Troy projects expansive images across the screen. Huge panoramic shots of sandy beaches teaming with soldiers ready, seemingly ecstatic, to give their lives for the current whim of some king or flirtatious fancy of some young prince. These images coupled with a thick sweepingly melodramatic score on occasion approach impressive. But most of the time they're squarely adequate.

That said, battle sequences play well, believable, without going over the top, still again, seldom are they spectacular. And these are the film's greatest assets. Though Brad Pitt is an able actor, those abilities are extremely limited here, namely to his appearance and strong screen presence. Achilles seems to be quite an interesting character (I did not read Homer's novels) but this script offers only a surface view. A few other apt actors grace screen (Sean Bean, to name one), but for the most part, the acting factor matches that of the dialogue in the 'not much of interest here' department. Exceptions are rare. Though, I did like the line: "War is young men dying and old men talking." And a scene between Pitt and O'toole compels.

Read fast, this two-plus hour flick opens with a text preamble that flashes some hard-to-read fonts in a short period of time. Suffice to say - a long time ago a bunch of Greek kings were fighting each other for land, power, glory, (and occasionally love). There's a lot of overblown talk about glory, legend and names that live on. Since much blood is shed over love in this film, that love chemistry should have been fiery and passionate.

A kings and killing, damsels and glory, film that lacks spiritual or cinematographic warmth. Troy was shot in Malta and Mexico.