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Despite some egregious liberties taken with the classic poem, 'Troy'
is still inspired by one of the greatest stories ever told. The production cost
of this movie is over $200 million. As with all of these obscenely priced blockbuster
movies, one expects and demands lavish sets, seamless special effects and extraordinary
action sequences. In addition, one hopes to have a quality cast delivering passable
dialogue. In the case of Wolfgang Peterson's 'Troy', he succeeds in some regards
and fails in others, leaving me torn between a mild recommendation and a marginal
failing grade.
Almost everyone is familiar with the story. Helen of
Sparta (Diane Kruger) is stolen away from her husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson)
by Paris of Troy.
In an act of desperate revenge, Menelaus seeks the
help of his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), who controls the armies of Greece.
Together, they launch a thousand ships across the Aegean Sea to attack the impenetrable
city of Troy in hopes of recapturing Helen and exacting revenge on those who betrayed
them. Their chief warrior is Achilles (Brad Pitt), a god-like man who wins wars
by himself if need be. In their final attempt at destroying Troy, they create
a gift to the Gods in the form of a gigantic wooden horse.
The Trojan
people bring it inside the gates of Troy unaware of its deadly contents.
There are some other twists, turns and plot threads along the way in this
165 minute epic. Hector (Eric Bana), brother to Paris, is the leader of the Trojan
army and is the father of a newborn infant boy. Briseis (Rose Byrne) is cousin
to the Trojan brothers and is captured by the Greeks. In this adaptation, she
is protected from the soldiers by Achilles and they fall in love on the eve of
war. Odysseus (Sean Bean) is the messenger between Achilles and Agamemnon, who
do not get along at all. He is also the one who devises the Trojan horse plan.
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