Troy is Worth a Watch in Spite of Flaws

Rating: 8/10 (29 September 2007)

'Troy''s best parts revolve around the showdown between the pragmatic Hector (Eric Bana) and the conflicted Achilles (Brad Pitt). Then they first meet, you can all but feel the adrenaline rush between them. The deal is, Orlando Bloom doesn't quite bring his portrayal of Paris to the level it deserves to be. Something is wrong if you can't take your eyes off the nipples of one of your main characters, as is shown when Paris and Helen (Diane Kruger) share their last night before Helen goes to Troy with Paris. Andromache (Saffron Burrows) is only featured in a handful of scenes but demonstrates quiet courage during the siege of Troy. Aeneas(Frankie Fitgerald) doesn't really belong here. Achilles trusts three people on his quest for immortality--Patroclus (the cute-as-a-button Garrett Hedlund), Myrmidon veteran Eudorus (the intense Vincent Regan), and Ithaca's King Odysseus(the charismatic Sean Bean). What sucks is Menalaus (Brendan Gleeson of 'Braveheart' fame) never really gets his revenge on Paris after their swordfight leads to Paris getting his butt kicked. Brian Cox's Agamemnon is hell-bent on completing his empire by conquest and consolidation of his rivals, but he's not a clearcut antagonist. I hink he hits the ideal mix of raw power and the will to win. Peter O'Toole is touching as the somewhat trusting King Priam, and his interactions are amazing. It's heart-wrenching to watch Priam's interaction with his sons and when he reunites with the captive Briseis(the feisty Rose Byrne)after facing down Achilles. I like Achilles's interactions with Odysseus the best because Odysseus is one of the few people who defends Achilles's best traits after Agamemnon decides he likes Briseis as well. He functions as a confidante who guides Achilles away from the edge of the proverbial cliff. Whereas Achilles is a fighting machine, Odysseus might be the original 'Cerebral Assassin.' The toy wooden animals are a mirror bookend--Hector's wooden lion and a Greek soldier's wooden horse--for the fate of Troy after the swordfight between Achilles and Hector out of vengeance for Patroclus's fate. Garrett Hedlund is literally a babyface who has no business picking up a spear and shield Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom weren't the best picks for Achilles and Paris aside from their sensual appeal. Achilles's liaison with Briseis does only a minimum of storyline advancement, and Paris comes across as a nervous 16-year-old kid on his first date. Does 'Troy' deserve its own sequel? I think it does, and it would be amazing to see Sean Bean's Odysseus in the sequel--nobody else should be considered for this multi-talented Ithacan monarch!