Alexander -- does Oscar favor the bold? Homophobes keep OUT!!!

Title:
Alexander (B+)
PH Release Date:
November 24, 2004
Actors:
Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jarred Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christopher Plummer
Director:
Oliver Stone
Story & Screenplay:
Oliver Stone et al.
Editor / Music:
Tom Nordbgerg et al. / Vangelis
Design / Photography:
Jan Roelfs / Rodrigo Prieto
Producer:
Thomas Schuhly, Moritz Borman et al.
Studio:
Intermedia

The greatest legend of all is real and so is the rumor that I’m hot….

After the hideous retelling of Troy, here comes another epic, bound to touch the most sensitive topic ubiquitous to any Greek related stories. Did the movie touch it? Oh, yes, not once, not twice but an awful amount of times.

Alexander is the greatest conqueror this world has ever seen. He managed to dominate over 2,000,0000 sq. ft. of this planet, from Persia to Egypt to the Far East. He achieved that at the age 32. This movie explores the life of this great titan, from his struggles during his childhood, his immense love for his mother, his anger towards his father, his craving for power and his sexuality.
But most importantly, this picture tried to reflect a heart of a leader, strengthen by his dreams and doomed by his ambitions.

Finally, a movie that deals with the controversy a Greek could never get out of. Oliver stone has gone where no big-budgeted epic director has gone before, a hero’s sexuality. Unlike its predecessor Troy, this movie featured what has long been a controversy, Alexander’s unexplainable fondness of the tail-bearing kind. Oliver was able to portray that delicate side of the hero without being too blunt about it visually. He showed it in a manner where you recognize it, that you start to feel ashamed by it because you are not use to seeing such romantic scenes between two men.

It was a very brave move, for that alone I could have given this movie the highest mark, however, it is not only of that nature where I base my grades. The movie concentrated on showing more what goes inside the head and the queer heart of a man of such great power. What his frustrations and tribulations were. However, due to the desire to show every bit of emotion from every significant event in his life, the director lost control of the story, and the lurid 15-minutes or more battle scenes didn’t help at all. The movie just can’t focus enough. You go from direction to the other leaving one situation unsolved while the next one prematurely touched.

The battle scenes were good, but it was just too long for me to handle that in fact I started to feel uneasy and lethargic. These battle scenes were just somewhat outrageous! The editing was fine, the music was okay, the cinematography was good and the director was great.

Colin Farrell has finally nailed the role that can give him the bald guy, or a nod at the very least, and after watching the movie; I say it’s not that farfetched. For the straight man that he is, this was one hell of a challenge to him that he pulled off so gracefully. Plus, he gave some “dangling bells” and “twin cheeks” exposure. Some will watch this for the mere sight of those. And well, let’s just say you won’ be disappointed. Angelina Jolie took a big risk by accepting a role a decade older than her as Alexander’s mother, but she managed to perform well. Jarred Leto is way too much of an eye-candy. He has this Jake Gyllenhaal (Hephaistion) charisma that can make you just go gaga over him. He still looks hot when he was gay and man, he was just great. And odd as it may sound, I felt the chemistry between him and Colin. You ‘ll believe that they’re actually really lovers. It’s nice to see that Val Kilmer has finally gone out of his cave of B movies. For a while, I didn’t recognize Anthony Hopkins, he played Ptolemy. But the most surprising of them all was Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Cassander) , he played a real queer and man he’s androgynous looks just pulled it off perfectly! He was brilliant in this movie, simply brilliant!

This is clearly not the movie everyone would like. Critics and historians are divided with their opinions of this flick. Some say it completely took fact out of the context and some say it is the truth and some of us just can’t handle them. I believe the latter more. Though the movie clearly failed to focus on one thing, what I admire about this film is that it was courageous enough to take the risk. It’s not your formula epic like Gladiator, this movie showed a hero at their weakest points, at their greatest strength and at their downfall. It may not be factual but for me it was real.

Though the movie didn’t show tongue licking scenes between two men, I still advise you don’t see this film if you’re homophobic. If you’re a typical audience you might feel uneasy with some of the scenes, sign of diversity, because you’re not use to seeing something like this you feel somehow offended, but it is not that, you’re just a little shocked. It’s a movie of utmost sincerity and boldness. Does the box-office favor the bold? We’ll find out soon… does Oscar favor the bold? I hope so……..