The film centres around the story of the Trojan Wars and the legendary figures of Prince Hector and Achilles. The film opens with Agamemnon (Brian Cox) attempting to conquer yet another land in order to add it's resources to his growing Greek force, it is here we first catch a glimpse of Greece's greatest warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt). The 'rogue' Achilles fights not for King Agamemnon but for glory and for his name to survive the ages. His fighting prowess is quickly established and it is easy for the audience to awe this legendary fighter from the start. The main plot of the story then begins with the young Trojan Princes Hector (Eric Bana) and Paris (Orlando Bloom) in the Kingdom of Sparta where they are celebrating a truce and an alliance between the great powers of Sparta and Troy. Yet things quickly turn sour after Paris falls in love with queen Helen of Sparta (Diane Kruger), infuriating her husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). Menelaus enlists the help of his brother, Agamemnon, in order to retrieve Helen back to Sparta. Yet Agamemnon already had plans of bringing Troy under his rule and quickly seizes the opportunity to unite a force to conquer Troy. Yet with the legendary swordsman Prince Hector in the Trojan ranks Agamemnon must attempt to gain the sword of Achilles in order to win the battle. Yet, reluctant to fight again for someone he despises, Achilles is finally persuaded by the King of Ithaca Odysseus (Sean Bean) to fight for glory and immortality. So beginning the siege of Troy.

The main drive behind the film seems to be honour and pride, set amongst brilliant battle scenes. These are some of the most memorable battle scenes I have seen in films the like of these. Peterson has truly mastered the brutal and realistic scenes and the effects are handled superbly. From the large scale CGI shots to the close up hand to hand combat, everything sucks you in and the battles become wholly enjoyable and entertaining. Adding to this are the performances of some of the main characters. Eric Bana creates a true hero for a film that is full of legends. He succeeds at persuading the audience that all he does is for the honour and loyalty of both his family and his country. Bana's skill is mirrored on the Greek side by that of Cox. A big fan of what he has achieved in the past I can say I was not disappointed with his input into 'Troy'. Yet again he portrays the perfect bad guy who the audience just cant wait to come undone. Yet the performance of Pitt leaves much room for improvement, his performance is severely shadowed by that of Bana. He appears to be the token American hero in this Hollywood epic.

Idiotic cannot describe it.

However the film does offer some interesting Special Features and a good half an hour of unseen footage. The 'In The Thick Of Battle' and 'Troy: An Effects Odyssey' Special Features are worth a look and are fairly entertaining in their own right if you enjoy watching the construction of CGI and the such. Yet the extra footage that is supplied within the feature is somewhat disappointing, and it is easy to see why the director felt it should be 'unseen' in the first place.