Troy (film)

For other uses, see Troy (disambiguation).
Troy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWolfgang Petersen
Screenplay byDavid Benioff
Based on
Iliad
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRoger Pratt
Edited byPeter Honess
Music byJames Horner
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • May 13, 2004 (2004-05-13) (Cannes)
  • May 14, 2004 (2004-05-14) (United States)
Running time
163 minutes (theatrical), 196 minutes (director's cut)
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Mexico
  • Malta
LanguageEnglish
Budget$175–185 million[1][2]
Box office$497.4 million[1]

Troy is a 2004 epic historical war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff. Produced by units in Malta, Mexico and Britain's Shepperton Studios, the film features an ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Rose Byrne, Saffron Burrows and Orlando Bloom. It is loosely based[3] on Homer's Iliad in its narration of the entire story of the decade-long Trojan War—condensed into little more than a couple of weeks, rather than just the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in the ninth year. Achilles leads his Myrmidons along with the rest of the Greek army invading the historical city of Troy, defended by Hector's Trojan army. The end of the film (the sack of Troy) is not taken from the Iliad, but rather from Quintus Smyrnaeus's Posthomerica, as the Iliad concludes with Hector's death and funeral.

Troy made over $497 million worldwide, making it the 60th highest-grossing film at the time of its release. However, it received mixed reviews, with critics praising its entertainment value and the performances of Pitt and Bana[4][5][6] while criticizing its story, which was deemed unfaithful to the Iliad.[7][8] It received a nomination for Best Costume Design at the 77th Academy Awards and was the eighth highest-grossing film of 2004.[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BoxOfficeMojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ ""Troy" a mediocre epic - Oct 10, 2005". CNN.com. October 10, 2005. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Haase, Christine (2007). When Heimat Meets Hollywood: German Filmmakers and America, 1985-2005. Camden House. p. 90. ISBN 978-1571132796.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Papamichael, Stella (2004-05-20). "BBC - Films - Troy". BBC. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. ^ Thomson, Desson (2004-05-14). "'Troy:' Brad to the Bone (washingtonpost.com)". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  7. ^ "Troy, starring Brad Pitt, is a historical travesty". the Guardian. 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  8. ^ Mclaughlin, William (2015-11-26). "Historical Review: Troy; the Good, the Bad and the Ugly". WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  9. ^ "2004 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 8, 2009.