Spectacular battle scenes dwarf the human drama...Brad Pitt miscast...

Rating: 7/10 (11 August 2007)

The biggest flaw in TROY is that BRAD PITT, while looking more buff than ever and obviously having trained for the battle scenes with a personal trainer, is a disappointment as Achilles. He pouts his way through the entire role like a petulant child rather than a mature man who wants his name to down in history as a great warrior.
When pitted against an acting giant like PETER O'TOOLE his lack of charisma in the role shows badly. Furthermore, he's simply miscast. The film needed someone who could give gravitas to the role. In old Hollywood, it's the sort of part that would have been ideal for someone like GARY COOPER.
Everyone else fares a lot better. ERIC BANA, PETER O'TOOLE and SEAN BEAN are excellent, while ORLANDO BLOOM struggles to make the role of Paris come alive. He's at a disadvantage every time he shares a scene with his brother, ERIC BANA, as Hector. Bana gives the kind of intense performance that Brad Pitt never achieves. Nor does DIANE KRUGER bring more than a beautiful face to the role of Helen of Troy.
But the film itself is glorious to watch. There's spectacle galore for each huge battle scene and some of the human conflicts are well staged, although most of them seem dwarfed by all the lavish sets and costumes. There's stunning realism to all the battle scenes but the highlight is the way Bana and Pitt fight a duel to the death.
James Horner has composed a marvelous score, full of exotic color and adding a lot of texture to the overall drama.
The cinematography is gorgeous, especially all of the outdoor shots showing the vast landscape populated by a vast army (thanks to CGI) and the fleet of Trojan ships nearing shore.
Summing up: Enjoyable view of ancient times, but purists will object to all the changes made in "The Illiad" on which it's loosely based. Fans of action films will get their money's worth.