This is an underrated gem. I don't really know why it doesn't get the praise that it deserves
1,538 Reviews
Underrated
akier-2759523 January 2020
Troy (2004) - Long Live, Achilles!
nickmesafilms26 April 2012
Loosely based on Homer's 'Iliad', Wolfgang Petersen directs this epic war film, with an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Rose Byrne, Garrett Hedlund, Peter O' Toole, Brendan Gleeson, & Tyler Mane. Set in 1193 B.C., this movie tells the story of a war between the two cities of Troy and Sparta, and the story of one of the bravest warriors to roam ancient Greece named Achilles. Brad Pitt delivers one of the best performances of his career as Achilles, giving the right amount of power and strength. Eric Bana is also terrific as Prince Hector, trying to negotiate peace between Troy and Sparta. Besides the supporting cast, Peter O' Toole is just perfect playing the king of Troy. The only disappointing character in this movie is Orlando Bloom as Hector's prince brother, who seems to overreact in every scene he is in, as if trying to end the project early, and walk away with his paycheck. Although the movie contains a running time of 162 minutes, director Wolfgang Petersen perfectly makes the audience forget about those 162 minutes, because they'll be distracted by all the incredible action. This movie contains some of the most elaborate action sequences that I've ever seen on film. The costumes and the art direction all stay true to the ancient Greece setting, and they all create a realistic feel to the movie. This movie is perfectly well-made, from the distinguished art, to the intense battle sequences. Yes, the movie is somewhat inaccurate to Homer's Iliad, but at least this movie is flat out entertaining. I haven't seen that much gladiator movies in my time, but I can safely say that "Troy" is one of the most remarkable and action-packed motion pictures that audiences will never forget. "Troy", in my review, "action-packed, beautifully well-made".
Entertaining
ED122304_TGG10 July 2020
People give this movie too much hate for being "not entirely accurate to the Iliad" or whatever. But In reality, I don't think there's ever a time I haven't been impressed when watching scenes from this movie. Some are emotional, most action packed, and most importantly makes Achilles look badass (as it should). But all in all movie quality or not, this film is entertaining.
One of my favorite movies
0U22 February 2020
I love this movie, by far my favorite R rated movie and in the running for one of the greatest and most epic in my opinion. The acting, the world-building, the character depth, and the thrill of such an incredible depiction of the time period. I didn't think it was possible to make an accounting of the Trojan war void of the supernatural presence of the Greek Gods that rivals the old story in excellence, but this movie does.
very surprised !!!
scottedwards0072 June 2004
Well well,.................. expected the worse because of hype, but i was gladly surprised . Screenplay , direction and most of all Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Brian Cox, and Peter o'Toole were completely on top of their game, even Olando Bloom as the love sick coward Paris was very watchable.
Fight scenes were not overdone, and the love scenes were part of but didn't completely rule the story of Troy which I also liked. If any thing else Troy will go down as having one of the most impressive fight scenes of any film in history. The fight between Hector and Achilles is reason enough to watch Troy alone...
Fight scenes were not overdone, and the love scenes were part of but didn't completely rule the story of Troy which I also liked. If any thing else Troy will go down as having one of the most impressive fight scenes of any film in history. The fight between Hector and Achilles is reason enough to watch Troy alone...
It's just a movie
ja057618 November 2012
I'm sick of all the bad reviews for this movie. I really don't give a damn if it's true to the Iliad or not. The movie is extremely entertaining. I really like the fact that the gods are downplayed in this movie. It makes the story a lot more realistic. The acting was good. The story was good. The dialogue was good. The action scenes were good. I really can't see what's not to like in this movie. I guess I could pick it apart and find flaws, but I could do that with every movie ever made. For those upset by the fact that there was no definite good side or bad side, I have some shattering news. In war, there is never a good side or bad side. War is all subjective depending on whose side you are on. Every side thinks they are the good guys. A lot of people were upset about Paris, who is cast as a coward, becoming heroic in the end. Like it or not, we all have cowardliness and heroism within us. We just don't like to admit it. So, ignore the critics and watch this movie. Remember, critics have an opinion just like everyone else and as the old saying goes, opinions are like a**holes. Everyone has one and a lot of them stink. You don't have to agree with me, but don't let someone else make up your mind for you either.
Proof that critics should be ignored
Cube_TX8 September 2004
I finally got to see this movie in the bargain theaters here in El Paso on Labor Day. I originally hadn't thought much about the movie, but as time went on it had left the regular theaters here in town and I realized that I'd wished I'd gone to see it. I remember hearing several outside critics blasting the movie as horrible and wanted to judge for myself. I'm very glad I finally saw this movie.
This movie is not the usual Clash of the Titans/Jason and the Argonauts type of movie where the gods are constantly shown and portrayed as more important and powerful than the lowly humans. In fact, this movie completely ignores the so-called gods and instead places the focus where it belongs -- on the warriors themselves. I have studied the Iliad as well as other stories surrounding the mythical Trojan War since my days as an elementary school geek obsessed with mythology and Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of being targeted toward that audience this film demystifies the Trojan War and treats it in a manner in which it could have actually happened. We see that the elders who continually refer to their so-called gods come across as fools. One of the most telling lines is when Hector (Eric Bana) refers to the fact that Apollo did not strike down Achilles (Brad Pitt) for desecrating the statue. It is very telling that Hector seems to doubt the gods he has been taught to worship.
I have been a longtime critic of Brad Pitt as a second-tier talent who became famous only because of his looks, but in this film he surprised me. He is the TRUE star of the film. Achilles is easily the most interesting and entertaining character. I applaud Brad Pitt's effort in making his character a tragic hero. Achilles acknowledges that he is NOT the son of a goddess and is not immortal or invulnerable. The movie basically shows us how a rumor can blossom into a legend unto itself. Achilles' legend BECOMES immortal. He even refers to this in my favorite scene when he is inspiring his men and starts the invasion heavily outnumbered and still triumphs. Later in the same scene he scoffs at the so-called gods the Greeks and Trojans worship by decapitating the statue. I found this scene symbolic of the movie itself. The gods are nothing to both the characters and audience.
Instead of supernatural powers and impossible feats we're treated to realism. Even Achilles' death is more realistic than in the myth. In the myth Paris does kill Achilles with an arrow, but because he has no battle skills his hand is actually guided by Apollo.
If there was one thing I did not like in this film it was the transformation of Paris into some kind of hero. Paris was a coward in the original myth and I saw no reason to transform him into an overnight hero in the movie. I guess Orlando Bloom fans wouldn't be able to bear seeing him as the bad guy and were given the uninspired transformation of Paris into a better archer than Robin Hood.
While this movie was nowhere near the epic masterpiece that the producers had hoped or that it was advertised as, it did not deserve the bad publicity it received from critics. I applaud the makers of this film and look forward to buying it on DVD.
This movie is not the usual Clash of the Titans/Jason and the Argonauts type of movie where the gods are constantly shown and portrayed as more important and powerful than the lowly humans. In fact, this movie completely ignores the so-called gods and instead places the focus where it belongs -- on the warriors themselves. I have studied the Iliad as well as other stories surrounding the mythical Trojan War since my days as an elementary school geek obsessed with mythology and Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of being targeted toward that audience this film demystifies the Trojan War and treats it in a manner in which it could have actually happened. We see that the elders who continually refer to their so-called gods come across as fools. One of the most telling lines is when Hector (Eric Bana) refers to the fact that Apollo did not strike down Achilles (Brad Pitt) for desecrating the statue. It is very telling that Hector seems to doubt the gods he has been taught to worship.
