Good all round epic

Rating: Null/10 (12 June 2004)

This epic, the latest from director Wolfgang Peterson (Air Force One) tells the widely known tale of Prince Paris (the latest "pretty boy" Orlando Bloom, an actor whom has taken parts that only only require him to show his pretty face and do little to no acting) who seduces and steals Queen Helen (the beautiful and semi talented Diane Kreuger) from her husband, the powerful and tough King Meneleaus (Brendan Gleeson, in a convincing and good performance.) Menelaus goes to his brother, the greedy King Agammemnon (Brian Cox, in a hamming and brilliant performance), whom has conquered all of the kingdoms of Greece and orders them all to fight for him and his brother. In truth, Agammemnon uses this as an excuse to conqueror Troy, the only kingdom that has yet to pledge allegiance to him. However, to conqueror Troy, Agammemnon is told that he needs Achilles to fight for him. Achilles (in an amazing and brilliant performance by Brad Pitt) is the "mad dog or war", the greatest warrior alive who fights for his own glory, not the spoils of war or the greed of others. Fighting for Troy is Prince Hector( Eric Bana, in his best role to date), the elder brother of Paris and the best hope for the city of Troy. While this film has its flaws, it is still a great movie. The battle scenes are well made and realistic, especially the first one on the beaches of Troy. Peterson is at the top of his game and directs what could be the masterpiece of his career. He utilizes a great script and has picked actors whom, with the exception of Bloom, are at the top of their game. Bloom, it seems, is falling back on his pretty face and nothing else to do a good job in this film. Eric Bana, however, uses much more. As Prince Hector, he draws upon a courage and nobility that serve him very well in this film, showing his character as both a man of action and a decent person. Brad Pitt, however, delivers the role of the film, save for Peter O'Toole. As the arrogant and mighty Achilles, Pitt delivers a knockout performance. He delivers a rebelliousness and courage that is hard to tell when he stopped reading the script and started ad libbing. Peter O'Toole delivers an awesome performance as the wise and noble King Priam, guardian of the city of Troy. Watch for an Oscar nomination from him in this film. Kudos also goes to Sean Bean, whom delivers an awesome performance as the cool and loyal friend to Achilles, King Odysseys. Sean Bean distances himself from the villains he has played in films such as "Goldeneye" and "Patriot Games", and proves that he is capable of both leading man and character parts. However, the film does have its flaws. Aside from Bloom's acting and some slow moments, the film is enjoyable and worth your money. Bottom line, a good film carried by good performances.