Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity.
And so we ask ourselves...
...will our actions echo across the centuries?
WilI strangers hear our names long after we're gone...
...and wonder who we were...
...how bravely we fought...
...how fiercely we loved?
Good day for the crows.
I told you yesterday and I'll tell you again today.
Remove your army from my land.
I like your land.
I think we'll stay. I like your soldiers too.
They fought bravely yesterday.
Not well, but bravely.
They won't fight for you.
That's what the Messenians said.
And the Arcadians and the Epeians.
Now they all fight for me.
You can't have the whole world, Agamemnon.
It's too big, even for you.
I don't want to watch another massacre.
Let's settle this war in the old manner. Your best fighter against my best.
And if my man wins?
We'll leave Thessaly for good.
I'm a generous man.
If mine wins, you can keep your throne...
...but Thessaly falls under my command...
...to fight with me whenever I call.
Boagrius!
This is my man.
Achilles!
Boagrius has this effect on many heroes.
Careful who you insult, old king.
My king, Achilles is not with the army.
- Where is he? - I sent a boy to look for him.
I was having a good dream.
Very good dream.
King Agamemnon sent me. He needs to...
I'll speak to your king in the morning.
But my lord, it is morning.
They're waiting for you.
Are the stories about you true?
They say your mother is an immortal goddess.
They say you can't be killed.
I wouldn't be bothering with the shield then, would I?
The Thessalonian you're fighting...
...he's the biggest man I've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him.
That's why no one will remember your name.
Achilles! Achilles! Achilles!
Perhaps we should have our war tomorrow, when you're better rested.
I should have you whipped for your impudence!
Perhaps you should fight him.
Achilles.
Look at the men's faces. You can save hundreds of them.
You can end this war with a swing of your sword.
Think how many songs they'll sing in your honor.
Let them go home to their wives.
Imagine a king who fights his own battles. Wouldn't that be a sight.
Of all the warlords loved by the gods, I hate him the most.
We need him, my king.
For now.
Is there no one else?
Who are you, soldier?
Achilles. Son of Peleus.
Achilles?
I'll remember the name.
The ruler of Thessaly carries this scepter.
Give it to your king.
He's not my king.
- Brothers in arms! - Brothers in arms!
- Friendship! - Friendship!
Princes of Troy, on our last night together...
...Queen Helen and I salute you.
We've had our conflicts before, it's true.
We fought many battles, Sparta and Troy. And fought well!
But I have always respected your father.
Priam is a good king, a good man.
I respected him as an adversary. I respect him now as my ally.
Hector, Paris, young princes, come. Stand.
Drink with me.
Let us drink to peace.
To peace between Troy and Sparta.
May the gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds.
- For the gods. - For the gods.
Strong arm. Thank the gods we made peace.
I've seen too many of my men struck down with this arm.
Never again, I hope.
Only one man wields a sword better than you.
Achilles.
That madman.
He would hurl a spear at Zeus himself. If the god insulted him.
See that one over there? I picked her special for you.
She's a little lioness.
Thank you. My wife waits for me in Troy.
My wife waits for me right there.
Wives are for breeding.
You understand, for making little princes. Come enjoy yourself tonight.
You make excellent wine in Sparta.
You shouldn't be here.
That's what you said last night.
Last night was a mistake.
And the night before?
I've made many mistakes this week.
Do you want me to go?
Yes.
Where should I go?
Away.
Far away.
I have something for you.
Pearls from the Sea of Propontis.
They're beautiful.
But I can't wear them.
Menelaus would kill us both.
Don't be afraid of him.
I'm not afraid of dying.
I'm afraid of tomorrow.
I'm afraid of watching you sail away and knowing you'll never come back.
Before you came to Sparta, I was a ghost.
I walked, and I ate, and I swam in the sea...
...but I was just a ghost.
You don't have to fear tomorrow.
Come with me.
Don't play with me. Don't play.
If you come, we'll never be safe.
Men will hunt us, the gods will curse us.
But I'll love you.
TilI the day they burn my body...
...I will love you.
Tecton.
Make the proper offerings to Poseidon before we sail.
We don't need any more widows in Troy.
Goat or pig?
Which does the sea god prefer?
I'll wake the priest and ask him.
Paris.
We should get to bed. We won't sleep on land again for weeks.
I have no trouble sleeping on the seas, brother.
