EPICS CAN STILL BE MADE

Movies these days are won or lost on the hype that precedes them. Not only that, but after those expectations are developed, the film maker must follow through for that movie to have any staying power which results in it’s making any money at the box office. So often we are built up to believe one thing only to be disappointed once we sit down and the lights go dim. Such is not the case with TROY.

Many years ago the sword and sandal movies were a staple in Hollywood. They reached a grand scale with movies like BEN-HUR and bottomed out with others like HERCULES IN NEW YORK. But these films were movies that people went to see and either loved or hated. Times changed and with the interest in more real storied that developed in the late sixties and early seventies, it seemed none were made. The release and success of GLADIATOR changed that. And as much as I enjoyed that film, I liked this one even more.

For those who don’t know the story or have never read the Iliad (include me in that category), it revolves around the attempts of Agamemnon (Brian Cox) to bring together all of the states of Greece under his rule. He is out to establish an empire and is on the verge of doing just that. The film opens with a battle between his army and that of Thessaly about to occur. A challenge is made and they place their best man against his to cut down on casualties, winner takes all. His challenger is Achilles (Brad Pitt), the fiercest warrior ever known. The battle takes mere seconds and the character of Achilles is established for all to see.

The scene shifts to Sparta where the brother of Agamemnon and king, Menelaus (Brendan Gleason) has just signed a peace treaty with Troy and its representatives Prince Hector (Eric Bana) and Prince Paris (Orlando Bloom). As a feast ensues, Menelaus wife Helen (Diane Kruger) leaves to her room, followed by Paris. The two have been together since his arrival and now she plans to run off with him. This sets in motion the war that is to be waged as Menelaus attempts to regain his wife while Agamemnon uses the excuse to lead his army into battle to win Troy.

Leading a fleet of a thousand ships, Agamemnon must also swallow his pride for a moment. He and Achilles never see eye to eye and have even come close to battle themselves. But with the help of Odysseus (Sean Bean) he recruits Achilles to be a part of this force setting out for Troy.

It is not for the sake of Agamemnon that Achilles fights. Nor is it for the honor of Menelaus or to rescue his wife. Achilles fights for glory and for honor. He fights so that his name might live on long after he has departed Earth. A vision by his mother Thetis (Julie Christie) tells him this will happen, but that he will never return to her.

The ships sail and the Trojans prepare for war. Their walls have never been breached and they are confidant that no matter who attacks, they will be victorious. King Priam (Peter O’Toole) backs his son Paris’ and his love for Helen. War is coming their way and they are as prepared as they can be to battle this incredible army.

There you have it, the set up for a grand and glorious movie about war. And in reading just that much, you might expect that it deals only with the victories and failures of the men involved. But there is so much more going on in this film. And amazingly enough, it never presents war as a bad thing or a good thing. It shows it for what it really is, a clash of two parties that yields both good and bad.

It shows the honor between men fighting together in a solid unit as one, using tactics instead of brute strength to win a battle. It shows men willing to lay down their lives for something they believe in, for a leader that commands them to do so.

At the same time, it shows a leader who is blinded by his own ego, men dying due to poor leadership and the fact that death is everlasting and not a grand as the cry before battle might make it out to be. Some men will walk away as heroes to be spoken of from that day forward. Others will become nothing more than fuel for funeral pyres.
The mix of these ideas back and forth makes this movie more real than most and less political than many would assume we will find in this day and age.

The battles are well made, presenting not only the best that CGI has to offer in showing thousands involved in combat, but the up close fighting is more real than most seen in some time. The hand to hand combat, the archers’ arrows landing in the most gruesome ways, the use of anything on hand to become a weapon make it all seem real.

The acting is stupendous with Brad Pitt taking the lead. Pitt has done some great films in the past and has shown that he is not just another pretty face. But this film uses everything from his looks to his physical abilities to form a character that the audience comes to sympathize with as well as fear.

Eric Bana also excels as Hector. His character is also a warrior to be reckoned with but one with more heart, with more at stake, with more foresight to see what can become of this whole mess. While Achilles fights for glory, Hector fights to protect his land and his family, to protect that which he loves most. And Bana portrays this with an insight rarely seen or shown in most actors these days.

Perhaps the weakest link in the entire film is a character that should be center stage, Paris as played by Orlando Bloom. While I thought him fantastic in the LORD OF THE RINGS films, Bloom has yet to make an impression on me since. His portrayal of Paris here is as if he were a twit and a coward, a man who thinks only of himself and his pleasures at the expense of everything and everyone else. If this was who he was then Bloom does a better job than I give him credit for. I still see him as only a simpering wimp here and not the hottest actor working today.

The directing is amazing with Wolfgang Peterson turning in another stupendous job. He uses everything he can at his disposal to get the tale put onscreen in its entirety. Scenes of battle mingle with scenes of tenderness, both presented as real and as a part of the story that when brought together tell the entire tale.

Hollywood has for years forsaken the genre of epic in an attempt to make more money on smaller films. Battling against everything from video games to the internet, it has gone back to draw viewers into seats once more. If they can continue to produce films like this they will continue to prosper. TROY is a film that fulfilled all of my expectations, though to be honest they were not high to begin with. It is perhaps one of the best films I have seen in some time. And one that I will make a point of purchasing when it is finally released on DVD. Better yet, I may have to invest in a second theater ticket and watch it on the big screen once more.