The epic seizes the imagination with breathtaking designs and heroic performances.

The beauty of Helen of Sparta is legendary.

First she bewitched Menelaus, the king of Sparta, and then Paris, the young prince of Troy.

When she left Menelaus, who had become her husband, for Paris, Greece went to war with Troy to get her back.

This has been the wisdom of most tales of Helen of Troy -- but is not entirely so with Wolfgang Petersen's rousing costume epic, Troy.

In his version, Helen (Diane Kruger) was forced to marry Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), the much older, womanizing despot.

He had her body, but the young Paris (Orlando Bloom) won her heart.

It still means that an armada of 1,000 Greek ships, each holding 100 men, is dispatched to get her back, but in this telling, the only reason it comes to that is so Menelaus's power-hungry brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox) can add Troy to his list of conquered nations.

As the historian Lord Acton put it in 1887, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Cox illustrates the axiom by chomping up the scenery in the grand style of classic movie villains.

This Troy stars Brad Pitt -- the face that's launched many a Hollywood box-office hit -- as Achilles, the legendary warrior with the vulnerable heel.

In Petersen's Troy, Achilles is Agamemnon's secret weapon, a warrior so revered and feared that entire armies quake when he enters the battlefield and women, even temple virgins, offer him their bodies and souls.

This movie has it all, from epic battles and epic love stories to scenes of riveting drama, especially when Peter O'Toole is on screen as King Priam of Troy.

O'Toole has a particularly emotional scene with Pitt when the sworn enemies meet secretly in Achilles's tent one blood-drenched evening.

Pitt is physically convincing as the mercenary who fights solely for fame, fortune and a guaranteed place in history.

Achilles' love affair with Priam's niece Briseis (Rose Byrne) smacks of inclusion simply to give Pitt a love affair to rival the one Bloom has with Kruger.

The battlefield seems like an odd place for Achilles to find true love and no one from screenwriter David Benioff to the actors or Petersen is able to make it feel authentic.

It's the only place the film feels lacking; otherwise the emotions of the characters are as riveting and believable as the superbly crafted action.

As Hector, Troy's answer to Achilles, Eric Bana strides through the film with dignity to match the man's skills.

His climactic battle with Pitt is as much a highlight of the film as the scenes of the Greek armada approaching Troy or armies engaged in battle.

Kruger is stunning as Helen and has the acting chops to match her beauty. And Bloom does not shy away from showing Paris's failings as well as his infatuation for Helen.

Troy shows how great literature is infinitely superior to comic books when it comes to weaving plots and characters for motion pictures.

The siege of Troy is a story that has captivated imaginations for centuries, as have the characters who people it.

It works its magic again in Petersen's Troy, inspiring excellence on both sides of the cameras.

It's a handsomely designed, executed and acted film that is as enthralling on subsequent viewings as on the first encounter.

(This film is rated 14-A)

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