One of the best movies in recent memory

Rating: 10/10 (22 May 2004)

Troy was an amazingly entertaining movie.
The visual presentation, from camera direction to costume, was impeccable. The director and choreographers may have created the most visually impressive fight scenes with what they did with Achilles. The entire audience was awed almost the entire time Brad Pitt was fighting or leading soldiers. The iconic poses he hits during battle are going to be memorable to film. The epic battle scenes, the type that infects all of these movies, were thankfully kept to a minimum. Even though, the director was able to convey the sense that this was the biggest war ever waged to that point.
All of the casting was perfect, and each cast member played their part as if they knew this. Each part was captured perfectly and acted as best they could be; I struggle to think of one role that could have been done better by another actor. I especially enjoyed how the writer made it clear that the romance between Helen and Paris was actually secondary to the real story: that of power hungry kings and glory hungry warlords, the men of wisdom caught between them, and the inevitable doom all men face.
The retelling of the story was the best aspect of the film. The writer really amplified all of the tragic and ironic events of The Illiad, making you really care about the fate of Hector, Achilles, and Troy, and did so with perfect pacing. I was never bored, and I never thought a scene dragged on for too long. The retelling was also honestly believable and at the same time really sad: In the end none of it accounted for anything. Achilles' only gift was his curse, dying the moment he was finally liberated from his role as a warrior. Hector died for nothing, save the pride of a doomed nation. Paris lives for nothing. Troy falls for nothing.
I am forced to give this movie 10 out of 10.