When Paris (Orlando Bloom, still not challenged as an actor yet), the prince of
Troy, falls for Helen, queen of Sparta (a bland Diane Kruger), the young prince
makes a disastrous decision and steals Helen away from her brutish husband,
Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), in the middle of the night. Enraged, Menelaus goes
to his warmongering brother, Agamemnon (Brian Cox, who apparently has skipped
lunch, and resorts to eating the screen in a thrilling performance), to request
help in bringing Helen back. Sending 1,000 ships across the sea to the remote
coastal empire of Troy, Agamemnon prepares for a colossal battle to take the
treasured city away from its king (Peter O'Toole, bringing ideal regality to the
production), and its finest soldier, Hector (Eric Bana). But to guarantee
victory, Agamemnon needs the help of Achilles (Brad Pitt), the fiercest warrior
in the land, and one who fights only for the glory of his name, not for the
spoils of war.
Loosely based on Homer's "The Iliad," "Troy" (IMDb listing) fusses enough with the original
source material to infuriate the purists, but manages to find a fresh take on
this oft-told tale with a little help from heaping gobs of money and a sublime
cast. The unmistakable template for the film is Ridley Scott's 2000 blockbuster,
"Gladiator," which is evident in the size of the production and the musical
score (by James Horner), which works well, but tries too hard to remind
audiences of the Russell Crowe film. "Troy" harkens back to an earlier era of
cinema, when historical epics gradually rolled out narrative and mounted their
visuals lavishly. "Troy" reminded me less of Scott's heavily tinkered with
visual scheme, and more of the gigantic, exceedingly gorgeous productions found
in Joseph Mankiewicz's "Cleopatra" or William Wyler's "Ben-Hur," bringing back
genuine widescreen awe to 2004.
Director Wolfgang Petersen ("Das Boot," "In the Line of Fire") doesn't have the
luxury of working with miles of sets and thousands of extras, but armed with a
computer, the filmmaker is very convincing in designing the fall of Troy. The
film is long (165 minutes), and moves well, but it's paced with a repetitive
tempo, which could be disarming to those expecting a slap fight around every
corner. The battles back in 1100 B.C. were vicious, but also oddly respectful,
breaking before nightfall for rest and mourning. "Troy"
is basically made up of identical combat sequences, with Petersen able to make
them all count in very distinct ways. The look and sweep of the battle sequences
have been cribbed big time from "The Lord of the Rings," but Petersen takes the
Hobbit epic one further and boldly stages the action in broad daylight, which is
typically Kryptonite to any form of CGI. The special effects are shockingly
seamless, and easily convince the eye that 10,000 troops are waiting to do
battle on the scorching beaches of Troy. Very impressive. Petersen keeps the
juices flowing by continually stoking the dramatic fires (from a wonderful
script by David Benioff, "25th Hour"), and staging intermittent, intense
one-on-one battles to keep the story as intimate as something this extensive can
possibly get.
While "Troy" represents dependable, structured filmmaking, the
curiosity of Brad Pitt's performance as Achilles is where the holes start to
poke through this durable fabric. Pitt has always been a unique actor who just
needs the perfect project to reveal his considerable talents ("Fight Club," "12
Monkeys"). Always up for something different, Pitt faces the greatest acting
challenge of his career in "Troy." Cursed with a thick tongue, Pitt has trouble
with Achilles' tricky and lengthy dialog, but he makes up for it with an
inspired, passionate performance as the warrior of warriors. He's miscast in the
role -- that cannot be denied -- but he makes the ill-fitting performance (in
which Achilles has been awkwardly pushed forward to be the main character of the
film) work when it counts (battles, nudity), which helps him coast through when
scenes don't suit his type of acting (any type of speech). In a landscape
brimming with fantastic performances, Pitt's is the weakest, but not quite the
disaster it could've been.
"Troy" rolls through the material's iconic sequences with grandeur and suspense,
leading up to the awesome sight of the mysterious Trojan horse in the film's
final act, which climaxes the picture on a spectacular and epic note. Petersen
isn't exactly dealing with the freshest material around, but he certainly does
the intricate story justice, guiding it effectively and respectfully.
Filmfodder Grade: B+
