Who has read the Illiad?

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2004)

Troy.
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen 163 min.
Who has read the Illiad?
Not many people in current viewing audiences I imagine. I have had two botched attempts in high school and a recent skimming that left me with residual cerebral numbing. It doesn't surprise, though it is a fantastic story, it was written for an audience who's great, great grand children are still complete strangers to our modern society. So to convey such a epic it seems only logical that it be presented to a new generation (millennium for that matter) in film.

I'm always a little hesitant when it comes to film epics. Some do hold the majesty and literary integrity that we associate with Greek, Egyptian or biblical legends. (E.g.- The Ten Commandments) Some boldly fall flat on their bushy bearded, porcelain faces.

Troy is a move in between that.
Wolfgang Peterson has directed many enjoyable films (Most notably 1985's `Enemy Mine'.) More interested in story and character development than on gratuitous violence, this formula is not lost here.
Not bowing to a studios typical `Renny Harlin' bankable style Peterson manages to bring a steady if not slightly light handed approach. Large battle scenes start out in truly epic form but reveal the sad reality of ancient warfare. Brutal, bloody and slow. Smaller scale battles (E.g. the Myrmidon assault on the beach of Troy) and individual fight scenes are choreographed and filmed to perfection.

Brad Pitt is never quite convincing as Achilles. Aesthetically and athletically perfect he seems to lack the necessary depth necessary for his character. No doubt a casting decision based on box office cred, of which Pitt has in spades.
Pitt's performance is offset by the work of Eric Bana in the role of Hector. Bana's performance outshines even Brian Cox (Agamemnon) and Peter O'Tool (Priam) He doesn't suffer fools except for when the fool is his king and father. Tactical judgements are left in the hands of astrologers. And Priam is, to Hectors chagrin, all to willing to listen.

Loyal and skilled we see Hector as a man who would rather stay at home and raise his family than go to war. Torn between his love for his brother and the safety of Troy he sees through Agamemnon's plot to use the abduction of Helen as an excuse to invade Troy and control all of the Aegean.

Troy has some huge literary flaws that somehow, do not detract from the finished product. For one Hector does not kill Memelaus. After the ten year war (which feels like 10 minutes in this movie) Memelaus confronts Helen. He intends to murder her but is captivated by her naked beauty and she is spared.
The most interesting is Achilles is killed, by Paris, but before the Trojan Horse is brought into the city.
You can kill of Achilles early , but you bloody well can't kill of Pitt to soon.
The score is nice but a little to reminiscent of `Gladiator'

Troy is not a bad movie but not a particularly good one either. Promising much and delivering little the big screen offers little in spectacle. Be patient, wait for the DVD so you can view those well defined abs over and over while bypassing the tangled romance scenes that leave you longing for the arrival of the horse.

2 d*@#s up! (Out of five)
Go to the movies!
TheFlickDick@hotmail.com