| | Click on Product Listings for Details!
Troy (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
- Color
- Closed-captioned
- Widescreen
Avg. Customer Review: 
 "Troy" marks Brad Pitt's best performance in years!!
A couple of months ago, I saw the highly anticipated epic, "Troy", at the theater. I, for one, must say that the film was, without a doubt, one of the most impressive and action-packed epics ever made since Russell Crowe's "Gladiator" and Charlton Heston's "Ben-Hur"! The direction of Wolfgang Petersen ("Air Force One") was top-notch and flawless! The performance of superstar Brad Pitt ("Snatch", "Ocean's Eleven"), headlining the film's cast as the Greek warrior Achilles, was powerful and commanding! Once again, this is Pitt's best performance in years! The performance of Eric Bana ("The Hulk", "Black Hawk Down"), as Achilles' Trojan counterpart, Prince Hector, was not only a tour de force performance, but an unforgettable one at that! Rounding out the cast are Orlando Bloom ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), Diane Kruger ("Wicker Park", "National Treasure"), Brian Cox ("The Ring"), Brendan Gleeson ("Cold Mountain"), Sean Bean ("Don't Say A Word"), Saffron Burrows ("Wing Commander"), Rose Byrne ("Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones"), Julie Christie ("Afterglow"), and Peter O'Toole ("Lawrence of Arabia") in which they gave excellent performances as well!For those not familiar with Homer's "The Iliad", the oldest and most enduring story ever told, "Troy" goes like this: Trojan princes Hector (Bana) and Paris (Bloom) are on a peace-keeping errand for their father, King Priam (O'Toole), in Sparta. Paris falls for King Menelaus' (Gleeson) lovely young bride Helen (Kruger), and Paris whisks Helen back to Troy for his own. Big mistake for Paris! Because with Helen missing, not to mention Menelaus presenting the problem to his brother, the land-grabbing Super-monarch Agamemnon (Cox), who uses the problem as an excuse to start a war between Troy and most of Greece, and only a great, big wooden horse and the might of warrior-for-hire Achilles (Pitt) can infiltrate the impenetrable walls of Troy and avenge the "theft" of Helen. To take on the role of Achilles, Brad Pitt worked out ferociously for months, with four hours a day of intensive body-building and four hours of fight training. But Pitt's training took a turn for the worse as an injury sidelined him for three months while filming a crucial fight scene: the mano-a-mano showdown between Achilles and Hector (In other words, Pitt had damaged his Achilles heel, paying homage to his character). Yet physically, Pitt is everything that Achilles should be: beautiful, god-like, and a fighting machine. Yet, Achilles is not a brooding, James Dean, introspective Hamlet-type, which is how he is played by Pitt. Achilles is a hero with a tragic flaw (almost always hubris). "The Iliad", like the writings of the ancient Greeks, is not about language or character development. It's about larger-than-life themes: gods, goddesses, vengeance and might, and fury and fate. With fate behind all decisions, there is almost no need for character because there is no inner struggle. The Greek myths are painted in the broadest of strokes to create the largest of pictures. The story of this is saddled with a mortality and humanity that saps it of what makes it great in the first place: infinity. Nonetheless, "Troy" proved a whole lot. Pitt, a superstar and a member of Hollywood's $20-million club, has only carried a blockbuster once: "Se7en", and that was nine years ago. Likewise, the success of "Troy", to me, had a lot to say about the leading-man future of Eric Bana, whose supporting performance was the best thing about Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" in 2001, but who languished as last year's "Hulk" in the Ang Lee film. Pitt did an excellent job in the film because he's buff and fights well, and we all know he can act from "Se7en" and "Twelve Monkeys", and he should have hits well into the near future. It will be long, however, before a romantic comedy or courtroom drama will test Orlando Bloom's mettle. But so long as he's shooting arrows ("The Lord of the Rings" films) and buckling swashes ("Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl") in the company of $200 million-grossing Hobbits and pirates, he's safe. It's Bana who is the revelation as Hector. His warrior physique and huge, vulnerable eyes mix perfectly for a romantic hero. Fortunately, "Troy" follows the model of all great and not-so-great Hollywood epics by having a multi-national cast with British accents for characters who wouldn't have spoken English, anchored by the last surviving British theatrical aristocracy. That's why we get screen legend Peter O'Toole as King Priam, who, dusted off, is still the best actor in any scene he's in. In conclusion, "Troy" has it all: a great cast, spectacular action, a powerful storyline, and extraordinary, larger-than-life characters! My advice about the film is: Come for the Brad Pitt, savor the Orlando Bloom, and stay for the Eric Bana. And never, NEVER, under any circumstances, underestimate Peter O'Toole. "Troy", without a doubt, is a DVD must-have when it's released!
Entertaining Wannabe Epic Heavy on Spectacle, Light on Heart
In a post-"Lord of the Rings" age, it's nothing if not ballsy to even attempt crafting a large-scale, old-fashioned epic, especially when you know it will be a mere candle when tested against that trilogy's blinding torch of greatness. Still, Warner Bros. and Wolfgang Petersen have tried anyways, casting Brad Pitt as Achilles in an adaptation of certain events from Homer's epic poem "The Iliad". The end result is an entertaining, but woefully overlong and empty wannabe epic. The story is set into motion when young Paris of Troy (Orlando Bloom, cast accurately as a fancy pretty boy) swoops off across the ocean with Helen (Diane Kruger, beautiful, but as hollow as her porcelain doll looks suggest), who is wife of the Spartan king Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). The spurned husband responds by enlisting his brother, Greek king Agememnon (Brian Cox, who chews on scenery as if it were tough meat), to help launch an offensive against the whole of Troy. In command of the Greek army-or, at the very least, its inspirational mascot-is Achilles (Pitt), a warrior of amazing skill but questionable loyalty. He openly despises Agememnon, and refuses to get involved in this war until a personal loss forces him to do so. At the head of the opposing army is Hector (Eric Bana, in a meaty performance), eldest son of the Trojan king (an excellent Peter O'Toole), and brother of the philandering Paris. He's rumored to be as great in battle as Achilles, and when the two finally meet for some one-on-one action, it's truly an awesome, intense moment. Sadly, any such intensity in "Troy" fades soon after the swords and spears stop flying. The love story between Paris and Helen is less than involving, and, really, it's just as hard to get into the personal plights of any of the other characters, except for maybe Hector, but that's only because Bana is so damn good. Meanwhile, Achilles is presented as a quiet but cocky man, full of many pretentious musings, all delivered in Pitt's unnecessary and bothersome attempt at a slight British accent. Yet we can never really get inside this man's head, or even begin to understand what he's feeling, even though the movie makes a half-hearted attempt at doing so. Of course, this film's real selling points are the special effects and many battle sequences. Yet, while impressive, they have a been-there, done-that feel, thanks to another epic about ancient times, 2000's superior "Gladiator". In fact, Wolfgang Petersen, a great director in his own right ("Das Boot", "Air Force One"), seems a little too "inspired" by the Ridley Scott Best Picture winner, and no scene here feels like a truly memorable original. Still, when all the dust settles, "Troy" stands out as an above-average summer popcorn flick, with plenty of grand action set-ups and an easy-to-follow story that, while never entirely interesting, doesn't exactly bore. However, it also stands out as a below-average epic, marred by a lack of depth and too many scenes that drag. I mean, when a 162-minute movie starts feeling as long as it is, you know things are far from perfect, especially when even the star himself begins to look bored in his surroundings.
Saw it 3 times in one day
At first I didn't want to see this movie because I thought it would be boring, and stupid, not to mention it had Brad Pitt. But then my best friend, who has never guided me wrong on movies, told me how great it was, and said I should cheack it out. I was a little hesitent at first because again I wasn't sure if I should waist my dollars on it or not. I took a chance and saw it.
IT WAS AMASING!
I couldn't believe I was going to miss out on this amazingly made movie. It's got something for everything. Semi-nude Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, along with Orlando Bloom. Not to mention a few love storys for us sencitive people, and some major butt kicking for us action people. The battel scenes though long, where amazing and well done. The fight between Achilles (Pitt) and Hector (Bana), was amazing. The first time I saw it, I was at the eage of my seat, at a loss for breath. Completely taken in by every move they made. Though me being the Greek Geek that I am knew who was going to die, but I was still amazed.
The only problem I found was I was too attached to the characters, which is a good thing, and when they died I wanted to cry. (I think I did when Hector and Achilles died), but I my heart went out to Hector's wife, and Achille's lover. That normally doesn't happen to me.
All I'm saying is it's got something for everyone, some love, and some blood.
| |
shopping cart
Enlarge View
