Troy

Halfway through this film, a character utters the phrase "Women do have a way of complicating things." They're not talking about Helen (she has already left Menelaus), so it's quite amusing for that line to be thrown in at that juncture. This is a large reason for me liking this film as much as I did. The script is elegant, structured, and the right kind of spare. How often do you find that in an action flick? David Benioff has only one other script to his credit (so far) and that's 25th Hour, a good if not great film but not because of the script. Watch Benioff, he'll go far. And maybe he should collaborate with Wolfgang Petersen more often, because Petersen is just as elegant and structured a director. There are no extraneous scenes (except for the first narrated shot which should have been done over black), and the action and character development keep perfect pace with the script (or the other way around, depending on your view point). Ignore the movie poster which is one of the lamest on record. Yes, Brad Pitt had to get buff for this role, but it's because he's playing Achilles, for heaven's sake! If Achilles isn't buff, you have no story. And speaking of Pitt, this is my favorite role of his since A River Runs Through It in 1992. He never loses sight of the myth of Achilles, while at the same time giving him a sensitivity which is not at odds with that myth. Not easy work. Peter O'Toole as King Priam of Troy is magnificent, but that goes without saying. More intriguing was Eric Bana as Prince Hector, who is a fine actor unfortunate enough to have no zing to his looks or acting to make him a true star. There are missteps in casting, e.g., Saffron Burrows as Hector's wife. Her manner of emoting makes my skin crawl. And the casting of a blonde as Helen, as fine as Diane Kruger is, was simply stupid. At least dye her hair black! (Pitt's too, for that matter.) The impetus for the Trojan war will seem silly to some, but it was merely the trigger releasing existing venom between the Greeks and the Trojans. Petersen has given us a glimpse at the politics and culture of that time, if only so we can compare it our own.

year: 2004
length: 163 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332452/combined