I am on the fence with this movie...

Rating: Null/10 (17 May 2004)

"I've fought many wars in my time. Some I've fought for land, some for power, some for glory. I suppose fighting for love makes more sense than all the rest."
***
Well, I'm on the fence with this one. Despite some egregious liberties taken with the classic poem, 'Troy' is still inspired by one of the greatest stories ever told. I suppose I can forgive the inconsistencies with Homer's "The Illiad" and try my best to focus on the film version which comes with a production cost of $200 million. As with all of these obscenely priced blockbuster movies, one expects and demands lavish sets, seamless special effects and extraordinary action sequences. In addition, one hopes to have a quality cast delivering passable dialogue. In the case of Wolfgang Peterson's 'Troy', he succeeds in some regards and fails in others, leaving me torn between a mild recommendation and a marginal failing grade. I hope by the end of this review I will be able to make up my mind.
Almost everyone is familiar with the story. Helen of Sparta (Diane Kruger) is stolen away from her husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) by Paris of Troy.
In an act of desperate revenge, Menelaus seeks the help of his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), who controls the armies of Greece. Together, they launch a thousand ships across the Aegean Sea to attack the impenetrable city of Troy in hopes of recapturing Helen and exacting revenge on those who betrayed them. Their chief warrior is Achilles (Brad Pitt), a god-like man who wins wars by himself if need be. In their final attempt at destroying Troy, they create a gift to the Gods in the form of a gigantic wooden horse.
The Trojan people bring it inside the gates of Troy unaware of its deadly contents.
There are some other twists, turns and plot threads along the way in this 165 minute epic. Hector (Eric Bana), brother to Paris, is the leader of the Trojan army and is the father of a newborn infant boy. Briseis (Rose Byrne) is cousin to the Trojan brothers and is captured by the Greeks. In this adaptation, she is protected from the soldiers by Achilles and they fall in love on the eve of war. Odysseus (Sean Bean) is the messenger between Achilles and Agamemnon, who do not get along at all. He is also the one who devises the Trojan horse plan.
Where to start? The ancient story is beyond criticism. I love the idea that the greatest war ever fought was for the love of one woman... the most beautiful woman who ever lived. I have no complaints with the premise of the film.
The fight sequences are also laudable. This is especially true of the one on one battles. I really liked the way the camera flowed around the fights, never confusing us with lightening quick edits and extreme close-ups. I really felt like I was fully aware of the action at all times. The full army sequences were typically grand to behold and quite spectacular, even though this CGI army routine is getting rather tired. Every film that comes out seems to want to top the previous one in terms of scale. The armies in this film even seem to dwarf those seen in the Lord of the Rings flicks.
However, despite the great story and the incredible action, this film fails in far too many areas to be considered a triumphant success. Although I appreciated the efforts of Eric Bana, Rose Byrne, Sean Bean and Brendan Gleeson, there are a few actors in this film that are truly awful. Most notably among them is Orlando Bloom, who is shockingly embarrassing as Paris. Every belabored twitch that Bloom tries to pass off as acting is cringe inducing. He imbues his character with the depth of a wading pool. It is one of the worst performances in years. I was also thoroughly disappointed with Peter O'Toole, who does his best impression of a skeleton while overdoing virtually every facial expression. Brian Cox has been a tremendous character actor in recent years, but his portrayal of Agamemnon belongs in a Steven Seagal movie instead. Even Saffron Burrows, one of my favorite actresses, gives a weak effort as she chews the scenery with her minimal screen time as Hector's wife.
Brad Pitt handles a difficult task with a fine effort... although it may be in a losing cause. Much like Tom Cruise in 2003's 'The Last Samurai', he constantly struggles to overcome a very modern Southern California look while portraying a legendary warrior. I don't think Pitt gives a bad performance, but he may be too much of a pretty boy to pull this role off. Any viewer will have a hard time forgetting that it's Brad Pitt.
Another thankless task is bestowed upon Diane Kruger. Any time that any actress is called upon to play Helen of Troy, the primary requirement is to be stunningly beautiful. And while Kruger handles that with sublime ease, it is her dialogue that lets her down. Some of the lines that she has to utter are quite pathetic. In fact, most of the cast has to deal with unintentionally funny lines of dialogue. However, Diane Kruger is undoubtedly a move star. She has the perfect face and a flawless body to match. Add a little acting talent and a drive to make it in the business and she will be around for quite a while. Just ask Keira Knightley, who became the new Hollywood it girl with a similar resumé.
The great acting in this film comes from a select few. Sean Bean and Brendan Gleeson have small but notable roles that are played with supreme confidence. However, the two stand-outs are Eric Bana and Rose Byrne. Bana is magnificent as Hector, leader of the Trojan army. He exudes a presence on screen that dwarfed Bloom's and outshone Pitt's significantly. At no point while watching him on screen did I feel like he was out of place... he belongs in a film like this. Rose Byrne is my pick as the best thing to come out of this film. This Australian beauty reminds me of Monica Bellucci. Her minor role as Briseis may have been the most intriguing of the entire film. Her burgeoning relationship with Achilles was the one aspect of the movie that had me really riveted. I wanted to see that plot thread expanded upon. But in her limited screen time, Byrne was able to create a truly sympathetic character who felt more three-dimensional than the rest of the cast put together. I predict and hope that Rose Byrne will be a rising star in Hollywood over the next few years.
Two final little issues I must raise have to do with the set design and the score. I found the sets to be amazingly unrealistic given the budget of the film. Many of the buildings seemed obviously fake. I got the distinct impression that I was looking at painted styrofoam rather than actual rock and granite. There was no real weight or realism in the sets. And as for the score, which is the most under-appreciated aspect of film-making, well... it stunk. James Horner has orchestrated many movie masterpieces, but this was his most forgettable work ever. One expects chills to go down one's spine in a film like this. 'Troy' barely has a single memorable bar of music. I was very disappointed.
So... Have I made up my mind whether or not to offer a mild recommendation or a marginal failing grade? I am afraid I have to turn my thumb down on this one. It just didn't do enough to merit the price of admission. I came in hoping that this was going to be the blockbuster event of the Summer movie season. Instead, I left feeling underwhelmed despite a massive spectacle and a handful of quality performances. I've teetered back and forth in the few hours since seeing the film, and I concede that I may sway the other way in subsequent viewings, but for now I have to advise against a trip to see this adaptation of the classic tale.
***
TC Candler - Critical Mass Movie Reviews