Troy [Blu-ray] [2004] [US Import]

One of the best of the recent spate of epics, Troy isn't a faithful version of Homer's Illiad by any means - the Gods are ommitted, Petrochlus becomes Achilles', er, 'cousin,' while Achilles lives long enough to climb the walls of Troy in its death-throes while other characters meet premature ends - but for me at least the changes in David Benioff's really quite impressive screenplay are far from objectionable and often make emotional sense. Unlike Oliver Stone's Alexander, Benioff's screenplay is able to marry big, mythical themes, most notably the need for immortality through killing that drives many of the characters to their deaths, with strong storytelling and good characterization. Sadly, the cast aren't always quite up to the words, but they're still lightyears ahead of the miscasting contest in Robert Wise's 1955 Helen of Troy (which compensated with real rather than digital extras and a much cooler wooden horse).

Rather than focussing on Helen (not a bad thing with Diane Kruger unmemorable in the role), it centers on Achilles' lust for glory and his conflict with Hector and his own leader Agamemnon. In many ways its more about conflicting codes of honour than the traditional big romantic adventure treatment the story usually gets, but the wildly inconsistent Wolfgang Petersen does one of his better jobs here, balancing impressive spectacle and action sequences with a convincing human drama to deliver an intelligent and exciting epic. He even manages to elicit good performances from usually erratic supporting players like Sean Bean and the oft-wooden Saffron Burrows. Some of the digital effects look a lot less impressive on the small screen than they did on the big one, but not enough of them to detract.

Troy (Director's Cut) is so much better than the theatrical version that it is almost hard to believe that they are in essence the same movie. That is not to say that this new version is perfect, it isn't. As with the Theatrical version, the acting is in some instances passable at best and it takes quite a few liberties with the accepted version of events according to Homer. However, what it does do is make the film run far more smoothly than it did before. Considering over 30 minutes of footage has been restored it actually seems to make the film a lot tighter than it was before. The rather disjointed, lacking in focus theatrical version is now replaced with a movie that always keeps you engrossed. Not just in the battle scenes which are really quite brilliant but also in the political intrigues and infighting amongst both the Greeks and the Trojans. Brad Pitt always seems to divide people as to his worth as an actor. I happen to think he is actually quite good. In Troy he is the leading man and he does a good job of holding the film together. According to Homer, Achilles was the most beautiful and the deadliest warrior of his age. Pitt is undoubtedly in excellent physical condition but he also manages to convey Achilles coldness and mastery of arms. His Achilles is a killing machine who cares for almost nothing but his own personal glory. He knows what his alternative futures are before he sails to Troy, but he would rather die young covered in glory than live to be old surrounded by love. There is a vacant look in Achilles eyes almost as though he is aware of everything that is happening around him but doesn't really care as long as it does not seem to personally affect him. However, in war, every action has a knock on effect and Achilles discovers this to his own personal loss. Achilles is not an easy role to take on, but Pitt does it well and he makes Troy a better film because of it.
On a side note, why do film companies continue to keep on ripping off the average punter who buys DVD's. If you are a film fan you are always going to want to see exactly what the director wanted to show in the first place. I can accept that for the theatre sometimes you have to trim the film down a little to make it a more palatable running time for people to be prepared to go and see or in some cases to cut down on some of the director's wilder excesses. But surely when they release the DVD they could make both the theatrical and the director's version available at the same time or on the same package. After all it's not like the footage isn't already available. Too many times I have come across extended additions and director's cuts, mere months after they have released the theatrical version. I know it's too much to hope for that they will stop ripping us off, but I would just like them to know that it's pretty poor show from them.

What a let down the original movie was,slow, ponderous,shallow and completely forgettable.
I'm very much a fan of historical epics and my expectations of troy were high,particularly with the cast and crew they had on board.It was however a complete let down and seemed a view shared by many people i spoke to who had watched the movie.The score was dreadful,the characters were lacking in exposition and cause,the mtv style editing,particularly of the battle scenes was a mess ,i could go on and on but now i don't need to.

This new version is terrific,its like watching a new movie,the additional 30 minutes have added so much more to the film,character development is improved,the film feels epic,the new musical score fits in like a dream and the extended fight scenes of which there are many,all do justice to wolfgang petersen's desire to produce this new cut.

I can't praise it enough and if you had doubts over the original movie,then buy this,it really is worth having.
A 5 star recommendation.