I have been a longtime critic of Brad Pitt as a second-tier talent who became famous only because of his looks, but in this film he surprised me. He is the TRUE star of the film. Achilles is easily the most interesting and entertaining character. I applaud Brad Pitt's effort in making his character a tragic hero. Achilles acknowledges that he is NOT the son of a goddess and is not immortal or invulnerable. The movie basically shows us how a rumor can blossom into a legend unto itself. Achilles' legend BECOMES immortal. He even refers to this in my favorite scene when he is inspiring his men and starts the invasion heavily outnumbered and still triumphs. Later in the same scene he scoffs at the so-called gods the Greeks and Trojans worship by decapitating the statue. I found this scene symbolic of the movie itself. The gods are nothing to both the characters and audience.
Instead of supernatural powers and impossible feats we're treated to realism. Even Achilles' death is more realistic than in the myth. In the myth Paris does kill Achilles with an arrow, but because he has no battle skills his hand is actually guided by Apollo.
If there was one thing I did not like in this film it was the transformation of Paris into some kind of hero. Paris was a coward in the original myth and I saw no reason to transform him into an overnight hero in the movie. I guess Orlando Bloom fans wouldn't be able to bear seeing him as the bad guy and were given the uninspired transformation of Paris into a better archer than Robin Hood.
While this movie was nowhere near the epic masterpiece that the producers had hoped or that it was advertised as, it did not deserve the bad publicity it received from critics. I applaud the makers of this film and look forward to buying it on DVD.
"Where does it end?" -- "It never ends."
Wuchakk11 March 2014
If Homer's mythical epic "The Iliad" is based on a factual story, that story is magnificently depicted in Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 epic "Troy." In other words, don't expect any goofy 'gods' or 'goddesses' like Athena popping out of thin air because "Troy" is a realistic portrayal of the Trojan war.
More than that, "Troy" is arguably the best sword & sandal epic ever put to film. You name the picture -- "Samson and Delilah," "Spartacus," "Ben-Hur," "Ulysses," "The Viking Queen," "Conan the Barbarian," "Braveheart," "Attila," "The Odyssey," "Gladiator," etc. -- "Troy" is superior. At the very least it's as good as some of the better flicks just noted, like "Ben-Hur," and far edges out "Spartacus" and "Samson and Delilah." As for more recent sword & sandal epics, like the overrated "Braveheart" or "Gladiator," "Troy" blows 'em out of the water.
Roger Ebert is a great writer and critic, but his mediocre review of "Troy" is all wrong. Ebert's major criticisms, believe it or not, are the main reasons I have such high respect for this film: He complains that Petersen omitted the many Greek 'gods' & 'goddesses' and gripes that the actors perform their roles as believable people and not larger-than-life caricatures. This can, of course, be respectably done, as in the 1955 film "Ulysses," but this is not what Petersen was shooting for in "Troy." His goal, as already noted, was to depict the actual Trojan War on which Homer's myth is based. (Even if it never really took place, wars LIKE IT did).
Regarding Brad Pitt's heavily criticized performance as Achilles, I couldn't care less about Pitt until seeing this movie as he does an outstanding job portraying Greece's greatest warrior. No, he's not the bulkiest warrior to ever grace the earth, but he's fast as lightning, confident, expertly skilled and deadly accurate. Even his voice completely fits the role. Eric Bana (from "Hulk") is also great as Hector, Achilles' Trojan counterpart, who's sick of war and just wants to live a life of peace with his family. These two have a showdown in the film and it is without a doubt the greatest mano-a-mano sword & sandal duel ever filmed.
What's interesting about the picture is that you never really end up rooting for one side or the other. When Achilles and Hector have their powerful face-off, my wife and I couldn't decide for whom to root. Maybe that's the point. Don't get me wrong, Agamemnon could be viewed as the villain in this picture, and I wasn't rooting for Menelaus when he fights Paris (Orlando Bloom, who seduces Helen, Menelaus' wife), but neither the Greeks nor the Trojans are painted as the 'good guys' or 'bad guys.' They're just people at war, and in war there's no real glory, as Hector points out... and it never ends, as Achilles states. An additional point is that living in a state of war is a JOYLESS existence. And both Bana and Pitt get this across well.
As for beautiful women, there are only a couple mentionable: Diane Kruger plays Helen, "the face that launched a thousand ships." Some have complained that she's too plain for the role, but I disagree. I'm not a fan of hers or anything, but she looks pretty dang sharp to me (not to mention has an impressive behind shot). Besides, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. If Paris deems her worthy of starting a war, who are we to disagree? Also on hand is cutie Rose Byrne who plays Briseis, the virgin priestess whom Achilles converts to the pleasures of the flesh.
I should point out that "Troy" was one of the most expensive pictures ever made at the time and it definitely SHOWS on the screen. Make no mistake, "Troy" is breath-taking just to WATCH -- the colossal armies, ships and battles are awe-inspiring to behold, not to mention the Maltan and Mexican locations. And the CGI effects are outstanding for the time, not fake-looking like the Rome & Coliseum scenes in "Gladiator."
Another complaint by Ebert is that the dialogue is lousy; nothing could be further from the truth. There are great pieces of dialogue interspersed throughout, including Achilles' comment that the 'gods' envy people because we're mortal and "Everything's beautiful because we're doomed." Thankfully, there's not one goofy one-liner anywhere to be found.
James Horner's score should also be mentioned. If you enjoyed the soundtrack of "The Passion of the Christ" you'll love this one because it's just as good/serious/reverent/powerful. For instance, the intense percussion during Achilles and Hector's showdown is magnificent.
Interestingly, Brad Pitt, who plays Achilles, injured his Achilles tendon during shooting. Fitting, no?
FINAL WORD: If you're in the mood for a sword & sandal epic, "Troy" more than fills the bill. The story captivates from the get-to and never lets up the entire 2.5 hour runtime (technically 2 hours, 42 minutes, with credits). It extravagantly visualizes the Trojan War for you, something I never did until seeing this mind-blowing, outstanding piece of cinema.
GRADE: A+
More than that, "Troy" is arguably the best sword & sandal epic ever put to film. You name the picture -- "Samson and Delilah," "Spartacus," "Ben-Hur," "Ulysses," "The Viking Queen," "Conan the Barbarian," "Braveheart," "Attila," "The Odyssey," "Gladiator," etc. -- "Troy" is superior. At the very least it's as good as some of the better flicks just noted, like "Ben-Hur," and far edges out "Spartacus" and "Samson and Delilah." As for more recent sword & sandal epics, like the overrated "Braveheart" or "Gladiator," "Troy" blows 'em out of the water.
Roger Ebert is a great writer and critic, but his mediocre review of "Troy" is all wrong. Ebert's major criticisms, believe it or not, are the main reasons I have such high respect for this film: He complains that Petersen omitted the many Greek 'gods' & 'goddesses' and gripes that the actors perform their roles as believable people and not larger-than-life caricatures. This can, of course, be respectably done, as in the 1955 film "Ulysses," but this is not what Petersen was shooting for in "Troy." His goal, as already noted, was to depict the actual Trojan War on which Homer's myth is based. (Even if it never really took place, wars LIKE IT did).
