Troy (2004)

Outside of its hyper-edited battle sequences, and its Hong Kong-tinged one-on-one fight scenes, Wolfgang Petersen's epic Troy feels like a Victor Mature film from the 1950s. For this film to work, the actors must play larger than life, and that can lead to moments of unintentional hilarity that, for the most part, this film avoids. The earnest tone might make more than a few audience members giggle with the possibility for Mystery Science Theater 3000-like responses to the stilted dialogue, but the confident visuals and the presence of the lead actors finally do lend Troy enough self-respect that one is forced to deal with the film on its terms. Brad Pitt (displaying the most sculpted muscles of his career), Eric Bana, and Brian Cox (hamming but getting away with it) manage to pull off the more implausible dialogue passages, actually making the political intrigue in the story more engaging than the action sequences. While Troy most certainly delivers what it promises, the film can bring nothing new to the venerable sword-and-sandal genre. Pitt's character, Achilles, is driven by the need to achieve immortality through his bravery -- the desire to have his name live through history. The sad truth is that it is unlikely anyone other than personal trainers will think of this film when they discuss Brad Pitt's career. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide