Alexander (Unrated Final Cut) (2004)
Alexander The Great was a relentless conqueror who by the age of 32 had amassed the greatest empire the world had ever seen. Past and present collide to form the puzzle of the protagonist, a tapestry of triumphs and tragedies in which childhood memories and Alexander's rise to power unfold side by side with the later day expansion of his empire, its gradual decline and ultimate downfall. From his youth, fueled by dreams of glory and adventure, to his lonely and mysterious death as a ruler of a vast state, from the tumultuous relationship with his parents - a powerful king and a queen determined to put her child on the throne at any cost, including murder - to the rousing "band of brothers" bond with his closest companions and vast army, as they fought from the sun-scorched battlefields of the Persian Empire across the snow-peaked mountains of India, the film chronicles Alexander's journey to become a living legend. For as Virgil wrote, "Fortune favors the bold." And no king or emperor, either before or after, ever achieved such fortune, or indeed was so bold, as Alexander the Great.
Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life of the mighty Alexander the Great. Despite his young death at 32, Alexander packed some unimaginable conquests into his limited years by ruling over a huge chunk of the globe. Stone draws on a voice-over narration provided by Anthony Hopkins, whose character is named Ptolemy, to aurally depict some of the battles. Thus, Stone shifts the weight of the film to focus on the personality of Alexander (Colin Farrell), a man who is stricken by overwhelming personal insecurities that come in direct contrast to his bold achievements. Complex dealings with his mother (Angelina Jolie) and father (Val Kilmer) plague him, as does his turbulent relationship with his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His connection with his best friend, Hephaestion (Jared Leto), is ambiguous, with Stone touching on their vaunted homosexuality via some shared tender moments. As these personal battles are played out, Ptolemy fills the historic gaps in the narrative by charting the incredible conflicts that raged at Alexander's behest. Eventually, Stone lets loose with an epic on-screen battle, which sees Alexander's troops rumble across India in another country-conquering quest. But while his minions struggle, and Alexander demands success, it becomes clear that he is his own worst enemy. With the only real threat to Alexander coming from a tempestuous struggle with his own ego, Stone's summation of the great historical leader paints a picture of an embittered and solitary figure who was able to rule everyone apart from himself.
Troy: Director's Cut (2004)
In 1193 B.C., Prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) of Troy stole the beautiful Greek woman, Helen (Diane Kruger), away from her husband, Menelaus, the king of Sparta, setting the two nations at war with each other, as the Greeks began a bloody siege of Troy using their entire armada, led by Achilles (Brad Pitt), that lasted over a decade.
There is an irony to Brad Pitt. He is a star of Troy because of his extraordinary beauty, but he's at his best as an actor when his looks are obscured (Twelve Monkeys, Fight Club). In Troy, Brad Pitt is shapely, bronzed and be-tressed, and all wrong for the role.
As Achilles, the all-but-invincible ancient Greek warrior of Homer's Iliad, Brad Pitt performs physical feats with aplomb.
Brad Pitt seems not to have any handle at all on this problematic character in Troy - a selfish, sulky killer given a gloss of sympathy with a contrived romance. When the fighting stops, Brad Pitt's performance, like the distracting not-quite-British accent he feigns, is simply awkward.
In contrast, consider co-star Eric Bana playing Achilles' enemy, the Trojan prince Hector. He is convincing both as a war hero in Troy and a man emotionally connected to his land and family. The best acting here comes from the veterans - Peter O'Toole as Hector's father Priam; Brian Cox as Achilles' hated king Agamemnon; and Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus, the husband of Helen of Troy, whose affair with Hector's brother Paris (Orlando Bloom) touches off the war. Despite limited screen time, Sean Bean makes a fine impression as Odysseus.
The females do not fare as well; Diane Kruger is particularly disappointing in a bland, generic performance as Helen of Troy. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff, the story of Troy is not as Homer wrote it 3,000 years ago, much less as it really happened. But it does offer plenty of engaging, old-style action, amplified with skillful special effects to make this movie adaptation of Troy worthwhile veiwing
Blood Diamond (2006)
A poor African farmer gets caught up in the conflict between an American diamond smuggler and the syndicate that controls local diamond mining industry.
Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Danny Archer, a South African mercenary, and Solomon Vandy, a Mende fisherman are joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon--who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields--has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen, an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Epic biography about legendary cowboy Wyatt Earp. The film spans Earp's life, from his youth, when blood and gore made him deeply uncomfortable, to his role in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, to his becoming a rigid, by-the-book sheriff. Also dramatized are Earp's relationships with his brothers and their wives, and with loyal friend Doc Holliday, who is dying of tuberculosis. |
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