Regarding Brad Pitt's heavily criticized performance as Achilles, I couldn't care less about Pitt until seeing this movie as he does an outstanding job portraying Greece's greatest warrior. No, he's not the bulkiest warrior to ever grace the earth, but he's fast as lightning, confident, expertly skilled and deadly accurate. Even his voice completely fits the role. Eric Bana (from "Hulk") is also great as Hector, Achilles' Trojan counterpart, who's sick of war and just wants to live a life of peace with his family. These two have a showdown in the film and it is without a doubt the greatest mano-a-mano sword & sandal duel ever filmed.
What's interesting about the picture is that you never really end up rooting for one side or the other. When Achilles and Hector have their powerful face-off, my wife and I couldn't decide for whom to root. Maybe that's the point. Don't get me wrong, Agamemnon could be viewed as the villain in this picture, and I wasn't rooting for Menelaus when he fights Paris (Orlando Bloom, who seduces Helen, Menelaus' wife), but neither the Greeks nor the Trojans are painted as the 'good guys' or 'bad guys.' They're just people at war, and in war there's no real glory, as Hector points out... and it never ends, as Achilles states. An additional point is that living in a state of war is a JOYLESS existence. And both Bana and Pitt get this across well.
As for beautiful women, there are only a couple mentionable: Diane Kruger plays Helen, "the face that launched a thousand ships." Some have complained that she's too plain for the role, but I disagree. I'm not a fan of hers or anything, but she looks pretty dang sharp to me (not to mention has an impressive behind shot). Besides, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. If Paris deems her worthy of starting a war, who are we to disagree? Also on hand is cutie Rose Byrne who plays Briseis, the virgin priestess whom Achilles converts to the pleasures of the flesh.
I should point out that "Troy" was one of the most expensive pictures ever made at the time and it definitely SHOWS on the screen. Make no mistake, "Troy" is breath-taking just to WATCH -- the colossal armies, ships and battles are awe-inspiring to behold, not to mention the Maltan and Mexican locations. And the CGI effects are outstanding for the time, not fake-looking like the Rome & Coliseum scenes in "Gladiator."
Another complaint by Ebert is that the dialogue is lousy; nothing could be further from the truth. There are great pieces of dialogue interspersed throughout, including Achilles' comment that the 'gods' envy people because we're mortal and "Everything's beautiful because we're doomed." Thankfully, there's not one goofy one-liner anywhere to be found.
James Horner's score should also be mentioned. If you enjoyed the soundtrack of "The Passion of the Christ" you'll love this one because it's just as good/serious/reverent/powerful. For instance, the intense percussion during Achilles and Hector's showdown is magnificent.
Interestingly, Brad Pitt, who plays Achilles, injured his Achilles tendon during shooting. Fitting, no?
FINAL WORD: If you're in the mood for a sword & sandal epic, "Troy" more than fills the bill. The story captivates from the get-to and never lets up the entire 2.5 hour runtime (technically 2 hours, 42 minutes, with credits). It extravagantly visualizes the Trojan War for you, something I never did until seeing this mind-blowing, outstanding piece of cinema.
GRADE: A+
Best fight scene
amigdala061 January 2014
The sequence between Hector and Achilles is the best choreographed fight scene amongst epic fight movies. Cons for Jaime Abregana Jr.
The harmony of the deathliest attacks of the heroes, usage of the camera plans with minimum keeps the sequence to watch in breathless.
Until the warning of the shocking rise of the back music with the first death injury of Hector, you completely forget to inhale. If you don't care the out of the plan insertions of the castle balcony people (King/father, wife, Helene etc) the whole fight sequence is planned and played very well.
The rest of the cast is good enough with a special note for Peter O'Toole and Brian Cox. Their lines are well delivered and their characters are believable.
The harmony of the deathliest attacks of the heroes, usage of the camera plans with minimum keeps the sequence to watch in breathless.
Until the warning of the shocking rise of the back music with the first death injury of Hector, you completely forget to inhale. If you don't care the out of the plan insertions of the castle balcony people (King/father, wife, Helene etc) the whole fight sequence is planned and played very well.
The rest of the cast is good enough with a special note for Peter O'Toole and Brian Cox. Their lines are well delivered and their characters are believable.
It's great,just great
francescorom9 October 2020
Still love this movie
MickeyTheConstant13 January 2020
Watched this movie last night. Had not seen it for years. Loved it then and loved it now. Yes, the acting is a bit naff but seriously what a movie. It really is a historical war movie rather tran an action flick. The battle and fights scenes are superb, some of the best you will see. The costumes, set design and CGI are excellent. Everything is bathed in glorious sunshine, I don't know how anyone can really knock it. It also does challenge you on who to support. The Greeks kind of go looking for war but at the same time it was the wimp Paris who ran off with Helen. The Trojan's don't want to fight but at the same time Paris did instigate it. Hector is the most noble but then stupidly steps into his brothers duel to save him, ending the one chance of peace Troy has. As for Achilles, well he is super cool and moody. Don't bother taking sides, just enjoy the sun.
Overwhelming and breathtaking epic film with all-star-cast
ma-cortes22 June 2004
It's a great adventure movie that offers a wide range of expectations of the epic genre . This historical movie deals with Troya war as a mamouth adaptation from classic poem written by Homer . Helena (Diane Kruger) , wife of Menelao of Sparta (Brendan Gleeson) , escapes with Paris (Orlando Bloom underwent archery training for his role as Legolas in Lord of the rings , 2001) and its two sequels). The Greek Army and ships go to Troya with Aquiles (Brad Pitt who trained for six months to get a body that looked like that of Greek statues) , the king of Micenas , Agamenón (Brian Cox) , and the Spartans . They fight against king of Troya (Peter O'Toole) and his sons : Héctor (Eric Bana) and Paris.
Wolfgang Petersen's film benefited from the effect "Gladiator" and offered the possibility of expanding commercial horizons towards a movie that achieved a big commercial success . The hand of the director carries out an interesting story as well as thrilling and unsweetened , reasoning the causes and motivations of their roles , taking their time and giving large doses of artistic genius . If you are accustomed to battles as Braveheart or Gladiator, you will enjoy with "Troy" , a great epic that shows the limits of the legend , which allowed Petersen to take some particular elements based on the "Illiad" of Homer . The battles are breathtaking , thousands of people took part though mostly were staged by means of computer generator . The tale is pretty violent , the struggles are very bloody and savage , in fact , Brad Pitt and Eric Bana did not use stunt doubles for their epic duel . The main cast is formed by big names who give acceptable acting . Support cast is frankly good such as Sean Bean , Garrett Hedlund , James Cosmo , Saffron Burrows , Trevor Eve , Nathan Jones , Nigel Terry , Vincent Regan , Tylor Mane and veteran Julie Christie . The movie is rated ¨R¨ for violence , profanity ,and brutal combats and that's why it isn't available for children , neither very early adolescents . Direction film by Wolfgang Petersen was allrightly made , cinematography by Roger Deakins is excellent and musical score by James Horner is spectacular , he composed the score in less than 6 weeks . Rating 7/10 above average
This events about Troy war have been adapted on various films : Silent movie titled ¨The Private life of Helen of Troy¨ by Michael Curtiz 1927 with Maria Corda , Lewis Stone ; Hollywood/Italian version ¨Elen of Troy¨ 1956 by Robert Wise with Jacques Sernas , Rosana Podesta , Stanley Baker , Harry Andrews ; Italian version 1962 ¨War of Troy¨ by Giorgio Ferroni with Steve Reeves , Juliette Mayniel, Lidia Alfonsi, Mimmo Palmara ; Italian recounting titled ¨Fury of Achilles¨ by Marino Girolami with Gordon Mitchell , Jacques Bergerac , Gloria Milland , Ennio Girolami . And a TV series 2003 by John Kent Harrison with Matthew Mardsen , Sienna Guilery, Rufus Sewell , Joe Montana,Daniel La Pine, James Callis , and Katie Blake as Cassandra.
