Great work of art and faithful to the spirit of the original works

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2009)

This movie had mediocre success in the USA, but did much better in the rest of the world. Anyone brought up exclusively on a diet of Hollywood will have difficulty in fully appreciating its artistry – my advice is, throw away your Hollywood lenses, and accept that this is something different. A superb work of art, with excellent battle scenes and special effects, and acting that varies from reasonable to very good indeed.
I have read many of the ancient sources about the Trojan War, and this film is faithful to them. Not entirely to the text (it re-works the Iliad considerably) but to the spirit of the ancient sources and of their characters. Also, many critics who so confidently denounce the "inaccuracies" of this film clearly haven't read the original stories. For example, Brad Pitt's retort: "If I was invulnerable, why would I bother carrying a shield?!" is correct (in the Iliad, Achilles is wounded in the arm during battle).
"Troy" can only be understood in light of the very-Greek concept of tragedy – of mortal men and women doomed by fate. The harsh truth, which many cannot accept, is that they cannot avoid their fate, indeed their only choice is the manner in which they will face it. When viewed in this light, Brad Pitt's performance particularly shines: Achilles understands this fundamental truth – he has seen the world for what it is, and accepted his place in it.
Sets, props and make-up are first class. The director has made a real effort to be faithful to how these men actually fought – horrible wounds are inflicted, armour is heavy, and the most important defence that any man carries is a shield. The duel between Achilles and Hector is very well done: These men duel with spears (many viewers will not be used to this, but sorry, in this era swords were only a last resort). And when Hector cops a spear in the shoulder, the fight is over – there is no "Its only a flesh wound" here.
Some critics complain that the Gods are written out of this story. I beg to differ: The Gods are present throughout, although we mostly only see the results of their actions, rather than get the direct view that Homer gave in the Iliad. Of all characters, Achilles is most aware of this: "I know more about the gods than your priests. I've seen them". Achilles, himself the son of a goddess (played in an excellent cameo by Julie Christie) sees behind the ritual, idols and temples to the reality: "The gods envy us because we are mortal. Everything we do is more beautiful because we are doomed". Hector, Briseis, Odysseus and Priam also show their acute awareness of the gods' control of mankind. The characters that least acknowledge the Gods' role in human life (Agamemnon, Paris and Helen) are also the most contemptible.
I cannot understand the inane critics who complain about this or that character from the Iliad being written out of the story, or having their parts shortened – the Iliad has a huge cast of characters and it is *not* possible to include more than a fraction of them in a 3-hour film. And, it is necessary that some characters be changed in order to fit a film of this size. Of the seven main characters:
Hector (Eric Bana) – Superbly acted. The true noble warrior. Briseis (Rose Byrne) – Remarkable stage presence. Byrne's only "problem" is that she is more alluring and attractive than Helen of Troy (Dianne Krueger) in all ways except sheer physicality. Priam (Peter O'Toole) – sound performance from an old stager. Conveys Priam's combination of moral ambivalence and tragic glory. Achilles (Brad Pitt) – I hate to admit it, but he's pretty good. His performance is boosted by working opposite three exceptional actors – Brian Cox, Rose Byrne and Peter O'Toole. Odysseus (Sean Bean) – most of the examples of Odysseus' cunning from the Iliad never get into the movie, so it is remarkable how "Mr Bean" still manages to convey his cunning and cleverness. Agamemnon (Brian Cox) – somewhat one-dimensional compared to the Iliad, but Cox as always does an excellent job. Paris (Orlando Bloom) – A shallow, snivelling, self-centred, rich boy who dodges his responsibilities; perfect character for Bloom! Helen (Dianne Krueger) – Most disappointing of all the main characters, Krueger is physically beautiful but lacks empathy and stage presence. She is easily overshadowed by Andromache (Saffron Burrows) and Briseis (Byrne).
One of the greats, 9 out of 10.