Crouching Trojan, Hidden Greek

Rating: 4/10 (18 May 2004)

My fear is the younger generation that will undoubtedly throng to see this film will come away thinking it's an accurate depiction of Homer's epic poem.
Wolfgang Petersen, whose films I usually enjoy, has made a swords-and-sandals picture, along with all the conventions that come with that genre.
"Troy" is the second blockbuster of the summer of 2004 and the second disappointment. The film takes great liberties with Homer's work. In fact, the funniest bit is during the end credits when it states, "Inspired by Homer's 'The Iliad.'" If only Homer could sue.
Screenwriter David Benioff essentially only uses the basic premise of Helen being taken by Paris to Troy. From there, he veers wildly from the great work. Characters who didn't die in the Trojan War are killed off; warriors who shouldn't be in the Trojan Horse appear inside; Achilles' relationship with Patroclus is altered - no doubt to appease the thousands of women who adore Brad Pitt; and the decade-long war is reduced to a mere fortnight, as if the Greeks are enjoying an excursion on the beaches of Troy. Those are just some of the changes. There isn't enough room to list all the ways in which Benioff ignores Homer's work.
Granted, some license is allowed, but surely Benioff could have stayed a bit more true to the source material. Imagine, for instance, writer/director Ronald F. Maxwell killing off Robert E. Lee at Little Round Top in "Gettysburg" (1993).
There are two good moments in "Troy." The first, the fight between Achilles and Hector lasts about four minutes and is well choreographed (though, a bit anachronistic, because, at times, the fighting tends to look more like Asian martial arts); the second, Priam's (Peter O'Toole) scene in Achilles' tent, where he begs for the return of Hector's body. O'Toole never overplays the scene and brings such pathos to the moment that he offers a glimpse of what this film might have been had it better, smarter dialogue and stronger characters.
The dialogue, at times, is downright laughable - there's Achilles calling Agamemnon, "You sack of wine" (I suppose, "Saracen pig!" and "Spartan dog!" had already been used years before) and Helen telling Paris, "Last night was a mistake." (Yeah, but she'll always have Paris.)
Pitt is terribly miscast as Achilles. Pitt spends much of his time being utterly expressionless. Orlando Bloom, who delivers every line with overwrought emotion, is way out of his league in this picture, and Garrett Hedlund fails miserably as Patroclus, who apparently is Achilles' cousin.
On the other hand, Eric Bana, his pathetic dialogue notwithstanding, shines as Hector and Brian Cox gives Agamemnon some meat. And O'Toole still has one of the most expressive faces (and eyes) ever put on film. The rest of the cast - Saffron Burrows, Diane Kruger, Brendan Gleeson and Rose Byrne - are mere window-dressing. And the lovely Julie Christie shows up for a barely a minute.
At 163 minutes, "Troy" is heavy-going, at times, tedious when it's not supposed to be. There's no real excitement in this film. The battle scenes are nothing spectacular and, often, have a bit too much CGI.
I have no doubt "Troy" will make a lot of money. It's one of those critic-proof films. But given Petersen's previous efforts, I went in expecting to be awed and thrilled, and came away dejected and disappointed.