Review of Troy (2004) by Jc E — 05 Jul 2012

So we all remember when 'Gladiator' showed up in 2000. It kind of put a new energy into the sword-and-sandal epic. Well, it wasn't too many years later that this flick showed up under the direction of Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot) and starring Brad Pitt (Happy Feet Two) as Achilles.

Say what you will about Pitt, but he did have the look of a demigod. At the time, the film was a nice distraction. Having just read 'The Illiad' for a high school project, I looked forward to how Hollywood would bring it to life.

However, Petersen and his writers all but left out a very key element in the story - the gods. Sure, the realism angle worked, but think of how much more involving it would have been had they stuck to the original narrative.

Still, for what it was worth, the three hour epic was acceptable to a teenage version of me. Upon re-watching it recently, I see some key missteps, as well as so undervalued bits. Example one, the movie is just slow.

Petersen isn't exactly known for delivering a slow-burn, so this was a little off-kilter. Old school, yes, but underwhelming as well. Another example is how the villains from the book - the Trojans, and Hector (Eric Bana - 'Hanna') in particular - are humanized and made into protagonists.

However, casting Brian Cox (Coriolanus) as the primary antagonist was a big win, and Bana was great as this version of Hector. Also, the casting of Orlando Bloom (The Three Musketeers) as Paris and Diane Kruger (Unknown) as Helen were spot-on.

Actually, the whole casting was notable. In addition to Pitt, Bana, Cox, Bloom, and Kruger, you also get folks like Brendan Gleeson (Albert Nobbs), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Sean Bean (Death Race 2), Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class), Vincent Regan (Snow White and the Huntsman), Julie Christie (New York, I Love You), and Peter O'Toole ("The Tudors").

Impressive, to say the least. However, an impressive cast, an epic scope, sweeping visuals, and a fitting score from James Horner (Avatar) don't overcome the pacing issues, a mitigated screenplay, and overall "meh" factor.

It's not terrible, but it's not one for the ages.