Troy

Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Sean Bean, Brendan Gleeson, Peter O'Toole
Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson
Rating: R
Genre: Action, War, Drama
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: The Trojan War begins when a young Trojan prince (Orlando Bloom) steals away Greek Helen (Diane Kruger). Her husband (Brendan Gleeson) and his brother (Brian Cox) use this as an excuse to attack Troy. Now, the Greeks, led by Achilles (Brad Pitt) battle the Trojans, led by Hector (Eric Bana).

Review:

Tim: This is a very ambitious take at one of the greatest stories ever told- Homer's The Iliad. This is a monumental work and telling the story of the Trojan War is no easy feat. I am glad to say that Troy does its source material justice.

Brad Pitt is the ideal Achilles (not miscast as some claim). He is the world's greatest warrior, yet has a cruel side to him that shows up in the film. Pitt plays him very well. Eric Bana is outstanding as Hector. He breathes life into his character and makes him very real to us. Diane Kruger is a good choice for Helen. It was an incredibly difficult decision to find the "face that launched a thousand ships" (according to Faustus, anyway). Kruger may not be as beautiful as the real Helen, but she fits as well as anyone could hope. The rest of the supporting cast is all excellent, most notably Sean Bean as Odysseus.

The film is beautiful to behold- the armies are vast and stunning. The battles are personal and oftentimes gory. The climactic battle between Hector and Achilles is terrific.

Many people were upset for various reasons. One reason I heard most was that this film made some characters up, whom weren't in the original text. Some liberties were taken with the story, but the soul and the heart are the same. I dare those people to try and turn on the greatest writings in human history into a two hour movie. Don't listen to those critics, this is a good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 9



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Braveheart, Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven, National Treasure, Gangs of New York