Athena sings lullabies to me.
And who sang lullabies to you tonight?
Tonight?
Tonight was the fisherman's wife.
A lovely creature.
I hope you didn't let the fisherman catch you.
He was more concerned with the fish.
You do understand why we're in Sparta.
For peace.
And you understand that Menelaus, the king of Sparta, is a very powerful man.
And that his brother Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae...
...commands all the Greek forces.
What does this have to do with the fisherman's wife?
Paris...
...you're my brother and I love you.
But if you do anything to endanger Troy...
...I will rip your pretty face from your pretty skull.
Now get some sleep.
We sail in the morning.
A beautiful morning. Poseidon has blessed our voyage.
Sometimes the gods bless you in the morning and curse you in the afternoon.
Drop sail!
Do you love me, brother?
Would you protect me against any enemy?
The last time you spoke to me like this...
...you were 10 years old, and you'd just stolen Father's horse.
What have you done now?
I must show you something.
- Where is she? - Who, my king?
I swear by the father of the gods, I will gut you here if you don't tell me!
My king!
She left.
With the Trojans.
The fisherman here saw her board their ship.
The Trojans?
With the young prince, Paris. She...
Get my ship ready.
Turn us round. Back to Sparta.
High on the sail!
- Wait, wait. - You fool!
- Listen to me. - Do you know what you've done?
Do you know how many years our father worked for peace?
I love her.
It's all a game to you, isn't it?
You roam from town to town, bedding merchants' wives and temple mates.
You think you know something about love.
What about your father's love? You spat on him when you brought her on this ship!
What about the love for your country? You'd let Troy burn for this woman?
I won't let you start a war for her.
May I speak?
What you're saying is true. I've wronged you. I've wronged our father.
If you want to take Helen back to Sparta, so be it.
But I go with her.
To Sparta? They'll kill you.
Then I'll die fighting.
Oh, and that sounds heroic to you, doesn't it? To die fighting.
- Little brother, have you ever killed a man? - No.
- Ever seen a man die in combat? - No.
I've killed men, and I've heard them dying. And I've watched them dying.
And there's nothing glorious about it. Nothing poetic.
You say you want to die for love. You know nothing about dying.
And you know nothing about love!
All the same, I go with her.
I won't ask you to fight my war.
You already have.
To Troy!
About ship! Set sail!
- I want her back. - Well, of course you do.
She's a beautiful woman.
I want her back so I can kill her with my own two hands.
I won't rest till I've burned Troy to the ground.
I thought you wanted peace with Troy.
I should have listened to you.
Peace is for the women...
...and the weak.
Empires are forged by war.
All my life, I've stood by your side, fought your enemies.
You're the elder, you reap the glory. This is the way of the world.
But have I ever complained? Have I ever asked you for anything?
Never. You're a man of honor.
Everyone in Greece knows this.
The Trojans spat on my honor.
An insult to me is an insult to you.
And an insult to me is an insult to all Greeks.
WilI you go to war with me, brother?
I always thought my brother's wife was a foolish woman...
...but she's proved to be very useful.
Nothing unifies a people like a common enemy.
The Trojans have never been conquered.
Some say they can't be conquered.
Old King Priam thinks he's untouchable behind his high walls.
He thinks the sun god will protect him.
But the gods protect only...
...the strong!
If Troy falls...
...I control the Aegean.
Hector commands the finest army in the east.
And Troy is built to withstand a 10- year siege.
There won't be a 10- year siege.
I'll attack them with the greatest force the world has ever seen.
I want all the kings of Greece and their armies.
Send emissaries in the morning.
One last thing.
We need Achilles and his Myrmidons.
Achilles.
He can't be controlled. He's as likely to fight us as the Trojans.
We don't need to control him, we need to unleash him.
That man was born to end lives.
Yes, he's a gifted killer. But he threatens everything I've built.
Before me, Greece was nothing. I brought all the Greek kingdoms together.
I created a nation out of fire worshipers and snake eaters!
I build the future, Nestor. Me!
Achilles is the past.
A man who fights for no flag. A man loyal to no country.
How many battles have we won off the edge of his sword?
This will be the greatest war the world has ever seen.
We need the greatest warrior.
There's only one man he'll listen to.
I'll send a ship in the morning.
Greetings, brother.
We were told King Odysseus is hid in the hills.
