Stars: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Hopkins

Director: Oliver Stone

Summary: Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life of the mighty Alexander the Great. Despite his young death at 32, Alexander packed some unimaginable conquests into his limited years by ruling over a huge chunk of the globe. Stone draws on a voice-over narration provided by Anthony Hopkins, whose character is named Ptolemy, to aurally depict some of the battles. Thus, Stone shifts the weight of the film to focus on the personality of Alexander (Colin Farrell), a man who is stricken by overwhelming personal insecurities that come in direct contrast to his bold achievements. Complex dealings with his mother (Angelina Jolie) and father (Val Kilmer) plague him, as does his turbulent relationship with his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His connection with his best friend, Hephaestion (Jared Leto), is ambiguous, with Stone touching on their vaunted homosexuality via some shared tender moments. As these personal battles are played out, Ptolemy fills the historic gaps in the narrative by charting the incredible conflicts that raged at Alexander's behest. Eventually, Stone lets loose with an epic on-screen battle, which sees Alexander's troops rumble across India in another country-conquering quest. But while his minions struggle, and Alexander demands success, it becomes clear that he is his own worst enemy. With the only real threat to Alexander coming from a tempestuous struggle with his own ego, Stone's summation of the great historical leader paints a picture of an embittered and solitary figure who was able to rule everyone apart from himself.

Oliver Stone’s ALEXANDER charts the life of one of history’s most influential leaders, Alexander the Great. From epic battles to his tumultuous personal affairs, the film offers a rare insight into the life of a man who, by the age of 27, had conquered 90% of the known world.

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Reviewed by: philreyn
Posted on September 12, 2005 12:34 PM

Great fight scenes, but the film does drag on a little.
Why has Alexander been portrayed as being gay? If this is a historical fact, then OK. If it was put in for any other reason, then what is the point. To be honest this film passes as entertainment for those of us who really do enjoy these historical epics, but if you really want a well made modern epic with a story line to match - buy Troy.
Maybe the 'directors cut' version makes up the difference?

Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on May 7, 2006 7:28 PM

It was ok as far as the battle scenes , but I preferred the version that starred Richard Burton . Troy is probably much more accurately portrayed as far as historical significance states , but I have seen much worse . Colin Farrell looks fairly uneasy in the part of Alexander
and maybe the gay tag along with the dyed blonde locks justifies this
as this was probably part and parcel for the time .

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Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Commentary, Resurrecting Alexander Feature, Perfect Is The Enemy Of God Feature, The Death Of Alexander Feature, Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, DVDROM Web Links
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2004
Release Date:	August 1, 2005
Runtime:	175 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 038936
Keywords:	Action, Alexander, Two, Version, General, Original, Adventure, Discs, Theatrical
Genre:	Action/Adventure