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	Troy
	Wolfgang Petersen Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Peter O'Toole, Rose Byrne, Saffron Burrows, Sean Bean, Julie Christie, Julian Glover 2004		Treading after the overrated epic "Gladiator," "Troy" gives the sword-and-sandal genre another go. And it's cumbersome going, even with empire-sized budget, grandiose art direction, distinguished actors and one of the best-staged sword fights you'll see on film. Many may drift off into catatonia as mighty Greek warrior Achilles (pouty, tousled Brad Pitt) leads his troops into incessant hack-and-spear fests with waves of computer-animated soldiers. To annoy purists, the script tweaks its classical literary source. Messing with Homer's "Iliad" in favor of a Hollywood-en take on the story trivializes it and handicaps director Wolfgang Petersen. The basics remain the same: In 1193 B.C., Trojan prince Paris (a callow Orlando Bloom) falls in love with legendary beauty Helen (wan Diane Kruger) and convinces her to leave her husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), king of Sparta. Paris and Helen sail to walled Troy, igniting a war between the Greeks, led by greedy Agamemnon (Brian Cox), and the Trojans, led by noble Hector (Eric Bana), son of King Priam (Peter O'Toole). But the drama is negligible in a film as oversized and hollow as its famous wooden horse. Stuffed with so much beefcake that it suggests action figures in a giant diorama, "Troy" is a waste of millions, not a memorable return to a cinematic style that had its heyday in the '50s.


	Wednesday, December 18, 2024





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