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Hector advises patience, but Priam is flush with victory. Persuaded by prophecies from his priests, he decides to attack. During the fight, Hector mistakenly kills Achilles’ cousin, spurring the warrior to a deadly showdown. During the 12-day mourning period, King Odysseus (Sean Bean) plots to leave a gigantic horse on the beach filled with soldiers. Hopefully, the curious Trojans will take it into the city. The trap is set.

Based on Homer’s epic Greek poem, “The Iliad,” “Troy” is a beautiful film full of special effects, dramatic war scenes (including the requisite violence, gory at times) and enough testosterone to power Sparta’s ships. Men will love it. Women will be drawn by the history, the costumes and the romance – if not Pitt’s buff body, which is seen naked from above the groin and the side in several scenes. He sleeps nude next to two naked women, with an implied ménage-á-trois. He also beds a young girl hours after meeting her. It’s sexy, to say the least – and as nude as you can get without showing genitalia.

The film fails to convey the drama and excitement of “Gladiator” and feels more like the dated “Ben Hur.” The Trojan horse is the climax, but too little screen time is devoted to it and it is placed too close to the end of the film. It also abbreviates a ten-year war into two weeks, telescoping much of the action. Not all the details match the original work, so students of the book will be disappointed.

The biggest flaw is the characterization, which remains underdeveloped. Helen, as “the face that launched a thousand ships,” has few lines and wafts along like a daisy in the wind. And what does she see in Paris – a morally bankrupt, unskilled soldier who speaks with bravado, then runs from his opponent? Is the couple in love? We see nothing of that relationship outside the bedroom.