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Movie Review: Troy
Editor's Note: Surprise, history repeats itself, sort of, but entertains in the process.
Even if you never read Homer's works in college, you can still become a bit of a history buff and find yourself enormously entertained by seeing the summer's hottest flick to-date, Troy.
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and featuring a cast of acting
heavy weights, the flick turns out to be more than just a tribute to Brad
Pitts incredibly buff bod. The story admittedly veers from Homer's version
(fairly recalling that Homer wrote his version of events more than four
hundred years after the fact) but is still appealing at its most basic.
Lover-not-fighter Paris, played winningly by Orlando Bloom steals the
lush Helen of Sparta (played less winningly by pretty but lightweight
Diane Kruger). The power hungry Agamemnon (thoroughly detestable and evilly
wonderful Brian Cox), powerful King of the Mycenaeans, decides to use
the family insult against his cuckolded brother, (played well by Braveheart
veteran Brendan Gleeson) to further his own political ambitions. Make
no mistake, this war has nothing to do with the beauty or bedding of Helen
and everything to do with ending an uneasy truce with Troy and therefore
world domination. Agamemnon therefore assembles the biggest sea worthy
armada ever and perpares to lays siege to Troy, whose legendary walls
have never been breeched. Things go from bad to worse then as the walls
of Troy become the least of everyone's worries. The greatest warrior alive,
Achilles, aka Brad Pitt, detests the cruel King Agamemnon and has no problem
showing it at every turn. He ends up deciding to fight the war of course,
but on his own terms which complicate matters for such politically astute
pals as Odysseys (a surprise meaty role for veteran actor Sean Bean).
The main cast is rounded out by fragile but sage King Priam who is masterfully
played by a true lion in winter, Peter O'Toole. Also on the roster is
Eric Bana who portrays the mighty Prince Hector and turns in one of the
best performances of his career to date. -
So while the legendary characters run around making history, viewers are treated to some of the best fight scenes to hit the screen since Lord of the Rings made a crashing success of Middle Earth. The intense and intricate choreography necessary to construct some of the more vicious fighting is worth a second, even third look. No doubt about it, these guys had arsenals of personal trainers and hours upon hours of practice to make history seem real. And heartbreaking. Costumes, swords, scenery, right down to laced up leather sandals and dangling earrings on star-crossed Virgin Priestesses, all seemed notably authentic.
The only major disappointment in the movie was found in the plot itself. So much of the War of Troy was legendary because it lasted ten long years, a startling fact Petersen never even comes close to addressing. In fact, actors/warriors with wounds and cuts had just begun to 'heal' by the end of the movie suggesting the siege lasted mere weeks, not more than a decade. This is a major derailing of the history of Troy as we know it. And this stickling point is made while ignoring the fact that some major characters die who shouldn't and some live who never made it out of Troy alive, at least according to Homer.
But we digress. The biggest surprise of Troy was in fact buffed up Brad Pitt who we were prepared to dislike on site. That he shows the audience such major acting chops in the face of what could have been nothing more than a hunk's series of one liners, was impressive. His obvious preparation for the role, both physical and mental, puts Pitt back on the serious actor side of the fence where he surprisingly belonged the whole time. So much for just another pretty face, Pitt holds his own against heavyweights such as Bean and Bana and even the great, softly imposing Peter O'Toole who broke more hearts than Orlando Blooms' nude scene. Oh and speaking of nude, a surprise for female viewers, this was not a movie about the naked beauty of Helen, to coin a phrase from Homer. In fact, there wasn't a bare breast in sight. And the plot moved along all the same (veteran Hollywood directors take heed.) This was all about male flesh in the truest sense. Torn, busied, shredded, battered but definitely male flesh. Flesh that dies and ultimately the desire of the greatest to become more than their own mortality. Achilles, in his quest for immortality, would have been pleased.
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