The crap I have to watch for work sometimes… Better than I expected, but still not very good, although in the filmmakers’ defense it is, I think, enormously hard to put this story on film in a satisfying way. The scene with the sword hand-off to Aeneas is just one example; Aeneas escaped and went on to found Rome, he got his own Odyssean epic, this is a huge moment in the classical tradition, and they had to blow right by it. Plus the siege of Troy lasted an incredibly long time, so Petersen had to do something different there, and it’s difficult to put across the sense of destiny in those stories without rewriting certain aspects of it…it’s hard. Troy does pretty well, considering, although Achilles is a misfire from start to finish; I like Pitt okay, but his accent is all over the place here, he can’t seem to decide how he wants to play the guy (and yeah, he was a conflicted character, but it comes off as unintentional), and the death scene is…not right. But I will give it up for Eric Bana as Hector. This is actually a somewhat easier role to play, I would think, because the character brief is more relatable than most of the others (Pitt is not great, true, but…it’s Achilles. Big sandals to fill there). But Bana is wonderful, very deft, good physical casting and he’s grave without getting bombastic. Short form: it’s too long, but it can still be interesting if you’re into the ancient epics, and it’s nice to look at. Good movie to have on while you’re paying bills or something. (8/23/06)

Share!