Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3526 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-25
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Box set, Dubbed, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, English, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
• Dubbed in: German
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 156 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
There are many reasons to recommend Troy as a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially if you've never read Homer's The Iliad. Dispensing with Greek gods altogether, this earnestly massive production (budgeted at upwards of $200 million) will surely offend historians and devoted students of the classics. But there's politics aplenty in the grand-scale war that erupts when Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) makes off with Helen (blandly beautiful German model Diane Kruger), wife of Spartan ruler Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother, the Greek king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) prods him into enraged retaliation. Greek warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) brings lethal force to his battles (and there are many of them, mostly impressive), and his Trojan counterpart, Paris's brother Hector (Eric Bana), adds even more buffed-up beefcake to a film so chock-full o' hunks that there's barely room for Peter O'Toole (doing fine work as Trojan king Priam) and even less for Julie Christie, appearing ever-so-briefly as Achilles's melancholy mother. The drama is nearly as arid as the sun-baked locations (Mexico and Malta) that stand in for the Aegean coast, and many critics suggested that Pitt (who valiantly tries to give Achilles some tormented dimension) was simply miscast. But when you consider that Wolfgang Petersen also made The Perfect Storm, there's nothing wrong with enjoying Troy as a semi-guilty pleasure with a touch of ancient class. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
With soaring photography that circles from above then swoops in for the action, TROY is Wolfgang Petersen's majestic presentation of the classic Greek legend. It tells the story of an epic battle over Helen (Diane Kruger), the queen of Sparta, who is kidnapped by her lover Paris (Orlando Bloom), the prince of Troy. This infuriates Helen's husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox) convinces him to invade Troy and kill Helen. They recruit Achilles (Brad Pitt), the best warrior in Greece, whose bravery, quick feet, and remarkable swordsmanship (not to mention tan biceps, short kilts, and blond locks) have earned him a reputation that is almost as impressive as his ego. Achilles agrees to fight for Sparta, if only for the fame it will bring him. Even Achilles' mother, in a touching scene, advises him to forget mortal achievements and become a hero who will be remembered throughout history. Along with the invasion of Troy, a series of duals must also be fought: Paris, who is heartbreaking in his lovestruck naivety, must go up against the enraged Menelaus; and Achilles must settle a score with Hector (Eric Bana), who is fiercely dedicated to protecting his brother Paris and their father, the frail king Priam (Peter O'Toole). When the war finally ignites in its massive proportions, the action is awesome. And as the increasingly dramatic events play out, TROY earns its own timeless reputation among other action-adventure epics such as GLADIATOR and SPARTACUS.

Customer Reviews

Good battle scenes, characters are a bit so and so
If your looking for ancient battle scenes involving shields, spears, arrows and swords then this will be an enjoyable film.

The story line is preposterous involving Orlando Bloom running away with the wife of a powerful king triggering a war. The characters are okay but you watch a film like this for the action and not an intelligent meaningful script.

What a missed opportunity
Brilliant effects but why oh why does Hollywood feel the need to re-write a story that is strong enough to have survived 3000 years!

Can you imagine if Peter Jackson had taken the same liberties with the Lord of The Rings?

Overall this film left me feeling dissapointed and looking at what might have been ...

I lived in the time of Achilles
This film pretty much follows the story with very few exceptions and possible ending. However the few exceptions and ending is what makes this story work as a movie instead of a long poem. Stories being told may ways five different insights and there should be no conflict between the reader and viewer and both stories are real to the observer.

For you that forgot the story and you that know the story well but have not seen this movie basically we are looking at a story that you may or may not have had an opportunity to sidestep in school but can never have a grasp on social history with out it. Some call it real and lost in antiquity. Others say that homer had a Good imagination. And others treat it as an allegory with a historical background.

Brad Pitt who has played fickle people before is excellent in the part of Achilles and is sort of a heel. Nothing less was expected. It was the other actors that played their parts so well that you forgot you were watching the movie.

-----------------------------------------------------
Two Trojan princes are the guests of the Spartan ruler Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). While Menelaus is preoccupied with other matters he leaves his wife, Helen of Sparta (Diane Kruger), to her own devises. The younger Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) is left alone to many times with Helen and decides against everyone else's better judgment to make her Helen of Troy and thus pilfers her from Menelaus.

As a husband Menelaus is of course miffed. However his brother the Greek king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) sees this as an opportunity to absorb Troy into his territory. Natural this spawns a war in which Agamemnon recruits Achilles an extremely gifted and charmed warrior. Achilles goes to make a name for him self. He brings his cronies, and his cousin. Together they do many bold and callous things.

I will not go into the details of the war as you either know or will soon know the details. However I will say that I thought that the Trojan horse was well and realistically designed. And you may want to pay attention to the background music as it is relevant to the film.