Odysseus?
That old bastard drinks my wine and never pays.
You ought to respect your king, friend.
Respect him?
I'd like to punch him in the face.
He's always pawing at my wife, trying to tear her clothes off.
I hope Agamemnon's generals are smarter than his emissaries.
What did you say?
You want me to help you fight the Trojans.
You're...
Are you...?
Forgive us, King Odysseus.
WelI...
I'm gonna miss my dog.
King Agamemnon has a favor to ask of you.
Of course he does.
Never hesitate.
Fancy swordplay.
Nervous?
Petrified.
You told me never to change sword hands.
Yes. When you know how to use it, you won't be taking my orders.
Your reputation for hospitality is fast becoming legend.
Patroclus, my cousin.
Odysseus, king of Ithaca.
Patroclus.
I knew your parents well.
I miss them.
Now you have this one watching over you, eh?
Learning from Achilles himself.
Kings would kill for the honor.
Are you here at Agamemnon's bidding?
We need to talk.
I will not fight for him.
I'm not asking you to fight for him.
I'm asking you to fight for Greece.
Have the Greeks tired of fighting each other?
- For now. - For the Greeks!
The Trojans never harmed me.
They insulted Greece.
They insulted a man who couldn't hold on to his wife. Is that my business?
Your business is war, my friend.
Is it? Am I the whore of the battlefield?
The man has no honor.
I won't be remembered as a tyrant's mercenary.
Let Achilles fight for honor. Let Agamemnon fight for power.
And let the gods decide which man to glorify.
Forget Agamemnon.
Fight for me.
My wife will feel much better if she knows you're by my side.
I'll feel much better.
Is Ajax going to fight in Troy?
They say he can fell an oak tree with one swing of the ax.
Trees don't swing back.
We're sending the largest fleet that ever sailed.
A thousand ships.
A thousand ships?
Prince Hector. Is he as good a warrior as they say?
The best of all the Trojans.
Some say he's better than all the Greeks too.
Even if your cousin doesn't come...
...I hope you'Il join us. We could use a strong arm like yours.
Play your tricks on me, but not my cousin.
You have your swords. I have my tricks.
We play with the toys the gods give us.
We sail for Troy in three days.
This war will never be forgotten.
Nor will the heroes who fight in it.
They say the king of Ithaca has a silver tongue.
I knew they would come for you.
Long before you were born...
...I knew they would come.
They want you to fight in Troy.
I'm making you another seashell necklace.
Like the ones I made you when you were a boy.
Do you remember?
Mother...
...tonight, I decide.
If you stay in Lárisa...
...you will find peace.
You will find a wonderful woman.
You will have sons and daughters, and they will have children.
And they will love you.
When you are gone, they will remember you.
But when your children are dead and their children after them...
...your name will be lost.
If you go to Troy...
...glory will be yours.
They will write stories about your victories for thousands of years.
The world will remember your name.
But if you go to Troy...
...you will never come home.
For your glory walks hand in hand with your doom.
And I shall never see you again.
You know this to be true, Mother?
I know this.
- My son. - Father.
Paris.
Father.
- This is Helen. - Helen?
Helen of Sparta?
Helen of Troy.
I've heard rumors of your beauty.
For once...
...the gossips were right.
Welcome.
Thank you, good king.
Come, you must be tired.
Look.
He's grown.
He is strong.
He's just like his father.
- Paris! - Briseis!
Beloved cousin, your beauty grows with each new moon.
Briseis.
A servant of Apollo now.
The young men of Troy were devastated when Briseis chose the virgin robes.
Uncle.
I thank the gods for your safe return.
- For the gods. - For the gods.
For gods.
Father...
...I know this is the last thing we need.
It is the will of the gods. Everything is in their hands.
- But I'm surprised you let him bring her. - If I'd let him fight Menelaus for her...
...you'd be burning a son's body, not welcoming a daughter.
We could send peace envoys to Menelaus.
You know Menelaus. He'd spear their heads to his gate.
What would you have me do?
Put her on a ship and send her home.
Women have always loved Paris, and he has loved them back.
But this is different.
Something has changed in him.
If we send her home to Menelaus, he will follow her.
This is my country, and these are my countrymen.
I don't want to see them suffer so my brother can have his prize.
It's not just the Spartans coming after her.
