Troy Trailer
300 trailer

Dean Read pits Wolfgang Peterson’s renewed edit of the 2004 release Troy against Zack Snyder's recent hit 300. 300 and Troy are both filmic adaptations of literary interpretations of historical battles that occurred in Greece, or in Troy’s case "possibly historic" events. In the former Frank Miller’s graphic novelisation of the battle of Thermopylae (in particular the role of the Spartans) serves as source material whereas the latter is based upon the slightly more classic Homer’s Iliad. I would like to preface my discussion of the films by saying I haven’t read either source and have virtually no knowledge of the historical facts or lack thereof that are dramatised here, therefore my opinion is not based on the historical accuracy or adherence to the source material of either.

300 follows the fate of King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) as he leads three hundred of his best men from Sparta to battle Xerxes, the King of Persia’s (now Iran), massive army. The invading Persians want "Earth and Water" from the Greek tribe as a show of fealty and as you might guess the Spartans are reluctant to oblige to say the least. As the narration by Dilios (David Wenham) teaches us the Spartans discard any of their children who are not seen as fit to be a warrior and train the survivors continually as soldiers from youth. A heroic zeal is instilled in them and a hero’s death on the battlefield in service to Sparta is their ultimate goal. The intense level of selective breeding, lifelong training and tactical terrain use lead the Spartan 300 to be more than a match for a numerically superior Persian force with their downfall only as a result of treachery from one of their own.

The political machinations underlying Troy are similar yet more complex than the simple "King defending his land" tale that is 300. We are first introduced to Agamemnon (Brian Cox), King of Mycenae, as he is invading a less powerful Kings land. We are told of the submission of many other dominions to Agamemnon’s will and instead of defiling the lesser King’s troops with his superior forces he offers a battle of Heroes to decide the outcome. The rebellious Achilles (Brad Pitt) is summoned to end the giant opposing hero and does so with murderous speed, demonstrating his almost godlike killing abilities.

Separately the young Prince of Troy Paris (Orlando Bloom) steals Helen, wife of the King of Sparta while on a friendly mission. The Spartan King Menelaus just happens to be brother to Agamemnon. Such an insult gives the power hungry Mycenae ruler an excuse to rally the rest of Greece into an assault on the tall walls of Troy, its aged King Priam (Peter O’ Toole) and its greatest champion Prince Hector (Eric Bana).

Summarising the two films at a basic level would lead to them sounding incredibly similar "Power hungry King with vast army invades foreign land, has plans foiled by acts of heroism and tactical superiority… all happens in Greece a long time ago and involves Spartans". In reality it is difficult to describe how different they are. The goals of Snyder and Peterson are so vastly separated that it is akin to comparing a Rob Schneider film to an English period drama. 300 sets out to be a visceral experience that is brutal action from the get go whereas Troy aims to give you insight into the motives of it’s characters with the battling and death as a gruesome consequence of these motives. It is this fundamental ideological difference that means both of these outwardly similar sounding films should hold a place on your DVD shelf.

300 spends all of about 15 minutes establishing scene and character before the action kicks off, and just in case you have seen nothing of its visual aesthetic, it is quite some action. With roughly 90% shot on blue/green screen the locales and unrepentant limb hacking are visually stunning. Like the previous adaptation of Frank Miller’s Sin City it feels like you’re watching a comic book at 60fps with the roars of Leonidas and the Spartans nearly appearing as the iconic comic book speech bubbles in your mind. It is this adrenaline pumping non-stop action which is the key to the success off the 300 as a film. In the hands of a lesser director the audience would have felt detached from the Spartans and every special effects laden kill just a piece of meaningless eye candy (see Ultraviolet for a perfect example of how bad a film like that can be). But as cheesy as it may sound 300 puts you right alongside them and every OTT killing of a Persian makes you a little happier inside.

Troy may at first appear as a more subdued affair, with the hearts of men as the driving force for the storyline rather than the love of battle. However to think this would be a mistake. When Achilles, Hector or Ajax are tearing through the opposing forces infantry fodder it is difficult not to be impressed with the brilliantly choreographed action sequences. It makes you believe these men could really be as invincible as their people think they are. The difference with Troy and 300 is that here you cannot revel in the kills as neither side is truly good and both are at fault. This adds weight to the deaths and shows you the gruesome results of the greed of royalty on both sides.

Reading through the cast list for both films it is difficult not to think that 300 will be completely out classed with the acting talent on display in Troy… and it is. Brad Pitt and Eric Bana put in unbelievable performances as the heroes, with Pitt pulling off the difficult feat of making you empathise with a nearly heartless killing machine. Surrounding these are numerous other great performances, with Brian Cox being the thinking mans Hollywood bad guy nowadays and Peter O’ Toole is always top notch. Comparatively 300 rides completely on the broad shoulders of Gerard Butler and he performs in an Atlas like manner. He is perfect as the honourable and deadly Spartan King, with every battle cry sounding heartfelt. David Wenham also provides stirring narration of the events as the soldier who got wounded and had to leave early. Interestingly both Achilles and Leonidas have a loyal Captain played by the same man, Vincent Regan, and he performs his duties well in both cases.

Overall the two flicks are made for different reasons and therefore play better in different scenarios. 300 is a no-brainer manly affair that seems to flash by in a heartbeat due to it’s non-stop pace. Troy gives you time to think and characters to appreciate with some first rate action as well. In the end it is clear that Troy: Directors Cut is a better film but 300 is viewing experience not to be missed and both come highly recommended.

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