UrbanWire

Cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

First, there were the Romans and lions battling in a coliseum in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, which won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2001. Then came the much-loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy about the battle between good and evil in Middle Earth that swept box offices worldwide and the Oscars recently.

Wolfgang Petersen's Troy is the latest epic film to join the fray, based on poet Homer's Greek classic The Iliad written in 8th century BC (Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur is the other epic film slated for a summer release in July).

While on a peace-seeking trip to Sparta with elder brother Prince Hector (Eric Bana), young Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) unwisely falls in love with Helen,

Queen of Sparta (Diane Kruger) and wife of Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), King of Sparta. Paris runs off with Helen back to Troy, triggering the wrath of not just Menelaus, but the entire Greek army, led by Menelaus' brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), who takes advantage of the chance to make war on Troy in order to secure his empire. However, Agamemnon can't win the war against Troy without the help of Achilles (Brad Pitt), the greatest warrior ever known who fears neither death nor retribution and swears allegiance to himself, so he tempts Achilles to Troy with promises of immortal glory. Back in Troy, King Priam (Peter O'Toole) welcomes Helen, as he can't bear to lose Paris, who would return with Helen if she were to be sent back to Menelaus. Thus, Troy is left to protect itself with its high impenetrable walls and a righteous leader in Prince Hector to lead the Trojan army. What ensues is a fierce battle leading to the demise of 1 of the greatest cities and the peril of a civilization in ancient times.

Although Troy contains many elements a great epic film should have - majestic awe-inspiring sets, a stellar cast and an emotionally-charged tone accompanied by a sweeping soundtrack - it falls short plot-wise, with the romance between Achilles and Briseis coming across as rather cliché and contrived. It seems like an attempt to lend some morals to Achilles, who is legendarily depicted as a thoroughly sadistic character.

The historical accuracy of at least 3 of the main characters is also questionable, especially that of Achilles. Away from the historical accuracy, certain details just don't make sense, like the fact that Prince Paris knows nuts about fighting, even though he is the younger brother of 1 of the greatest warriors in ancient Greece, and in a city that has withstood many wars. Another illogical detail is that the precious temple of Troy's patron god Apollo (complete with 5 foot high solid gold statue of Apollo) is located outside the city down on the beach, instead of in a prestigious location in the city, and when the Greeks attack, no one bothers to call the poor priests into the city, letting them be mercilessly slaughtered, allowing the looting of the temple's treasures. Certain scenes like those between Achilles and Briseis, and Paris's foolhardy attempt to duel Menelaus in order to settle their dispute, seem to exist simply to showcase Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt in their bronze-powdered light and macho glory, rather than for the good of the film.

However, this isn't to say that Troy is bad. The film is brilliantly acted, with a stunning supporting cast including Peter O'Toole as King Priam (the legendary actor who acted in his fair share of epics like Lawrence of Arabia), Sean Bean as Odysseus, and Saffron Burrows as Hector's wife, Andromache. The battle scenes are realistically choreographed, and the showdown between Hector and Achilles was completely fought by Bana and Pitt themselves without doubles. It was a fight done poetically, with the 2 leads lunging at each other gracefully to a beautiful rhythm.

According to Film Review magazine, US$180 million (SG$306 million) was reportedly spent on the sets and it's well spent, as the sets and costumes (Brad Pitt in skirts!) are absolutely exquisite and historically accurate, and yes, you'll get to see the legendary Trojan horse! Also, parts of the film that do follow Homer's classic are heartbreakingly poignant, particularly the scene when King Priam begs Achilles to return him Hector's body, which shows that if the film had followed The Iliad more, it would have been much better!

For all its illogical subplots and accuracy mistakes, Troy genuinely does have some good elements, and there's always the heartthrob factor (Brad

Pitt in skirts!) that will keep audiences glued to their seats. If you're a Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom fan, you'll enjoy this film, as there's tons of fabulous footage of them in their drool-worthy glory, not forgetting numerous Pitt's butt shots. But if it's a good historical epic you're looking for, you might be slightly disappointed.