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Troy film review
TROY
Running time: 165 mins
Starring: Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Peter O'Toole, Sean Bean, Saffron Burrows
A return to the old-fashioned sword and sandal epics of the 1950s, Troy was presumably given the go-ahead after the worldwide commercial and critical success of Gladiator. Based on Homer's Iliad, it's suitably epic in tone, recreating one of the greatest sieges and wars in mankind's history, and while it seems a cert to succeed at the box office, don't be too expectant of seeing it feature at next year's Academy Awards.
Director Wolfgang Petersen is no stranger to the blockbuster, with Air Force One, The Perfect Storm and Outbreak among his credits. For his first historical epic he has assembled a stellar cast, has had mountains of dollars at his disposal (a reported $185m), along with huge sets in England, Malta and Mexico.
Although there are one or two alterations to the original story, the script sticks pretty much to the accepted version. Opening at a celebration in Sparta given by King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), the action quickly gets under way once Paris (Orlando Bloom) spirits Menelaus' wife Helen (Diane Kruger) away to Troy. The Greeks are furious, most of all Menelaus' brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), who decides to invade Troy and gain victory at all costs. He summons Achilles (Brad Pitt) to aid his cause, and sets off in the infamous flotilla of one thousand ships.
When Paris and his brother Hector (Eric Bana) arrive in Troy, their father Priam (Peter O'Toole) faces a difficult decision - return Helen and sacrifice his son, or face certain invasion from the Greeks. With both Achilles and Odysseus (Sean Bean) against them, Priam knows he has only the strength of his walled city and the determination of his army to repel the invaders.
There are battle scenes aplenty, some of them hugely spectacular and enjoyable, most of all a bruising encounter between the cowardly Paris and the giant-like Menelaus, watched by the assembled armies. However, for a lot of the 165 minutes running time, we are subjected to some rather undramatic dialogue scenes which slow the pace down considerably. And for one of the most expensive films ever made, it is sometimes difficult to see where exactly all the money went, given that many of the scenes are either very intimate, or filmed on a beach location.
Petersen makes many wise casting choices, notably in the Celtic triumvirate of Cox, Gleeson and O' Toole, who add class and believability to all of their scenes. As Hector, Eric Bana is also impressive. However, both Bloom and Pitt fail to light up the screen. Bloom's Paris is both insipid and unconvincing, while the portrayal of Achilles seems to be all about how to make Pitt look as sexy as possible. When he opens his mouth it all goes wrong however, and the scene in which he cries at the death of his cousin Patroclus (his lover in the Ancient Greek tale, but obviously not in the modern Hollywood version), brought a burst of unintended laughter from the audience.
Nevertheless, those seeking some good old-fashioned escapism without too much to think about will enjoy it, and it looks set to be one of the biggest films of the year in terms of box office success.
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