Warning! This review contains spoilers! Anyone unfamiliar with the story of “The Iliad” and who wishes to experience a movie without any prior knowledge would be well-advised to not read any further and return after seeing Troy. Troy was never high on my summer “must-see” list, which is evident by how late in its run I chose to see it. I regret this though, as Troy is a surprisingly stirring epic filled with emotion which may be a small step behind the films like Gladiator and Braveheart which it tries hard to emulate, but it is for sure nipping at their heels.
May 2004 Archive
I myself have never read the Homer written “The Iliad” on which the film is based, but I am familiar with the basic premise as I am sure most of the audience is (at least the Trojan horse part). The catalyst for the movie is the love between two people: the young Price of Troy named Paris, and the woman he loves, Helen of Sparta. Relations between Troy and Sparta are strained, but they have nonetheless made peace; that is until Paris and Helen run away together back to Troy. Hector, (elder Price of Troy, general of the Trojan army) immediately knows that war is in the future of Troy when he discovers that Helen has been snuck into Troy. King Menelaus, Helen’s husband and King of Sparta, is furious and asks his brother Agamemnon (who has been taking over the various surrounding nations and forming an ever-growing united Greek army) to go to war for him. Agamemnon is won-over by the notion of conquering the “impenetrable” Troy. Yet one piece of the puzzle is missing: Achilles. Achilles is the greatest warrior that the world has ever known, but his allegiance to Agamemnon is shaky at best, but eventually decides to fight so he may win immortality as a legend and his name never be forgotten.
For the most part, screenwriter David Benioff has done a solid job adapting Homer’s epic poem into a movie fit for Hollywood. The story movies along at a pleasant clip, and all though you seem to notice you have been sitting in your chair for an awfully long time (the run time is 163 minutes), you really don’t mind. My only beef is with the climax though, in that it happens 30 minutes too soon! The emotional pinnacle of the film is the battle between Achilles and Hector, and Hector’s untimely and extremely emotionally heartfelt death. After watching this unfold, I am sure much of the audience was ready to go home, satisfied with the movie; but by the time, the Trojan horse scene and the final battle still loomed ahead! According to several sources (who HAVE read the poem the film was based on), many artistic changes were made in order to bring this movie to the screens, and the movie would have been superior had the emotional climax happened closer to the conclusion.
Benioff and director Wolfgang Petersen explore several themes effectively including honor, immortality, and love. Maybe it is just the inner-guy speaking here, but dying for honor has never seemed more romantic. It would have been very easy to turn Paris into a villain, but Benioff and Petersen wisely chose to present his actions as a conflict between love or country, which parallels the lives of Hector and Paris.
It is always interesting to see such diversity in the quality of acting during the course of one movie. Eric Bana is simply amazing as Hector. He brings passion and emotion into a character who is wise and yet conflicted by his duty to country and his duty to his family. As his brother Paris, Orlando Bloom is rigid and boring. You could argue that Paris’ actions cause the war that eventually kills his brother and destroys the city to which he serves as price, and with all that potential emotion to display, he sleep-walks through the role. In a more supporting role, Peter O’Toole gives a performance worthy of his already brilliant resume. He is in far too few scenes, but every one he is in, he steels. Finally, as the marquee name and emotional center of the film, Brad Pitt gives the worst performance of his career. Much has been made in the media about how Pitt bulked up for his role, but beyond his bronzed skin and new biceps, there is nothing but dull and uninteresting lead. His weak performance is even more of a handicap during his scenes with O’Toole which require a certain amount of versatility, and he simply doesn’t deliver.
From a technical standpoint, the movie is sound. Everything from the special effects to the cinematography is first rate. This was one of the more expensive movies to come along in recent years, and much of that movie is seen on the screen. Several special effects shots are even awe-inspiring: a shot of thousands of ships nearing the beeches of Troy is sure to leave more than one mouth gapping in the audience.
For much of my review, I have said more negative things than positive for a movie that I am ultimately recommending. That is because despite all the makings of a classic, Troy falls just shy and lands squarely in the “good” range. In a summer filled with movies aimed at teens and those who crave cookie-cutter characters, it is refreshing to see a movie that adults can enjoy and appreciate. Troy is an epic that reminds me of the way that Hollywood used to make movies, and certainly cleanses this critic‘s palate in a summer filled with green ogres and web-slinging comic book heroes.
Grade: B+
© 2004 Jacob Sproul
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