Wolfgang Petersen's film benefited from the effect "Gladiator" and offered the possibility of expanding commercial horizons towards a movie that achieved a big commercial success . The hand of the director carries out an interesting story as well as thrilling and unsweetened , reasoning the causes and motivations of their roles , taking their time and giving large doses of artistic genius . If you are accustomed to battles as Braveheart or Gladiator, you will enjoy with "Troy" , a great epic that shows the limits of the legend , which allowed Petersen to take some particular elements based on the "Illiad" of Homer . The battles are breathtaking , thousands of people took part though mostly were staged by means of computer generator . The tale is pretty violent , the struggles are very bloody and savage , in fact , Brad Pitt and Eric Bana did not use stunt doubles for their epic duel . The main cast is formed by big names who give acceptable acting . Support cast is frankly good such as Sean Bean , Garrett Hedlund , James Cosmo , Saffron Burrows , Trevor Eve , Nathan Jones , Nigel Terry , Vincent Regan , Tylor Mane and veteran Julie Christie . The movie is rated ¨R¨ for violence , profanity ,and brutal combats and that's why it isn't available for children , neither very early adolescents . Direction film by Wolfgang Petersen was allrightly made , cinematography by Roger Deakins is excellent and musical score by James Horner is spectacular , he composed the score in less than 6 weeks . Rating 7/10 above average
This events about Troy war have been adapted on various films : Silent movie titled ¨The Private life of Helen of Troy¨ by Michael Curtiz 1927 with Maria Corda , Lewis Stone ; Hollywood/Italian version ¨Elen of Troy¨ 1956 by Robert Wise with Jacques Sernas , Rosana Podesta , Stanley Baker , Harry Andrews ; Italian version 1962 ¨War of Troy¨ by Giorgio Ferroni with Steve Reeves , Juliette Mayniel, Lidia Alfonsi, Mimmo Palmara ; Italian recounting titled ¨Fury of Achilles¨ by Marino Girolami with Gordon Mitchell , Jacques Bergerac , Gloria Milland , Ennio Girolami . And a TV series 2003 by John Kent Harrison with Matthew Mardsen , Sienna Guilery, Rufus Sewell , Joe Montana,Daniel La Pine, James Callis , and Katie Blake as Cassandra.
Fatally Brad Pitted
ptmcq0526 May 2005
I know of two couples, I repeat, two,- who went their separate ways after "Troy"- Not for political or historical differences but for Brad Pitt differences. Let me explain. They all four had fantasies about Pitt. The two girls felt entitled the two guys felt kind of shocked not as shocked as their girlfriends but shocked all the same. Okay let's rewind for a moment. We're talking about an actor in a movie here. The two guys and two girls in question are smart people, college graduates, with jobs, lives, responsibilities. What is this? I finally had to see the film for myself. I had resisted the temptation because I've never been a fan of this kind of movie but, finally, last night, I saw it. Or I should say I saw "him". It everything made sense. Pitt is a sort of demi-god, beautiful and imperfect enough to make him human. Don't ask me a thing about the film, I couldn't tell you, Bloom and Bana and that girl, I couldn't tell them apart. The erotic treat of Brad Pitt's legs makes this historical cartoon worth seeing no matter how terrible it is. I, for one intend to see it again tonight. I mean I intend to see "him" again tonight and tonight I'm ready, yes, ready willing and able to be Brad Pitted to death.
Troy: The Good and The Bad...
stabo13 May 2004
The Good: Peter O'Toole Sean Bean Eric Bana Rose Byrne Brian Cox Fight Sequences
The Bad: Some of the dialogue THE MUSIC! (So disappointing considering how good the music in the trailer is)
There have been a lot of reviews making very sweeping statements about this movie. Especially regarding the casting of Brad Pitt and the acting of Orlando Bloom. To be honest, the above is nothing to worry about, both do a more than adequate job. One review on here said the movie would have been spectacular if it was on mute. I didn't know what he/she meant, but I can laugh about it now. (they're right) As the only downsides to this movie is the music and some of the dialogue. Other than that it great entertainment. O'Toole was awesome (like there ever was a doubt) every scene Sean Bean was in boosted the credability of the film. I felt sorry for Eric Bana's character Hector which means he did his job well. Rose Byrne and Brian Cox were the two surprise packets, delivering powerful and believable performances. All of which adds to the theory that if you want a great epic: You can't leave all the acting to the Americans! one needs some Brits or Aussies.(like in.. Gladiator, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings and now Troy.)
Don't worry about all the hype, this is a great and inexpensive way to spend an entertaining 3 hours. The scenery and fight sequences are awesome, it's almost worth paying to see how Brad Pitt moves with some of his weapons (shield especially).
7/10
The Bad: Some of the dialogue THE MUSIC! (So disappointing considering how good the music in the trailer is)
There have been a lot of reviews making very sweeping statements about this movie. Especially regarding the casting of Brad Pitt and the acting of Orlando Bloom. To be honest, the above is nothing to worry about, both do a more than adequate job. One review on here said the movie would have been spectacular if it was on mute. I didn't know what he/she meant, but I can laugh about it now. (they're right) As the only downsides to this movie is the music and some of the dialogue. Other than that it great entertainment. O'Toole was awesome (like there ever was a doubt) every scene Sean Bean was in boosted the credability of the film. I felt sorry for Eric Bana's character Hector which means he did his job well. Rose Byrne and Brian Cox were the two surprise packets, delivering powerful and believable performances. All of which adds to the theory that if you want a great epic: You can't leave all the acting to the Americans! one needs some Brits or Aussies.(like in.. Gladiator, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings and now Troy.)
Don't worry about all the hype, this is a great and inexpensive way to spend an entertaining 3 hours. The scenery and fight sequences are awesome, it's almost worth paying to see how Brad Pitt moves with some of his weapons (shield especially).
7/10
Some unforgivable mistakes took the magic away
mynystry19 October 2005
Troy could have been a great epic film... if wouldn't have been for some really disrespectful and unnecessary alterations that they did to the immortal story, the great Iliad written by Homer, and considered a masterpiece of literature through thousands and thousands of years... but this guys here just modified it like if all this wouldn't matter...
Note: Spoilers coming!
Yeah! I am talking about Menelaus killed cowardly by Hector, or Agamemnon killed by Briseis, or Achilles being the cousin of Patroclus, or Hector killing one of the Ayaces, and where is the other Ajax, Diodemes, and all the other Heroes??? If it would not have been for these alterations to the original story, which really disturbed be (if you ever read the Iliad, you'll understand me)and which i really regard as unnecessary, and the usual Hollywood crap added to most American films (a good dose of machismo, exaggeration, historical inaccuracy, etc) This could have been a great film but unfortunately it is not...
But this movie is also far away from being a terrible film. The director and the actors did a nice job, Brad Pitt acts very good as usual, The guy that plays Hector does it in an amazing way too, taking most of the sympathy of the public. The movie is exciting and the battles are good, my favorite scene is before Achilles fights Hector, and he repeats the same line that in Homer's book "There are no pacts between men and lions"!! Another thing that I quiet liked and that was different that the book, is that in the film the GODS don't have much to do with the story, while in the Iliad they are central... but that's not too bad, I didn't miss Zeus or Apollo in the film, and I think this is a smart move for the film, because including the Gods would have been quiet difficult for a film like this.
