Synopsis

When Trojan prince Paris takes Helen, the wife of Sparta's king, back to Troy, the act ignites a war between the Trojans and a united Greek army. The legendary warrior Achilles joins the Greek campaign, while Hector defends his city and family. As the siege continues, personal rivalries, wounded pride, and the pursuit of immortal fame shape the fate of both armies.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is a loose adaptation of Homer's The Iliad, but it removes the Greek gods and treats the legendary conflict as a human historical event.

• Troy was one of the most expensive films produced at the time, with reported production costs of approximately $175 million to $185 million.

• Production took place in Malta, Mexico, and at Shepperton Studios in England. Malta provided several large-scale coastal and battlefield settings.

• Brad Pitt suffered an Achilles tendon injury during production. The injury was particularly unfortunate given the name of his character.

• The film premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival in an out-of-competition screening.

• A longer director's cut was later released with a runtime of approximately 196 minutes, compared with the 163-minute theatrical version.

• Despite mixed reviews, the film earned approximately $497 million worldwide and became one of 2004's major box-office successes.

• The screenplay condenses events traditionally associated with a long Trojan War into a much shorter dramatic period and combines material from several ancient legends.