Troy (2004)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Agamemnon	Brian Cox
Achilles	Brad Pitt	½
Nestor	John Shrapnel
Menelaus	Brendan Gleeson	½
Helen	Diane Kruger
Hector	Eric Bana
Paris	Orlando Bloom	½
Odysseus	Sean Bean	½
Thetis	Julie Christie
Priam	Peter O'Toole
Glaucus	James Cosmo

Review

Seen as different episodic takes on Greek mythology, Troy is at times extremely interesting and potent. There are scenes and settings in here which are overwhelmingly grandiose, and also well-directed. Unfortunately, through 163 minutes, Wolfgang Petersen isn't up to the task the historical and mythological diversity of Homer's "The Iliad" presents. The film cheats and swirls and makes Hollywoodized choices that are all too translucent. Most of the one-dimensional characters rely greatly on the ability of the actor in question to bring him to life and authenticity. Hector and Priam are lucky to have Eric Bana and Peter O'Toole; poor Paris has the pitiful Orlando Bloom who can't even deliver a simple line without ridiculing himself. This task is way too big for Mr. Bloom, who should stick to teenage comedy or something of the sort. At its best, Troy is relevant and with some interest even to the well-read and historically enlightened. The battle between Achilles and Hector is potent, so is Priam's plea to the former. Unfortunately, integrity wasn't on top of the filmmaker's list during this production. And the fact that Peter O'Toole hated Wolfgang Petersen's approach, doesn't bode well for the German filmmaker.