What i missed was the respect for some important aspects of the story, which i mentioned before, and which were removed unscrupulously ... It could have been and immortal epic, but those omissions and alterations are unforgivable, and bring my given note from 10/10 to 7/10
Note: Spoilers coming!
Yeah! I am talking about Menelaus killed cowardly by Hector, or Agamemnon killed by Briseis, or Achilles being the cousin of Patroclus, or Hector killing one of the Ayaces, and where is the other Ajax, Diodemes, and all the other Heroes??? If it would not have been for these alterations to the original story, which really disturbed be (if you ever read the Iliad, you'll understand me)and which i really regard as unnecessary, and the usual Hollywood crap added to most American films (a good dose of machismo, exaggeration, historical inaccuracy, etc) This could have been a great film but unfortunately it is not...
But this movie is also far away from being a terrible film. The director and the actors did a nice job, Brad Pitt acts very good as usual, The guy that plays Hector does it in an amazing way too, taking most of the sympathy of the public. The movie is exciting and the battles are good, my favorite scene is before Achilles fights Hector, and he repeats the same line that in Homer's book "There are no pacts between men and lions"!! Another thing that I quiet liked and that was different that the book, is that in the film the GODS don't have much to do with the story, while in the Iliad they are central... but that's not too bad, I didn't miss Zeus or Apollo in the film, and I think this is a smart move for the film, because including the Gods would have been quiet difficult for a film like this.
What i missed was the respect for some important aspects of the story, which i mentioned before, and which were removed unscrupulously ... It could have been and immortal epic, but those omissions and alterations are unforgivable, and bring my given note from 10/10 to 7/10
Fateful struggles
TheLittleSongbird19 August 2018
Have always been fascinated by Greek mythology and the Trojan War, and Homer's 'Iliad' is a major example as to why. Also love and appreciate many film epics, of which there are numerous classics, and they were the main reasons in my interest in seeing 'Troy' (another being that it was the film of choice at the friend/family weekly film night).
'Troy' had a lot going for it. A talented cast, it is hard to go wrong with Brian Cox, Sean Bean, James Cosmo, Eric Bana, Brendan Gleeson and Peter O'Toole, a more than capable director in Wolfgang Petersen (though he seemed a curious choice on paper) and a fine composer in James Horner. Will admit to not being completely sure about Brad Pitt, in terms of physicality and whether he had the complexity and presence for a character as complex as Achilles, and Orlando Bloom at first. The reviews for 'Troy' were very mixed and still are, some like and even love it and have been very passionate in their defence and others dislike it intensely and are just as passionate in their criticism. My opinion is somewhere in between, leaning towards moderately liked, there are many strengths that have been mentioned and for me some big weak points, so can see both sides of the debate very clearly.
Starting with the positives, 'Troy' looks great. The setting and production look very handsome, evocative and imposing in scale. All beautifully photographed and the editing flows and is at least coherent. Worried that Petersen would struggle with the bigger and bolder approach his directing would need than the claustrophobic approach impressively brought to 'Das Boot', actually he does well in this regard.
Particularly in the action sequences, which are exciting and tremendously well staged, showing the passion that was missing in some of the drama. James Horner's score is nowhere near one of his best or most inspired, the rushed composition process does show, but it does have its rousing, beautiful and haunting parts.
Most of the cast acquits themselves well. Brad Pitt was better than expected as Achilles, not always comfortable but the charisma and passion is definitely there. Eric Bana excels, providing a noble and sympathetic Hector and have no qualms with Sean Bean who has some of the script's better lines. Brian Cox brings relish and steely intensity, while Brendan Gleeson is a powerful presence in a role that in lesser hands would have been incredibly bland. Likewise with luminous Rose Byrne. James Cosmo is as ever reliable, while Peter O'Toole is perfectly cast, on an emotional level he and Bana are the most believable.
Not all the cast fare well, though only two really didn't do much for me. Orlando Bloom is a very characterless Paris, even for a character written as a coward there was nothing interesting about the character and got nothing out of Bloom on a performance level. Diane Kruger has a non-entity role and some of the script's worst lines, and she made the character even blander by bringing absolutely nothing and looking completely lost and even out of place.
Would have liked more passion and deeper characterisation, did like that the film didn't try to take sides or make the characters too black and white but the complexity of some of the characters is lost. The romantic elements fare the worst, whereas the action was exciting and passionate the romantic elements were pure soap opera with no chemistry let alone emotion. It is here where Petersen's direction became static.
Am not going to go into detail about how many inaccuracies and dumbing down there are in order to be kind to the film, but a lot of the dialogue is more cornball and soapy than thought-provoking or natural. The pace is uneven, there is urgency and purpose when needed but in more intimate moments the film does go dead. Am not going to criticise the film massively for being overlong, there are much longer epics out there on film (many classics), though it did feel at times there wasn't enough content and that the film tended to be too on the surface and not have enough substance so for a two and a half hour film some of it felt on the thin side.
Overall, somewhat of a mixed to moderately liked view here where both sides are understandable. 6/10 Bethany Cox
'Troy' had a lot going for it. A talented cast, it is hard to go wrong with Brian Cox, Sean Bean, James Cosmo, Eric Bana, Brendan Gleeson and Peter O'Toole, a more than capable director in Wolfgang Petersen (though he seemed a curious choice on paper) and a fine composer in James Horner. Will admit to not being completely sure about Brad Pitt, in terms of physicality and whether he had the complexity and presence for a character as complex as Achilles, and Orlando Bloom at first. The reviews for 'Troy' were very mixed and still are, some like and even love it and have been very passionate in their defence and others dislike it intensely and are just as passionate in their criticism. My opinion is somewhere in between, leaning towards moderately liked, there are many strengths that have been mentioned and for me some big weak points, so can see both sides of the debate very clearly.
Starting with the positives, 'Troy' looks great. The setting and production look very handsome, evocative and imposing in scale. All beautifully photographed and the editing flows and is at least coherent. Worried that Petersen would struggle with the bigger and bolder approach his directing would need than the claustrophobic approach impressively brought to 'Das Boot', actually he does well in this regard.
Particularly in the action sequences, which are exciting and tremendously well staged, showing the passion that was missing in some of the drama. James Horner's score is nowhere near one of his best or most inspired, the rushed composition process does show, but it does have its rousing, beautiful and haunting parts.
Most of the cast acquits themselves well. Brad Pitt was better than expected as Achilles, not always comfortable but the charisma and passion is definitely there. Eric Bana excels, providing a noble and sympathetic Hector and have no qualms with Sean Bean who has some of the script's better lines. Brian Cox brings relish and steely intensity, while Brendan Gleeson is a powerful presence in a role that in lesser hands would have been incredibly bland. Likewise with luminous Rose Byrne. James Cosmo is as ever reliable, while Peter O'Toole is perfectly cast, on an emotional level he and Bana are the most believable.
Not all the cast fare well, though only two really didn't do much for me. Orlando Bloom is a very characterless Paris, even for a character written as a coward there was nothing interesting about the character and got nothing out of Bloom on a performance level. Diane Kruger has a non-entity role and some of the script's worst lines, and she made the character even blander by bringing absolutely nothing and looking completely lost and even out of place.
Would have liked more passion and deeper characterisation, did like that the film didn't try to take sides or make the characters too black and white but the complexity of some of the characters is lost. The romantic elements fare the worst, whereas the action was exciting and passionate the romantic elements were pure soap opera with no chemistry let alone emotion. It is here where Petersen's direction became static.
