War, Warriors, and Women
Troy Shows the Tragedy of War

When a film is based on a book, I am usually one to read the book if time permits. Nevertheless, I made it through 12 years of public school, a BA, and a Master's degree without reading Homer's The Iliad. I wasn't about to read it merely for the sake of better debating the merits or flaws of the new film Troy. So if you've come here expecting a dissertation on the accuracy of the film I suggest you seek enlightenment elsewhere.

The film is based on the famous battle between the Greeks and the Trojans over the lovely Helen. For those of you without your Cliff's Notes version of The Iliad, it breaks down something like this. Agamemnon (Brian Cox) has unified most of Greece under his rule. His brother, Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), the king of Sparta, is trying to broker peace with Troy. While the princes of Troy -- Paris (Orlando Bloom) and Hector (Eric Bana) -- were in Sparta meeting with Menelaus, Paris fell in love with Helen (Diane Kruger). Paris smuggles Helen back to Troy with him, forcing Menelaus to ask Agamemnon to join forces and attack Troy in an effort to get Helen back. Agamemnon is itching to hammer Troy and bring Sparta under his control, so he agrees.

The story also follows the great warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt), who fights for Greece despite his hatred of Agamemnon. Although the film only briefly mentions the myth of Achilles' invulnerability (his mother was said to have dipped him in the river Styx to make him immortal, but forgot about the heel by which she held him), he is portrayed as an accomplished swordsman and a legendary leader. The tension between Achilles and Agamemnon is key to the success of the Greek army, because of the skill of Achilles and the morale that his leadership brings to the troops.

On the plus side, Troy does not fall victim to the same "war story turned love story" problem that has killed several epic films the past few years. While the story of Helen of Troy is something of a love story, it is much more about politics and power than true love. The film centers mostly on the story of Achilles. Like Maximus in Gladiator, Achilles is a warrior looking for peace. He is a man searching for his destiny, but who embraces the beauty of his mortality. As Briseis (Rose Byrne) tells him, "I thought you were merely a dumb brute. I could have forgiven a dumb brute."

Cinematically, Troy is very pleasing to watch. From the settings to the art direction, this is a beautiful film. The battle scenes are overwhelming in their sheer numbers. Seeing 50,000 Greeks storm the walls of Troy is an amazing sight (even if they likely are computer generated). The close-up fighting, whether hordes of warriors or one-on-one duels, are equally impressive.

The film boasts such a large cast of well-known names that it is hard to single out any one performance. To my surprise, Pitt is a darn good Achilles. I loved seeing Sean Bean as Odysseus, but my favorite bit of casting was Peter O'Toole as the Trojan king Priam. I've been a fan of O'Toole for years and I'm always pleased to see him grace a film with his thespian talent.

The new epic is directed by Wolfgang Petersen, best known for films like The Perfect Storm and Outbreak. This film however is more grand than anything he has done before. It is beautiful and engaging. Moreover, it's entertaining, even if it does condense a ten year war into the span of a few weeks.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 163 min.

War, Warriors, and Women Troy Shows the Tragedy of War

War, Warriors, and Women
Troy Shows the Tragedy of War