Troy


release year: 2004
genre: action/adventure
viewing setting: home DVD, 5/29/05

synopsis: A prince from one kingdom steals the wife of the king of another kingdom, providing a handy excuse for a war - the Trojan War, as described in Homer's Iliad thousands of years ago.

impressions: Good ancient war movie. It's a loose adaptation of the classic book, and it's got plenty of intrigue/drama as well as battle. The way it's portrayed here, the ex-husband of Helen is brother to a guy who's conquered every kingdom except Troy, so for him, this whole thing is just an excuse to attack Troy and take it over. There are some cool macho warrior moments, mostly courtesy of Brad Pitt and Eric Bana.

things to watch for: The big battle after the Greeks land on the beach.

something this movie has that no other movie has: xxxx

acting: Brad Pitt plays a character - Achilles - with almost no personality, who's just a killing machine. Arnold Schwarzenegger did this in many movies yet never got the critical acclaim that Brad does here. Eric Bana was great as Hector, basically the opposing general. Orlando Bloom was Paris, Hector's younger brother who must learn about courage the hard way. Brian Cox did a good job as a nasty general. Tyler Mane (who played Sabretooth in The X-Men) was memorable as Ajax, a gigantic warrior who shrugs off arrows and even spears.

final word: Good old-times war movie, worth seeing.

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