Troy Review
by Wahid Sharif (moodybastard_717 AT hotmail DOT com)July 21st, 2004
Troy (2004)
a review by
Wahid Sharif
"War is about young men dying and old men talking"
Ah, ain't that the truth, especially in today's political climate...That quote was taken from the film "Troy", directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It's inspired by Homer's "The Iliad", and it details how a war got started of a woman - Not just any woman, but Helen, queen of Sparta (played by Diane Kruger) who happens to having an adulterous affair with a young Trojan prince named Paris (played by Orlando Bloom). Naturally, Paris' brother Hector (played nicely by Eric Bana) warns him about carrying on with Helen, and the you-know-what hits the fan when Helen's husband Menelaus (played by Brendan Gleeson) finds out that Helen is getting "served" by Paris. Helen sneaks out with Paris, leaving Sparta as Menelaus demands satisfaction and his wife returned to him. Menelaus' insanely power-hungry brother Agamemnon (played by Brian Cox) sees this situation as the opportunity to invade Troy and control the entire Aegean Sea. Throw in a mercenary warrior named Achilles (played by Brad Pitt), and you have the makings of an epic battle. Again, all of this is happening because of Helen. For all these men to fight and die, I've come to the conclusion that Helen must be really "gifted".
"Troy" is yet another throwback to the sand-and-sword epics from the 50's and 60's. The film is very entertaining with a solid cast (It's Brad Pitt's best performance in years, and Peter O'Toole, as King Priam - the fathers of both Paris and Hector, shows he still can deliver the goods), realistic special effects, and thrilling battle sequences. It doesn't hold a candle to "Spartacus" in terms of the overall storytelling, but it's better executed than the overrated "Gladiator".
GRADE: B+
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
