Agamemnon has Odysseus, King of Ithaca, persuade Achilles to join them. Agamemnon agrees, as conquering Troy will give him control of the Aegean Sea. Upon learning of this, Menelaus meets with Agamemnon, his elder brother, and asks him to help take Troy. However, Paris is having an affair with Menelaus' wife, Queen Helen, and smuggles her aboard their home-bound vessel. Meanwhile, Prince Hector of Troy and his younger brother Paris negotiate a peace treaty with Menelaus, King of Sparta. Achilles, a heroic Greek warrior who has given Agamemnon many victories, deeply despises him. In Ancient Greece, King Agamemnon of Mycenae finally unites the Greek kingdoms after decades of warfare, forming a loose alliance under his rule. It received a nomination for Best Costume Design at the 77th Academy Awards and was the eighth highest-grossing film of 2004.
However, it received mixed reviews, with critics praising its entertainment value and Pitt's performance, but criticizing its story and unfaithfulness to the Iliad itself. Troy made over $497 million worldwide, making it the 60th highest-grossing film at the time of its release. The end of the film (the sack of Troy) is not taken from the Iliad, but rather from Quintus Smyrnaeus's Posthomerica as the Iliad concludes with Hector's death and funeral. Achilles leads his Myrmidons along with the rest of the Greek army invading the historical city of Troy, defended by Hector's Trojan army. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad in its narration of the entire story of the decade-long Trojan War-condensed into little more than a couple of weeks, rather than just the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in the ninth year. Produced by units in Malta, Mexico and Britain's Shepperton Studios, the film features an ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom. Troy is a 2004 American epic historical war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff.