An epic story and a timeless human tragedy

Rating: 8/10 (17 August 2004)

I just saw this movies with some friends at the local cinema and draft house. Maybe it was the good beer or food, but I do like this movie.
The story was epic and tragic. It is an excellent and timeless story. It is vile and violent and gory, but then that is a battle. I thought Achilles was well played by Pitt. I think most people disliked the acting in this film, but I feel it was on the mark. Achillies is the ultimate warrior and lord. He bows to no kings and respects very few of them. He fights because he knows his name will live on and he feels he is above all. He is a better warrior and never met his match on the field. So he is arrogant and at times petty and his voice and actions reflect this. Yet he does find his match, not on the field, but in his tent with a maiden of the enemy and a King with no fear. Achilles heal is not his weak point - it was the realization that 'his king' the Greek King was the lesser of the two and Achillies was not above peace or love.
I would imagine this is the essence of the story and the movie captured this well. Although have not read the books (by Homer) I do like the fact that the producers shorted this war to a few weeks. I think was also the correct choice to have the 'gods' on the side. This makes the story that much more human and real.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD *** ;-)
I do think that the acting was good, yet they did not need a lot of acting... you could say it was a bit spartan ;-) I also had lots of Tolkien flashbacks. Of course Orlando Bloom as the masterful bow wielding Legolas and then as the masterful bow wielding Paris seems kind of odd, but then it does follow the story as I know it (both of them). I did not realize Michael Bean was playing a King of Greece or even in this movie. He kept saying brother ... and this was what was said in the extended version of the Two Towers. The movie also cut a lot from the book (much like Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings movies), though I do not think what was cut was important and in fact I think this did the story more justice for today's world.
As for my complaints - I did think some of the other Kings lines were a bit over done and underdeveloped. I do not remember any quotes, but then they were mostly forgettable or expected. They either hit the bar or lowered it. Maybe that is simply because the Greek kings were more warrior barbarians than the King of Troy? Or maybe they could have made the script and acting a bit better on the Greek side.
My final complaint is that they showed plenty of warrior cleavage - mostly Achilles. I realize that the Greeks and many of the ancients were proud of their bodies. They had little modesty and little reason to be modest. It seems odd, however that the women seem more modest than the men... so I think this would have been more realistic to show more of the ladies and women in the film. They hinted here and there, but it was barely a tease. The women were definitely 'supermodel' class with (it seems) few of the hangups and bad connotations. You could say one of the ladies started a war, yet this seems only as an excuse or pretext for invasion. Agamemnon thought he could take Troy - since he never lost before and he had the might of all of Greece...
As beautiful as Helen is in the picture, Hectors wife is more beautiful in different ways. Hector's cousin (Polydora) was the strongest of the bunch - this was mostly a man's war, but she nearly turned the tide and she fought when there was no hope and she fought for peace. This earned Achillies respect and eventually lead to his downfall. Maybe the lack of female cleavage was to keep the ratings where the producers wanted them, but it was a mistake for the movie. Clearly the women and men were both immodest and this should have been reflected :-).
In the end the Trojans lost because of their 'gods'. The princes of Troy advised wisely and correctly (both Hector and Paris) yet the King decided to take the course of this advisers and the 'will of the gods'. The greeks exploited these traits and won. So the Greeks won the war, but it was a costly victory - so costly they may lose their nation.
The story gets a 10 overall. It was not perfect, but I think they did better for our times. Homer had his times, he gets a 9 :) The cast was great - except all the Tolkein flashbacks ... so they get a 9. The acting was OK, better than I expected, but not as good as it could have been. That gets a 7.
Overall my weighted average is an 8.