Rating of
3/4
"Troy" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/23/12
Based on Homer's The Iliad, one of the most famous tale's ever told, Troy has all the usual Hollywood epic ingredients; an American hero with bulging biceps sporting an odd accent, a supporting cast of British character actors who routinely show him up (especially Peter O'Toole who brings some real humanity to his somewhat underwritten role) and a soundtrack of the usual faux-folk warbling and penny whistles that seem to mean "ye olden days" to US audiences. Brian Cox is actually pretty good fun as the megalomaniacal king and Orlando Bloom's fresh faced vulnerability that I find usually compromises him in leading roles actually works to his advantage here. To be honest, all the characters are really just stereotypical "heroes" with little insight or depth but it has a sense of spectacle that reminded me of the similar old school historical adventures that pleasantly pass rainy Sunday afternoons. The fact is your enjoyment of this film is entirely dependent on whether or not you can swallow Brad Pitt as an ancient Greek hero and I have to say as ridiculous a casting choice it was, he does bring a hell of a lot of presence to the screen. It's no Gladiator, but compared to dim-witted trash like Clash Of The Titans it's a masterpiece.
