This war will never be forgotten. Nor will the heroes who fight in it. The 2000s gave us a bunch of historical/mythological war movies. Kicking off the decade in 2000 we got the epic Gladiator, the fantasy setting of Tolkiens Lord of the Rings followed a year later and was a 3 year trilogy. From the other side of the world in 2002 we saw Jet Li in Hero, and a year later Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. Then came 2004, and the retelling of Homers Iliad in Troy. Followed by others such as Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven in 2005, it seems that old stories of blood, sand and swords was very much the in-thing. That, or it just never gets old. The film tells the story of the fall of Troy, as the Greek forces of Agamemnon lay siege to the walled city of Troy. Helen of Sparta, wife to Agamemnons brother Menalaus, has left with Prince Paris of Troy, enraging Menalaus and giving Agamemnon a pretext for war as he continues to unify all of Greece under his own banner. The city of Troy was deemed impenetrable, and a massive stand-off ensued between the city and the enormous Greek army. There are a few noticeable differences straight away between this and the Iliad, the most obvious being the time-scale of the siege and that the Iliad doesnt go as far as describing the fate of some of the characters here. The story follows heroes on both sides of the war; Hector (Eric Bana), elder brother to Paris, he is commander of Troys forces and their greatest fighter. Loyal to his father Priam and protective of his brother, Hector remains selfless in his duty to those he loves. Fighting for the Greeks (after some persuasion) is the brash and arrogant Achilles (Brad Pitt). Rumoured to be a demi-god and near-invincible, Achilles is the greatest fighter the world has ever seen. Achilles selfish role in the film is his own glamour. After receiving a prophecy from his mother that everlasting glory awaits him at the cost of his own death at Troy, he decides to join the war fleet regardless, knowing that his name will echo down through the ages. Bringing together a massive cast, from the well established to the unknown, the cast seems to encompass 3 generations of actor; the younger actors include Diane Kruger as Helen and Garret Hedlund in his first acting role as the young and enthusiastic Patroclus, both do a good job in the roles they are given, but are not the centre of attention here. That belongs to the next generation up, the established actors. Orlando Bloom as the naive Paris and especially Eric Bana and Brad Pitt are the main focus of the film. Both are shown in a protagonist light rather than a simple black and white conflict. They are the leaders and linchpins of their respective armies, charging into the fray and cleaving apart their enemies. Without them their armies would lose morale and crumble, but as the greatest warriors they are destined to meet on the field of battle, and one must fall. Overlooking the war is the old guard, portraying the kings of Greece and the military commanders. Brian Cox, Peter OToole, Brendan Gleeson, Julian Glover, Sean Bean, James Cosmo, if you dont recognise the names youll recognise the faces. These actors have all had long distinguished careers (Brenden Gleeson appears in 2 of the other films Ive mentioned tonight) and, like their reputation suggests, they have a very commanding presence befitting their roles. Sean Bean is as always likeable and down-to-earth, despite being royalty. James Cosmo shows wisdom behind his scowl that lets people know he can still cut a few heads off with ease. Brain Cox as Agamemnon is arrogant and driven by power having conquered most of Greece, but is still enraged and frustrated with Achilles. Their antagonistic relationship threatens Agamemnons campaign, and Cox does a great job of letting that show. Director Wolfgang Petersen gives us a slightly more contemporary view of the epic poem, downplaying the role of the Greek Gods and concentrating on the human element of the story. In the Iliad, many of the Gods fought alongside the protagonists on both sides, or offered help in various ways (think like in Clash of the Titans in 81). In Troy, the Gods are never on screen, only being referred to. They are revered by some and disdained by others, who believe that men are the creators of their own fate. Achilles godlike status is downplayed by Achilles himself, when asked about his own immortality he simply replies I wouldnt be bothering with the shield then, would I?. Achilles does have some character development, as he finds a reason to live and decides to change his own fate, he to chooses his own happiness rather than glory, and to become something more than a hero. I like this change in the character from the original, it fleshes them out a bit. It reminds me of the change in the title character in Beowulf from 2007. Rather than being a one-dimensional hero who kills monsters and saves the day, he has vices and lusts, at one point describing himself as -a man. Fallible and flawed. Anyway, this is a war film and theres plenty of battles and blood-letting, especially in the directors cut. I havent seen the theatrical release in a while, but it seems like the DC version has blood set to on, where it wasnt before. Scenes that I dont recognise as being different seem to have splashes of claret where I never remember any before, and the one scene I have managed to compare did have additional blood, and the heavier fight scenes are longer, going into more intricate detail of, say, Ajax smashing groups of soldiers with his war hammer, in contest with Achilles who is slicing off legs and stabbing people in the face. All very nice. The fight scenes themselves are well choreographed, with different tactics being utilised in every battle, whether its the Greeks attacking the Trojan wall or the Trojans assaulting the Greek beachhead. The one-on-one fight between Hector and Achilles is without doubt my favourite scene in the film. The two face off with completely different fighting styles, whittling each other down until inevitably one of them goes down. However, as far as the Directors Cut is concerned, this is my major gripe of the film. The Directors Cut version for this scene has not been changed visually (apart from one take being 1-2 seconds long after the fight) but the audio has been completely reworked and, in my opinion, ruined. Originally, the music was all percussion, matching the fight and rising as the tension rose to the final blow, then breaking into female vocals, sorrowful as it laments the fallen warrior (this soundtrack was by James Horner and this part, as well as a few other themes, can be heard a few years later in James Camerons Avatar). The directors cut, however uses a completely different soundtrack, the Gabriel Yared version that was rejected before the film was released. The music does not match the scene, is loud and intrusive, and afterwards as the scene is winding down, seems to build up and is almost happy sounding, completely in contrast with what is happening on-screen. I do not understand the decision to do this, as it was the only scene to get this treatment (as far as Im aware) and the music threatens to drown out the sound of clashing swords and dialogue. Not only that, but the special edition Blu-Ray I own is the ONLY film Ive seen that does not give the option to watch the theatrical release, and its the only time I do want it! Anyway, rant over. Of all the war films in the decade that spawned it, Troy is the one I keep coming back to. The mythology behind it, the strong performances of the massively experienced cast, and the battles that rage from the beach to the city streets. The directors cut version adds around half an hour to the running time which takes it just over 3 hours, but for me the extra goodies was offside by the jarring new soundtrack of my favourite scene. Verdict, both versions; 8/10 Again, I feel like Im getting into the habit of just writing about what I like. Ill have to watch something God-awful to make things right. Or something.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 00:53:31 +0000
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