Am not going to go into detail about how many inaccuracies and dumbing down there are in order to be kind to the film, but a lot of the dialogue is more cornball and soapy than thought-provoking or natural. The pace is uneven, there is urgency and purpose when needed but in more intimate moments the film does go dead. Am not going to criticise the film massively for being overlong, there are much longer epics out there on film (many classics), though it did feel at times there wasn't enough content and that the film tended to be too on the surface and not have enough substance so for a two and a half hour film some of it felt on the thin side.
Overall, somewhat of a mixed to moderately liked view here where both sides are understandable. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Remarkable production value but very flawed
Monotreme0227 October 2005
For a movie loosely based on a poem written thousands of years ago, the director and screenwriter have done an excellent job in re-creating the epic story and the ancient world on the screen, which was probably quite a difficult task. The production is fantastic, visual effects are great, and yet my opinion on Troy is divided in two: The movie is built in such a way that we, the viewers, aren't entirely sure who are the bad guys. Brad Pitt's Achilles is displayed as the star, the hero, and yet he fights for the Greeks, who are displayed as brutal warriors under the rule of a greedy tyrant, Agamemnon. In fact, the entire Trojan War was started only because of the greed of the king of Sparta, Menelaus. Paris, the prince of Troy (son of Priam, the king) took Helen, Menelaus' wife, back to Troy with him after a peace meeting in Sparta. This enraged Menelaus and so Agamemnon, his brother, rounded up the entire Greek army to attack Troy and retrieve his wife. On the other hand, the Trojans are sort of shown as the "good guys". Just because of one mistake that Paris made, the Trojans now have to hold back an attack of 50,000 Greeks, while loosing thousands of husbands, sons and cousins in the process. Hector is displayed as a family man: He doesn't want to go to war, he'd rather stay home with his wife and newborn child, but he is loyal to Troy and must fight for her. This is slightly different than the way the Trojan War had always been conveyed to me: Helen did not run off with Paris, but Paris seduced her and practically kidnapped her with him back to Troy. Hector was a big, brutal warrior who had absolutely no problem with killing as many people as he possibly could. I really liked the way the movie showed the Trojans as the good guys and the Greeks as the evil, greedy tyrants. It's definitely a fresh and original approach to the story.
Production-wise the movie is stunning. The costumes, the sets, and the weapons everything is top-notch, with excellent attention to details. The visuals are also stunning. The shot of Brad Pitt standing on the deck of a ship with the camera slowly zooming out, eventually revealing the entire Greek navy consisting of 1,000 ships is really a treat to the eye. The computer graphics are excellent. It's really hard to tell in the huge battle scenes which soldiers are computer graphics and which are extras, although you know that some of them must be CG because there are so many. The long shots of the city of Troy are also great eye candy. In all, the one thing this movie is especially excellent at is entertaining, and it is definitely a visually satisfying movie.
The acting is also pretty good. Brian Cox definitely stands out as the power-hungry Agamemnon. His acting is top-notch. Peter O'Toole is also good as Priam, the king of Troy. Eric Bana was great as Hector, although I don't think he physically matches the part. Brad Pitt wasn't as bad as I was worried he would be. In fact, his acting was quite good. Which brings me to my second opinion: While Brad Pitt's acting was quite good, I just don't think he fits the character of Achilles. It seems as if Brad Pitt wasn't entirely comfortable with Achilles' character, so he took it and dressed it over his own personality, which changed the character a bit. Physically, though, he looks perfect for the part. Eric Bana, on the other hand, is just the opposite. He truly captured the essence of the Hector character, and his acting is great, but I don't think that he physically matches the part. He's just kind of small and scrawny, while Hector is supposed to be taller and more muscular than Achilles, which is not how it seemed in the movie. It also seemed that his character was a bit too weak. He's supposed to be the greatest fighter on Earth, matched only by Achilles, and yet he struggled a bit just to kill Achilles' cousin, who had never even been in a battle before. When you look at how easily Achilles killed the giant soldier in the very beginning of the movie, it kind of makes Hector look far weaker than he's supposed to be. Also, while Agamemnon was supposed to be power-hungry and greedy, he was not hasty, and was considered to be one of the wisest kings. And yet, in the movie he makes very hasty and stupid decisions, which kind of lower his character to a stupid power-hungry oaf, while he was really quite smart. One character that I'm really happy about is Odysseus, played by Sean Bean. His character's essence was truly and perfectly captured: He's cunning, a good warrior and extremely smart. He constantly gives Achilles advice on how to approach Agamemnon, and is conveyed perfectly as Achilles' close friend. Odysseus also suggests various war strategies to Agamemnon, who is reluctant to listen. Now as much as I dislike Orlando Bloom, he actually pulls off the Paris character quite well, and fits the part of the weak, cowardly, naive pretty-boy prince perfectly.
All in all, Troy is definitely an entertaining movie, and the production is remarkable, but a few major historical inaccuracies, strange casting choices and a particularly cliché Hollywood ending lower my appreciation for the film.
Production-wise the movie is stunning. The costumes, the sets, and the weapons everything is top-notch, with excellent attention to details. The visuals are also stunning. The shot of Brad Pitt standing on the deck of a ship with the camera slowly zooming out, eventually revealing the entire Greek navy consisting of 1,000 ships is really a treat to the eye. The computer graphics are excellent. It's really hard to tell in the huge battle scenes which soldiers are computer graphics and which are extras, although you know that some of them must be CG because there are so many. The long shots of the city of Troy are also great eye candy. In all, the one thing this movie is especially excellent at is entertaining, and it is definitely a visually satisfying movie.
The acting is also pretty good. Brian Cox definitely stands out as the power-hungry Agamemnon. His acting is top-notch. Peter O'Toole is also good as Priam, the king of Troy. Eric Bana was great as Hector, although I don't think he physically matches the part. Brad Pitt wasn't as bad as I was worried he would be. In fact, his acting was quite good. Which brings me to my second opinion: While Brad Pitt's acting was quite good, I just don't think he fits the character of Achilles. It seems as if Brad Pitt wasn't entirely comfortable with Achilles' character, so he took it and dressed it over his own personality, which changed the character a bit. Physically, though, he looks perfect for the part. Eric Bana, on the other hand, is just the opposite. He truly captured the essence of the Hector character, and his acting is great, but I don't think that he physically matches the part. He's just kind of small and scrawny, while Hector is supposed to be taller and more muscular than Achilles, which is not how it seemed in the movie. It also seemed that his character was a bit too weak. He's supposed to be the greatest fighter on Earth, matched only by Achilles, and yet he struggled a bit just to kill Achilles' cousin, who had never even been in a battle before. When you look at how easily Achilles killed the giant soldier in the very beginning of the movie, it kind of makes Hector look far weaker than he's supposed to be. Also, while Agamemnon was supposed to be power-hungry and greedy, he was not hasty, and was considered to be one of the wisest kings. And yet, in the movie he makes very hasty and stupid decisions, which kind of lower his character to a stupid power-hungry oaf, while he was really quite smart. One character that I'm really happy about is Odysseus, played by Sean Bean. His character's essence was truly and perfectly captured: He's cunning, a good warrior and extremely smart. He constantly gives Achilles advice on how to approach Agamemnon, and is conveyed perfectly as Achilles' close friend. Odysseus also suggests various war strategies to Agamemnon, who is reluctant to listen. Now as much as I dislike Orlando Bloom, he actually pulls off the Paris character quite well, and fits the part of the weak, cowardly, naive pretty-boy prince perfectly.
