Troy Movie Info | Original Plot, Characters, and Cast

The 2004 film Troy was distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The screenplay was written by David Benioff, compressing the entire Trojan War myth into a single film of just over two hours.

This article covers the officially confirmed cast, the actual order of events in the film, and the ending. If you don't want the ending spoiled, simply skip the ending paragraph below. Where the film overlaps with its source, Homer's Iliad, and where it differs, will also be explained separately later on.

Officially Confirmed Cast

Six roles are confirmed on the official Warner Bros. page. Achilles is played by Brad Pitt, Hector by Eric Bana, Paris by Orlando Bloom, and Helen by Diane Kruger. Agamemnon, who leads the Greek coalition, is played by Brian Cox, and the cunning Odysseus by Sean Bean.

All six of these roles are casting information for this single 2004 film. Since the film's roles alone cannot tell you what different stories the same-named figures carry in mythology, if you're curious about each character in more depth, I'll guide you through that separately below.

In What Order Does the Film Present Events?

The film begins with Paris and Helen becoming drawn to each other during peace talks in Sparta, and Paris taking Helen aboard his ship to leave for Troy together. There's a detail worth noting here: this scene is portrayed not as an abduction in which someone forcibly seizes and carries Helen away, but as a relationship the two chose to leave with together.

This provokes Menelaus, the king of Sparta and Helen's husband, and his brother Agamemnon gathers armies from across Greece to launch an expedition against Troy. The film then unfolds with Achilles joining the war and his exploits, along with his direct confrontation with Hector, as the central axis of the war. The official synopsis in the American Film Institute (AFI) catalog likewise summarizes Achilles' expedition, his confrontation with Hector, and the war situation Paris finds himself in as the film's core events.

The Ending: The Horse and Achilles' Final Moments (Spoilers)

The Greek army leaves a giant wooden horse in front of the city gates and pretends to withdraw. When the Trojans take it as a peace offering and bring it inside the city, night falls, the Greek soldiers hidden inside the horse slip out, open the gates, and bring in the rest of the army, sacking the city.

In this chaos, Achilles is struck by an arrow shot by Paris, who harbors a desire for revenge for Hector's death. The first arrow pierces his heel, and as several more lodge in his body, he finally breathes his last. Amid the collapse of the city, Paris is portrayed leading the survivors out of Troy through a mountain path, and Helen too is shown leaving the city with him.

How Far Does It Match the Original Iliad, and Where Does It Differ?

Here it's worth pausing to consider the film's relationship to the original. Homer's Iliad does not cover the entire ten-year Trojan War, but only a short period in the later stages of the war, beginning with the wrath of Achilles and ending with Hector's death and funeral. In this respect, it shares the same roots as the film's axis of the confrontation with Hector.

On the other hand, the wooden horse and the fall of Troy that make up the film's ending, and Achilles' death that occurs in that situation, do not appear in the text of the Iliad. Because the Iliad closes its story with Hector's funeral, neither the horse nor Achilles' final moments exist within the epic. The film takes this aftermath from the broader mythological tradition surrounding the Trojan War and attaches it as a single ending — that's the accurate way to understand this adaptation.

The same goes for this film's premise that Paris and Helen fall in love and leave together. While the original mythological tradition also includes versions passed down in a more coercive form, the way this film portrays the relationship between the two is, as explained above, on the side of a voluntary affection.

Easily Confused Names

The name "Troy" is used across multiple contents, not only this 2004 film but also the series Troy: Fall of a City, and even the actual archaeological site of Troy. If what you're looking for is indeed this film, the linked information below should be helpful.

If you'd like a more detailed look at each cast member's role and relationships, check Troy Cast and Characters; to find out where you can watch this film again, see Troy OTT Streaming. If you're curious about other viewers' opinions after watching, it's also worth checking Troy Viewer Ratings and Reviews.

Broader Stories Worth Exploring Next

If you're curious about where the events the film depicts sit within the overall Trojan War myth, and how the stories of other gods and heroes intertwine, check the Greek and Roman mythology plot guide for character relationships and a suggested reading order.