Troy

Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy is all screwy. Based on Homer’s The Iliad, it has none of the mythology of that famed poem, and features a brooding, moping hero at its center. Brad Pitt spent a lot of time, and did a lot of pushups, preparing for his role as Achilles, and he looks damn good in this movie. But the character he’s asked to portray makes little to no sense, as does the overall approach to this movie. Admittedly, a bunch of vengeful gods intervening in the business of the Greeks and Trojans might’ve been a mighty big calling, but with $200 million to spend, I want to see Zeus kicking some ass! Instead of addressing Homer’s literary work with the splendor of, say, Peter Jackson’s often faithful adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, Petersen and company go for a sort of Gladiator rehash. As Russell Crowe bellowed “Are you not entertained?” in Gladiator, Pitt bellows “Is there anybody else?” for this film’s macho catchphrase. A much ballyhooed but weak entry to the summer movie season.