A beautiful warrior with a cat’s eyes glares furiously at his opponent. He positions his spear, ready to strike. What follows is one of the most spectacular fight sequences in all the 2000s, where the mighty Achilles (Brad Pitt) battles the reluctant Hector (Eric Bana) over a blood debt for his slain companion. In this perfect duel, you can see every hit, track every blow. Their powerful movements are so rhythmic and dancelike they almost become beautiful. It’s the twirl of Achilles’ shield, the smooth curve of his spear’s swing, the sound that treats Hector’s shield as percussion. The camera is always lucid and clear, with every cut effortlessly following each line of attack. In dodges and parries, thrusts and lunges, each warrior closes distance, and they soon draw swords, pushing them dangerously close together. It represents much of what’s missing from big blockbusters today — a thrillingly tactile set-piece that sacrifices none of its glamor while retaining all of its coherent fury.
This scene represents Troy (2004) at its best, the lavishly mounted epic that chased the success of Gladiator (2000) and The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003). On paper, it had everything going for it: a star-studded cast with key parts given to stars from classics old and new; Peter O’Toole plays King Priam, Julie Christie as Achilles’ mother Thetis, and even the still green Orlando Bloom as Paris. It was part of that whirlwind when Hollywood made Eric Bana its top leading man. James Horner was commissioned for the score (it’s excellent), and brought with him his always stirring four-note danger motif. It was directed by German filmmaker Wolfgang Peterson, who transitioned from directing his torturously bleak submarine thriller Das Boot (1981) into trashy-but-awesome Hollywood genre fare with In the Line of Fire (1993) and Air Force One (1997). Ironically, that made Peterson the perfect candidate for this version of The Illiad, which has aged into a surprisingly thoughtful, if flawed, sword and sandal actioner. With the limited edition release of Troy on 4K UHD by Arrow, it’s a perfect time to revisit why.
