| | | A Wolfgang Petersen Film.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format)
Brad Pitt picks up a sword and brings a muscular, brooding presence to the role of Greek warrior Achilles in this spectacular retelling of The Iliad. Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger play the legendary lovers who plunge the world into war, Eric Bana portrays the prince who dares to confront Achilles, and Peter O'Toole rules Troy as King Priam. Director Wolfgang Petersen recreates a long-ago world of mighty warships, clashing armies, the massive fortress city, and the towering Trojan Horse. "In the tradition of Braveheart and Gladiator, Troy is epic moviemaking at its very best!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood).
"A gripping, well-told adaptation of one of the oldest human dramas." Claudia Puig, USA Today
"Stunning. Raging excitement, visual grandeur and dramatic intelligence." Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"An action spectacle of weight, splendor and vast entertainment value." Rex Reed, New York Observer
"Brad Pitt scores in a visually astonishing epic." Thelma Adams, US Weekly
"A "Ben-Hur"-size epic with beefcake, beauty, outsize heroes, flashy duels and epic battles." Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
Editor's Note
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. They recruit Achilles (Brad Pitt), the best warrior in Greece, whose bravery, quick feet, and remarkable swordsmanship (not to mention tanned 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's 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 duels must also be fought: Paris, who is heartbreaking in his lovestruck naiveté, 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.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: French | | Featurettes: "In The Thick Of The Battle", "From Ruins To Reality" & "Troy: An Effects Odyssey" | | Gallery Of The Gods: Take A Computer Generated, 3D Tour Of Mount Olympus & Meet The Fabled Gods Of Ancient Greece | | Giftset Includes The Book "Barbecue: 101 Essential Tips" | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 5/23/2006 |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 80735 | | UPC: 00012569807358 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (2005) | | | Bob Ringwood, Nominee, Best Achievement in Costume Design | |
MTV Award (2005) | | | Brad Pitt, Nominee, Best Male Performance | | | Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Nominee, Best Fight |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"[T]remendously entertaining....Peterson rips and roars through the tale..." 05/27/2004 p.89New York Times
"[With] crisply edited combat sequences, tableaus of antique splendor, [and] a hugely muscled Brad Pitt modeling the latest in Hellenic leisure wear..." 05/14/2004 p.E1 USA Today
"[T]his latest interpretation of Homer's classic tale is entertainingly epic eye candy." 05/14/2004 p.5D Uncut
"Sean Bean's Odysseus is resourceful and driven..." 07/01/2004 p.131 Sight and Sound
"The costuming and production design are handsome..." 07/01/2004 p.68 Premiere
"A brilliantly told story." New York Observer
"An action spectacle of weight, splendor and vast entertainment value" Chicago Tribune
"Stunning. Raging excitement, visual grandeur and dramatic intelligence." Associated Press
"The film is enormous and awe-inspiring" New York Daily News 9 of 10
A "Ben-Hur"-size epic with beefcake, beauty, outsize heroes, flashy duels and epic battles. There are breathtaking vistas, taut political intrigues, dangerous romantic liaisons and one of the greatest wardrobes ever assembled for a costume drama. - Jack Mathews
Premiere 9 of 10
Wolfgang Petersen's Troy recalls an age when Hollywood not only gambled on but flourished with grandiose epics and casts of thousands, and brings megawatt star power to what is, at root, a brilliantly told story. - Sara Brady
ReelViews 7 of 10
The line between epic spectacle and overblown bore is often as unclear as it is easily crossed. So it's no surprise that Wolfgang Petersen's Troy navigates that demarcation like a drunk driver on a twisty two-lane highway. There are times when Troy is stirring and engaging. However, at least as often, it is flat. There's really too much story to cram into a 165-minute period, yet, paradoxically, the movie seems longer than its bloated running length. And all of the visual majesty that hundreds of millions of dollars can buy cannot obscure the perfunctory and unsatisfying development of the major characters...Troy is loosely (and I emphasize loosely) based on Homer's epic poem "The Illiad," which many educated viewers will have read once (probably in a high school literature class). David Benioff's screenplay keeps most of the places and names, but takes a lot of what could charitably call "artistic license"...Despite its shortcomings, there are things to appreciate about Troy, not the least of which is that it's aimed at adults, not children - a rarity amidst summer fare. And, since I'm inordinately fond of historically-based epics (even though little is known about the real Troy), I was entertained more often than not. But it seems to me that if a viewer is going to invest nearly three hours, he or she deserves more than what Troy delivers. The best epics work because they provide both visual spectacle and emotional resonance, and the second part of that equation is where Troy falls short. Tertiary love stories (such as the one between Achilles and a slave girl) and noble speeches aren't enough. Petersen understands the importance of believable characters (as he proved in his landmark Das Boot), but, excepting Hector and Priam, he fails to bring these mythological figures to life on the screen. And that, more than anything else, proves to be this film's undoing. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
"Troy" is based on the epic poem The Iliad by Homer, according to the credits. Homer's estate should sue. The movie sidesteps the existence of the Greek gods, turns its heroes into action movie cliches and demonstrates that we're getting tired of computer-generated armies. Better a couple of hundred sweaty warriors than two masses of 50,000 men marching toward one another across a sea of special effects...Pitt is a good actor and a handsome man, and he worked out for six months to get buff for the role, but Achilles is not a character he inhabits comfortably. Say what you will about Charlton Heston and Victor Mature, but one good way to carry off a sword-and-sandal epic is to be filmed by a camera down around your knees, while you intone quasi-formal prose in a heroic baritone. Pitt is modern, nuanced, introspective; he brings complexity to a role where it is not required...As for the Greek cities themselves, a cliche from the old Hollywood epics has remained intact. This is the convention that whenever a battle of great drama takes place, all the important characters have box seats for it. When Achilles battles Hector before the walls of Troy, for example, Priam and his family have a sort of viewing stand right at the front of the palace, and we get the usual crowd reaction shots, some of them awkward closeups of actresses told to look grieved...In a way, "Troy" resembles "The Alamo." Both are about fortresses under siege. Both are defeated because of faulty night watchmen. The Mexicans sneak up on the Alamo undetected, and absolutely nobody is awake to see the Greeks climbing out of the Trojan Horse. One difference between the two movies is that Billy Bob Thornton and the other "Alamo" actors are given evocative dialogue, and deliver it well, while "Troy" provides dialogue that probably cannot be delivered well because it would sound even sillier that way. - Roger Ebert
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