After the false start that was Van Helsing, the summer blockbuster season gets underway with this rousing, if flawed epic. Falling short of the emotional wallop of other great swords 'n' sandals epics of recent times, Gladiator (2000), and perhaps not as respectful of Homer's The Iliad as some would like, Troy still has enough pomp, aggression and sheer audacity to make it a fiercely entertaining summer movie. With David Benioff (author of The 25th Hour) hacking into The Iliad, we get a trimmed down version of events. The vaguely weedy but handsome Paris (Orlando Bloom) steals Helen (Diane Kruger), the beautiful wife of Greek king Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). Understandably aggrieved, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox) launch an attack against the bastion of Troy, which is ruled by Paris's father King Priam (Peter O'Toole) and defended by his brother Hector (Eric Bana). Leading the charge for the Greek forces is the arrogant Achilles (Brad Pitt), the epitome of physical perfection (steady on ladies!), he's also deemed to be the finest warrior in the world.
First the bad news. There will be those who feel Homer's Iliad has been mistreated by Hollywood, desperate to cash in the success of the genre. And it's not without justification. The sheer proliferation of characters and events means that Troy sometimes descends into an over blown talkathon as Benioff tries to cover all the bases when it comes to subplots and motivations. Inevitably, this leads to some problems. Indeed, as difficult as it might be for the entire heterosexual female populace to admit, Brad Pitt is chief amongst them. Physically he's perfect for the role - all flowing locks, steely gaze and pumped up abs - even if the clunky dialogue doesn't do him any favours. But when Troy and its main star stops being self-conscious and lets rip - especially in the final third - it's tremendously entertaining. Immaculately produced stuff, it brims with some incredibly well orchestrated action set pieces that are charged off a beat of sheer aggression. Summer daze, indeed.