All in all, Troy is definitely an entertaining movie, and the production is remarkable, but a few major historical inaccuracies, strange casting choices and a particularly cliché Hollywood ending lower my appreciation for the film.
So it's not(!) the Iliad...
BBBrown16 May 2004
But it's an inspiring tale of men(!) at war in ancient times. The movie, albeit long, moves along a good pace, with mercifully brief romantic and philosophical breaks between the combat scenes. This movie is action, with more than a little thought put into accurately presenting the realities of the tactics used in Greek warfare. Troy is also to be congratulated for not over-armoring the cast like previous Hollywood productions and staying true to the lightness of armor prevalent during the historical period.
Lovers of Homer and Greek mythology may be disappointed but keep in mind this film is about the Trojan War, not the Iliad. This war is epic in scale and isn't about poetry.
Still, it would be great if Sean Bean were given the opportunity to play Odysseus again. Although not on screen much in Troy, his performance is edgy and true to the legends of the cunning king of Ithaca.
Lovers of Homer and Greek mythology may be disappointed but keep in mind this film is about the Trojan War, not the Iliad. This war is epic in scale and isn't about poetry.
Still, it would be great if Sean Bean were given the opportunity to play Odysseus again. Although not on screen much in Troy, his performance is edgy and true to the legends of the cunning king of Ithaca.
Still great after 18 years
signlady20 August 2022
LatetotheShow here - just rewatching a few of my favourite movies, and Troy is exceptionally great as a period movie - and it is just exactly what all such movies should be;
beautiful compositions, fantastic cast, excellent dialogue, wonderful costumes, compelling story, well cut & put together, paced perfectly, and limitlessly entertaining.
As for those who are such sticklers for 'facts' I don't see how they enjoy any movies. All they seem to do is watch movies like this for the express purpose of daring the production to be wrong in any way so they can rant about inaccuracies.
If you want some facts - at least the few you can get regarding this era of ancient history - watch a documentary and read books by archeologists & historians.
If you want a fantastically entertaining movie night, watch this.
There is so much unknown & so much conjecture about ancient Greece - so who cares how an epic film portrays it? Moreover, a lot of this story is based on pure myth. If it's myth-novel-and fictional - then why can't it be portrayed in any another fictional way?
Yet again, a handful of loud people who insist their pure fiction remain unchanged. They don't even like any altered version of children's fairy tales.
*sigh* Sorry for the anti-reviewer rant.
Please see go back to paragraph one.
I stand by it wholeheartedly.
As for those who are such sticklers for 'facts' I don't see how they enjoy any movies. All they seem to do is watch movies like this for the express purpose of daring the production to be wrong in any way so they can rant about inaccuracies.
If you want some facts - at least the few you can get regarding this era of ancient history - watch a documentary and read books by archeologists & historians.
If you want a fantastically entertaining movie night, watch this.
There is so much unknown & so much conjecture about ancient Greece - so who cares how an epic film portrays it? Moreover, a lot of this story is based on pure myth. If it's myth-novel-and fictional - then why can't it be portrayed in any another fictional way?
Yet again, a handful of loud people who insist their pure fiction remain unchanged. They don't even like any altered version of children's fairy tales.
*sigh* Sorry for the anti-reviewer rant.
Please see go back to paragraph one.
I stand by it wholeheartedly.
What this movie needed was more gladiator style combat n more footage of Ajax.
Fella_shibby5 November 2021
Its strange that my earlier review got deleted. Must be some Bollywood fanboy.
I first saw this in 2004 in a theatre, then again on a dvd which I own.
Revisited the Director's Cut of 196 minutes recently which has more nudity of Diane Kruger (amazing boobs n butt), it has more violence and gore, including much more of Ajax's bloody rampage on the Trojans during the initial attack by the Greek Army.
It also has a sequence where the few surviving Trojans escape to Mount Ida.
The only thing i didn't like in the Director's Cut was the scene depicting the soldiers raping women and murdering babies.
This one is a good example of a sword n sandal movie but there is no tension or suspense.
The best scene is the fight sequence between Hector n Achilles along with a superb background music.
I first saw this in 2004 in a theatre, then again on a dvd which I own.
Revisited the Director's Cut of 196 minutes recently which has more nudity of Diane Kruger (amazing boobs n butt), it has more violence and gore, including much more of Ajax's bloody rampage on the Trojans during the initial attack by the Greek Army.
It also has a sequence where the few surviving Trojans escape to Mount Ida.
The only thing i didn't like in the Director's Cut was the scene depicting the soldiers raping women and murdering babies.
This one is a good example of a sword n sandal movie but there is no tension or suspense.
The best scene is the fight sequence between Hector n Achilles along with a superb background music.
Typical Hollywood Epic ie Not Historically Accurate But Visually Enticing and Decent Entertainment
Chrysanthepop10 January 2009
Petersen's 'Troy' boasts of high quality production values. The sets are lavish. The props, especially the costumes and weapons are interesting. The locations and visuals are spectacular. The cinematography is stunning. The special effects look good. The one-on.one combat scenes are well choreographed and visualized. However, the battle scenes look a bit too decorated.
Most fans of Hollywood epics would love 'Troy'. I stress on the word Hollywood because for me that is also a major flaw of the film. For the sake of convenience, the film isn't exactly accurate to the source and has the usual Hollywood ending. The characters and parts of the story have been slightly altered. Agamemnon who was known to be a wise thinker appears to be rash and silly here. Hector is known to be extremely strong but here he struggles to fight with Patroclis and appears clumsy and a little frightened when fighting Achilles.
The casting of Brad Pitt was definitely intended to pull a larger crowd. Not that Pitt is awful or anything, in fact he does show signs of good acting, but you pretty much see his usual on screen persona rather than him playing Achilles. Eric Bana, though it is questionable whether he fits the part, does a splendid job in the acting department, beating his more famous co-stars Pitt and Bloom. Orlando Bloom is rightfully weak, naive and stubborn as Paris. Brian Cox is brilliantly menacing. Julie Christie has one scene but she shines. Sean Bean is great as Odysseus. Peter O'Toole is excellent as usual. The scene where he displays Priam's despair as he watches Troy fall apart strikes a chord more than any other scene and another scene where he meets Achilles to take back the body of his dead son is incredibly done. This latter scene also has some superb dialogue.
The women do not have much to do. Diane Kruger is drop-dead gorgeous as Helen. She fits the part like a jigsaw puzzle and conveys Helen's guilt, ambivalence and love with grace but the character, who plays such a crucial role in history is given too little screen time here and the viewer does not get to see the depth of her thoughts and feelings. Saffron Burrows needs to eat more but her acting is better than her usual. Rose Byrne is alright.
'Troy' may not be a cinematic masterpiece but it is visually enticing and overall decent entertainment.
Most fans of Hollywood epics would love 'Troy'. I stress on the word Hollywood because for me that is also a major flaw of the film. For the sake of convenience, the film isn't exactly accurate to the source and has the usual Hollywood ending. The characters and parts of the story have been slightly altered. Agamemnon who was known to be a wise thinker appears to be rash and silly here. Hector is known to be extremely strong but here he struggles to fight with Patroclis and appears clumsy and a little frightened when fighting Achilles.