By now, Menelaus has gone to Agamemnon.
And Agamemnon has wanted to destroy us for years.
Once we're out of the way, he controls the seas.
Enemies have been attacking us for centuries. Our walls still stand.
Father, we can't win this war.
Apollo watches over us.
Even Agamemnon is no match for the gods.
And how many battalions does the sun god command?
Do not mock the gods.
When you were very young, you came down with scarlet fever.
Your little hand was so hot.
The healer said you would not last the night.
I went down to Apollo's temple and I prayed untiI the sun came up.
That walk back to the palace was the longest of my life.
But I went into your mother's room and you were sleeping in her arms.
The fever had broken.
I promised that day to dedicate my life to the gods.
I will not break my promise.
For thirty years I have worked for peace. Thirty years.
Paris is a fooI sometimes, I know that.
But I will fight 1000 wars before letting him die.
Forgive me, Father, but you won't be the one fighting.
They're coming for me.
The wind is bringing them closer.
What if we left?
Tonight. Right now.
What if we went down to the stables, took two horses and left?
Ride east, keep riding.
- And go where? - Away from here.
I could hunt deer, rabbit. I could feed us.
But this is your home.
You left your home for me.
Sparta was never my home.
My parents sent my there when I was 16 to marry Menelaus.
But it was never my home.
We'll live off the land.
No more palaces for us. No more servants. We don't need any of that.
And your family?
We'd be protecting my family. If we're not here, what's the need for war?
Menelaus won't give up. He'll track us to the end of the world.
He doesn't know these lands. I do. We can lose ourselves in a day.
You don't know Menelaus.
You don't know his brother.
They'll burn every house in Troy to find us.
They'll never believe we've left.
And even if they do, they'll burn it for spite.
Then I'll make it easy for him to find me.
I'll walk right up to him and tell him you're mine.
You're very young, my love.
We're the same age.
You're younger than I ever was.
Take up your positions!
Black saiI. It's Achilles.
What's the fooI doing?
He's going to take the beach of Troy with 50 men?
Row, Myrmidon, row!
My lord?
Should we wait for the others?
- They brought us here for war. - Yes, but Agamemnon's orders...
You fight for me, Eudorus, or Agamemnon?
For you, my lord.
Then fight for me. And let the servants of Agamemnon fight for him.
Make way there! Make way!
Tecton, is the Apollonian Guard ready?
- Waiting at the city gates. - Good. I'll be right there.
Lysander, how long before the army is ready?
Half of our men are still coming. We have to arm them...
- How long? - Noon.
Make it sooner.
And Lysander, I want patrols to scour the countryside.
I want every home and pasture checked...
...every Trojan to be brought inside the city walls.
If they can't walk, carry them.
Patroclus!
Put down your spear.
- I'm fighting the Trojans. - Not today.
I'm ready. You taught me how to fight.
And you're a good student. But you're not a Myrmidon yet.
Look at these men.
They are the fiercest soldiers in all of Greece. Each of them has bled for me.
- Guard the ship. - But this is a war.
Cousin, I can't fight the Trojans if I'm concerned for you. Guard the ship.
Trojans!
All my life, I've lived by a code.
And the code is simple:
Honor the gods, love your woman...
...and defend your country.
Troy is mother to us all.
Fight for her!
Myrmidons...
...my brothers of the sword.
I'd rather fight beside you than any army of thousands.
Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions!
Do you know what's there, waiting, beyond that beach?
Immortality! Take it! It's yours!
Fight positions!
Archers!
Archers, draw!
Draw!
Keep forward!
Form up!
Formation!
The man wants to die.
On my command!
Break off! Break off!
Achilles! Achilles! Achilles!
Achilles! Achilles!
Achilles! Achilles! Achilles!
Give him the battle, we'll take the war.
Give him too many battles and the men will forget who's king.
Ajax, you need to see this.
Look at him...
...hogging all the glory.
Row, you lazy whores, row!
Greeks are dying! Row!
Those men down there need help. Now! Tecton, with me.
I am Ajax, breaker of stones!
Look upon me and despair!
Flank! To the flank!
No!
Achilles! Achilles!
Back to the city! Back to the city!
The sun god is a patron of Troy, our enemy.
Take whatever treasure you can find.
With your permission, my lord.
- Speak. - Apollo sees everything.
Perhaps it is not wise to offend him.