Troy 4K 2004

Of all the large-scale historical epics made in recent years, I rank "Troy" number one. The overall pacing of the action, the grand-scale cinematography, and the performances by Bana, Bloom, Pitt, O’Toole, and everyone else—everything is top-notch.

The central theme is no less important. Apparently, vanity is truly the greatest vice of all. All the film’s characters perished either because of their own vanity or to satisfy someone else’s. And this makes us reflect on that very vanity within ourselves. Incidentally, this same idea is explored in another Hollywood masterpiece—"The Devil’s Advocate".

As for the historical inaccuracies, every director has the right to his own vision of a film. We can at least thank Petersen for the fact that, thanks to him, many people heard the names Hector, Achilles, and Agamemnon for the very first time. And if this film inspires them to discover Homer for the first time in their lives—or, at the very least, "Myths of Ancient Greece"—then that’s simply wonderful.