can be either good or bad upon interpretation.
On an acting level, Troy holds its own; Brad Pitt as Achilles accurately plays an unsympathetic character quite literally born to kill, just as Orlando Bloom plays an immature, rash and otherwise pathetic (I'm not biased...) Paris to teeth-griding, fist-shaking degree. Eric Bana as Hector was moving in his honor and passion --character motivations were, for the most part, clear and aptly described. And while some of the roles (Helen) were complex-speech-impaired, I remained completely consumed, intensely involved and otherwise entertained for the whole of the movie.
So why aren't I rejoicing in the magic that is Hollywood's interpretation of Homer's epic? Simple. The film had too much conflicting emotion. The overall feeling of sympathy was pitted towards Troy in the first fifteen minutes, by depicting a) the Greek ruler Agamemenon (argh) as a heartless, sarcastic and overbearing King, b) casting good-looking boys like Bloom and Bana as Troy's leading men and c) putting just enough emphasis on Hector to make one feel much, much more sympathetic for him more than Achilles will ever muster. It was certainly disheartening for me to sit through the film's entirety waiting for my favorite characters to die.
But the conflict does not end there; certainly, while Achilles may be likable in his brutish, sullenly compassionate nature, I never got enough emotion from him (though this did not seem to be any fault of Pitt's). Indeed, he had just shifted from an almost entirely static character to showing some depth right before he (psuedo-spoiler) died. I question why, if Achilles is the hero (or anti-hero) and most certainly the main character, did the director gather such a sympathy for Troy which Achilles ultimately had a hand in destroying? The world will never know.
However, despite the obvious conflicts with the original tale (ten years into two weeks was a dramatic, but effective, theatrical choice), the somewhat convoluted emotional volleyball and the death of any and all characters worth living save one, the movie did please me in its intensity, drama and stark, but sweet, romance, and I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Not too bloody, not too sappy and certainly not too shabby, Troy was exactly what I expected it to be, no more and no less, stocked with thoughtful characters in an enticing look at Ancient Greece. And hey, if the story doesn't lead you in, the cast list definitely will.