An Incredible presentation. Review on Troy

Wolfgang Petersen unveils one of the most wonderfully made movies 'Troy'in recent times. The movie strikes a chord with the audience in its very first scene and retains their attention right till the end. Some of the scenes are simply breathtaking and the climax (though predictable) leaves the audience stunned.

If the director and the screenplay writer decided to redo their effort, I am sure they will not find many aspects to improve. In fact, for many scenes, the superlatives in the language would be inadequate to describe their effort. The movie does have its share of flaws, but it is one of the closest (in recent times) to perfection when it comes to presentation and picturization.

Troy portrays the story of three distinctly interesting contemporaries - Achilles, Hector and Paris. Helen(Diana Kruger), whose character is more easily recollected when we hear Troy, is conspicous by a dwarfed role. A major share of the attention is given to Achilles (Brad Pitt), the champion warrior from Sparta who hates his king . Hector(Eric Bana), has been characterized with care as the courageous Prince who puts his country ahead of his family and his family ahead of himself .

Paris(Orlando Bloom), the timid hero who is transformed into a tough man after the death of his elder brother Hector, adds a lusty dimension to the movie with his heart that sweeps Helen off her feet. Helen leaves her husband Menelaus (King of Sparta) to elope with the younger Prince of Troy (Paris), triggering a conflict that brings two great warriors ? Hector and Achilles face to face. In an intriguing duel, Achilles tames Hector, only to be killed by the underdog Paris. Paris?steely resolve to win his sweetheart s respect and admiration with his combative skills overpowers the great warrior Achilles.

It is difficult to miss the director?s attempt to glorify Brad Pitt ahead of the character he portrays ? something which could be justified only from the commercial point of view. Apart from portraying the stubborn side of the the three central characters, the film also depicts the depth of their love for their respective women. Many a time, the film appears to present the pleasure and pain of two of the most powerful motives of men ? to be loved and to be powerful. The agony the central characters go through, trying to balance the tenderness of love with the bloodiness of war has been presented to perfection.

Cinematography requires a special mention. The scenes which picturize the fleet of ships moving across the ocean is simply overwhelming. So is the scene which presents the chilling battle between Hector and Achilles. In fact, all through the movie, it holds the viewer in awe. A fantastic effort and it can be counted among the best if not the best.

What makes the movie so near to perfection is the exemplary performance of the supporting cast. The review would be incomplete without mentioning their contribution to make this movie a worthwhile effort. The King of Troy excels among the support cast with his graceful yet intensive exhibition of his flair for acting. Sound effects provide the final yet vital punch for a movie that contains a lot of war scenes.

The misdirected effort to glorify Brad Pitt stands out as much as the under utilization of a character as important as Helen. Two kingdoms fought for one Princess, yet she hardly has a few scenes in the entire movie. Also, I am not sure if the portrayal of women as just objects of sex and machines that produced babies will go down well with the feminists.

Troy is a creation that is in a class of its own. It takes direction, cinematography and acting to a zone that is clearly above the ordinary. A few omissions and oversights indicate that the director is an ordinary human too, but someone with an extraordinary quest for excellence. He does succeed in his effort to be above from the rest, though he falls short of perfection by a small margin.