Troy

Is director Wolfgang Peterson gay?

 Troy: The Movie

I mean, he's terrific with the whole Ancient Greece thing (though not perhaps up to Ridley Scott's Gladiator or  Kingdom Of Heaven  but the premise of Troy, that of Helen, (Diane Kruger) the legendary beauty who  inadvertantly brought about the downfall of the most powerful kingdom in the ancient world, is made slightly ridiculous when the man who falls for her, Paris (Orlando Bloom) is prettier than she is!

Prince Paris & Helen of Troy

It's the same situation with  Achilles, half-man, half god, (Brad Pitt) who, we find,reasonably early on, waking up, having presumedly given two exhausted young maidens a good seeing to the night before, falls for Briseis (Rose Byrne), a temple maiden and niece of the Trojan King...who also doesn't cut the grade. Further, neither couple seems to have any chemistry that might make the er..."love" believable.

That can't be said of the final couple, the good prince Hector of Troy (Eric Bana) and his wife Andromarche (Saffron Burrows), who do have a genuine ooh-la-la happenin' there, though even that's a little hampered by Bana's earnest but limited acting abilities.

Lastly, there's the deep love that Achilles has for his airhead lookalike male cousin Patroclus (Garrett Hedlund), which seriously teeters between both the homo-erotic and utter Narcissism.

In fact, it's Patroclus' unfortunate death that works Achilles into such a hissy-fit that he first humiliates, then annihilates Prince Hector (Patroclus' inadvertant killer) in battle and finally desecrates his (Hector's) corpse. Still feeling snipsy, he torches the city of Troy, almost single-handedly. Bitch!

Once those (rather large) frustrations are gotten out of the way, Troy really is a magnificent epic with greats sets, a fantastic (to be seen) CGI armada and battle sequences, wonderful, effortless performances from the supporting cast:

• King Priam of Troy (Peter O'toole)
• Agamarra (Brian Cox), the king Achilles hates but serves
• Odysseus, (Sean Bean) &
• Maeleus, (Brendan Gleeson)  Agamarra's brother and Helen's husband

I've felt for a while that he's been hampered by his "pretty boy" reputation (much like me!) and he's actually a far better actor than peers such as Tom Cruise. Acting-wise, Troy is certainly a feather in Pitt's cap.

Should you bother to see it?

Well, yes. Peterson's done a great job with the visuals and if you want a Gladiator type of movie with little of the brain but lots more killing, then do give Troy a peek. If you're looking to be moved, don't bother.

Troy Director's Cut DVD

"...The extra footage gives this movie room to breathe and improves the pacing. The many changes in the soundtrack are a GREAT improvement: the "wailing woman" is kept to a minimum and is therefore more appropriate when it does appear. Watching this Director's Cut of the movie made me wish, yet again, that studios would release the cut the director wanted to start with..." Amazon reviewer P. Blanton

"...I was fan of Troy when it was first released a few years ago but it seemed a bit rushed and lacking any depth. Wait no more!! This directors cut is great and really takes the movie to another level. Improved score, improved pacing and not to mention the extended gory fight scenes! I loved the way they cleaned up the special effects and fleshed out characters so much more! 5 outa 5!..." Amazon reviewer Arthur Bazan

"...I am lucky enough to have seen a screening of the Director's Cut for Troy...It is fanstastic - the 40 minutes of additonal material adds meat to the bones of the original. The added footage and new score gives the movie a grander scope and serious gravitas. The colors are richer. There are additional scenes that give you a better insight into the Paris and Helen relationship as well as scenes that give more depth to Odysseus and Priam. I loved it. I was already a fan of the original, and now cannot recommend this new improved version highly enough..." Amazon reviewer British Yank

Troy soundtrack

 "...The music has enough of a Middle Eastern flavour to be appropriate, rolling drums, trumpets and haunting melodies..." Amazon reviewer L.L. Johnson

see also:

• wikipedia: Troy movie
• Rose Byrne being interviewed about her role in the movie, Troy, about working with Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O'toole and which hunk had the best legs