The casting of Brad Pitt was definitely intended to pull a larger crowd. Not that Pitt is awful or anything, in fact he does show signs of good acting, but you pretty much see his usual on screen persona rather than him playing Achilles. Eric Bana, though it is questionable whether he fits the part, does a splendid job in the acting department, beating his more famous co-stars Pitt and Bloom. Orlando Bloom is rightfully weak, naive and stubborn as Paris. Brian Cox is brilliantly menacing. Julie Christie has one scene but she shines. Sean Bean is great as Odysseus. Peter O'Toole is excellent as usual. The scene where he displays Priam's despair as he watches Troy fall apart strikes a chord more than any other scene and another scene where he meets Achilles to take back the body of his dead son is incredibly done. This latter scene also has some superb dialogue.
The women do not have much to do. Diane Kruger is drop-dead gorgeous as Helen. She fits the part like a jigsaw puzzle and conveys Helen's guilt, ambivalence and love with grace but the character, who plays such a crucial role in history is given too little screen time here and the viewer does not get to see the depth of her thoughts and feelings. Saffron Burrows needs to eat more but her acting is better than her usual. Rose Byrne is alright.
'Troy' may not be a cinematic masterpiece but it is visually enticing and overall decent entertainment.
Major failure. Brad Pitt IS Derek Zoolander in Troy
MovieMan197516 November 2004
Not too much to say about this much-anticipated but seriously disappointing epic. Brad Pitt's performance can go down as one of the worst ever. He actually does a great imitation of Ben Stiller in Zoolander throughout the picture. Who ever thought that this California surfer-dude type with minimal acting talent could actually bring the stoic yet complicated heroism required for the role of the great Greek hero Achilles. Possibly the worst casting ever! Brad's acting is criminal in this movie. The epitome of junk-food lollipop Hollywood cinema. It could just as well as been Britney Spears as Achilles, with same effect. On the flip-side, most other actors are quite good, especially Eric Bana as Hector.
The music in this movie is horrendous, sappy, syrupy, and recycled from Jurassic Park and Star Wars. It made me sick to my stomach when this cheesy cookie-cutter music swells during the battle scenes. ugh!
The cinematography was also less than par. When everything wasn't CGI and actually human, the footage seems over-exposed. Close the iris 1 f-stop Roger Pratt! What were you thinking? The film had no visual lavishness, no colour-play, no truly great pictures to look at. Let's not even mention the story! Who on earth gave Peterson the right to kill off Agamemnon??!! Homer and Aeschylus are rolling in their graves.
The movie might be more than tolerable if it weren't for Brad Pitt.
The music in this movie is horrendous, sappy, syrupy, and recycled from Jurassic Park and Star Wars. It made me sick to my stomach when this cheesy cookie-cutter music swells during the battle scenes. ugh!
The cinematography was also less than par. When everything wasn't CGI and actually human, the footage seems over-exposed. Close the iris 1 f-stop Roger Pratt! What were you thinking? The film had no visual lavishness, no colour-play, no truly great pictures to look at. Let's not even mention the story! Who on earth gave Peterson the right to kill off Agamemnon??!! Homer and Aeschylus are rolling in their graves.
The movie might be more than tolerable if it weren't for Brad Pitt.
Highly entertaining and terrific looking classic
8512228 January 2022
Greetings from Lithuania.
"Troy" (2004) is a very well made movie. While its probably not historically very accurate, i always enjoyed this movie as pure popcorn entertainment. Re-watching it recently i rediscovered just how great this movie is looking and well paced it is. At running time 2 h 35 min this almost movie never drags and is terrifically looking entertainment from start till finish. Actors did terrific job - they all are great in this one (just except for maybe Orlando) . I always liked that there is not clear hero / villain in this one and you can root for both sides : Brad Pitt and Eric Bana were truly superb in their respective roles and especially Bana who is the star of this movie i think. Sets were gorgeous and its feel of place and time is superbly made. The only flaw i think was a third act that it felt a bit draggy, but still there is a lot be loved there.
Overall, "Troy" (2004) still hold up as a terrific popcorn entertainment. This movie looks gorgeous, acting is superb by many great faces and there is superb craftsmanship in every scene. Superb entertainment.
"Troy" (2004) is a very well made movie. While its probably not historically very accurate, i always enjoyed this movie as pure popcorn entertainment. Re-watching it recently i rediscovered just how great this movie is looking and well paced it is. At running time 2 h 35 min this almost movie never drags and is terrifically looking entertainment from start till finish. Actors did terrific job - they all are great in this one (just except for maybe Orlando) . I always liked that there is not clear hero / villain in this one and you can root for both sides : Brad Pitt and Eric Bana were truly superb in their respective roles and especially Bana who is the star of this movie i think. Sets were gorgeous and its feel of place and time is superbly made. The only flaw i think was a third act that it felt a bit draggy, but still there is a lot be loved there.
Overall, "Troy" (2004) still hold up as a terrific popcorn entertainment. This movie looks gorgeous, acting is superb by many great faces and there is superb craftsmanship in every scene. Superb entertainment.
Terrific Troy!
natashahughess4 March 2020
I'm not much of an ancient war movie type of girl. But this really caught my attention. Other than the fact that I saw loads of people die horrendously and having to cover my eyes for a quarter of the film. It truly was really good. The acting was marvellous and the music was amazing. I especially love when the music builds up up to an intense scene. The scenery really captured that essence of history. I would definitely recommend this to any war movie lover. By far one of my favourites!
Did Homer really write this?
jannagal4 July 2004
I remember a time in eighth grade when Eddie F. challenged me to a fight. I was class monitor, charged with upholding the values of decency and honor. (My main job was to keep kids in their seats when teacher was out.) Eddie F. was the leader of kids who wanted out of their seats. Anyways, about 25 people gathered around in a littered alley as Eddie F. beat me to a pulp because he received too many demerits. I guess that's the same scenario in "Troy", when in the middle of a pitched battle, 100,000 sweating, bloodied and ferocious warriors ceased stabbing each other to watch Hector and Patroclus(thought to be Achilles)fight to the finish. Sound reasonable?
In another scene, Achilles comforts the beautiful cousin of Hector, who is now a captured "guest" of Achilles, and who has just been beaten and tossed about by sweaty, hell-bent Greek soldiers. "Are you hurt?" he asks while attempting to wipe her blood-covered face. Another example of inane dialog is when Helen of Sparta/Troy says to Trojan prince Paris, her illicit suitor of the past two nights: "That was a mistake."
I think Homer must be summoning the gods for a sign that this was really the Iliad that he envisioned.
However, I sheepishly must admit that I was entertained nevertheless. Brad Pitt looked good, leaped handsomely around the set during fight scenes, and gave the suggestion that the film should have been called "Achilles" instead of "Troy." The computer-generated armies looked convincing, and the acting was at least better than average. 7* out of 10*.
In another scene, Achilles comforts the beautiful cousin of Hector, who is now a captured "guest" of Achilles, and who has just been beaten and tossed about by sweaty, hell-bent Greek soldiers. "Are you hurt?" he asks while attempting to wipe her blood-covered face. Another example of inane dialog is when Helen of Sparta/Troy says to Trojan prince Paris, her illicit suitor of the past two nights: "That was a mistake."
I think Homer must be summoning the gods for a sign that this was really the Iliad that he envisioned.
However, I sheepishly must admit that I was entertained nevertheless. Brad Pitt looked good, leaped handsomely around the set during fight scenes, and gave the suggestion that the film should have been called "Achilles" instead of "Troy." The computer-generated armies looked convincing, and the acting was at least better than average. 7* out of 10*.
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