Alexander (2004)

Directed by

Oliver Stone

Genre

drama film, action film, war film, biographical film, sword-and-sandal film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands

Runtime

2h 55m

Rated

R

Rating

6.0 of 10 from 3,537 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film follows the life of Alexander the Great from his childhood to his conquests across Asia. It shows his military campaigns, his relationships with his parents and generals, and the political pressures he faced.

sprawlinghistoricalambitiousbattle-filleddramaticearnestglossyunwieldy

What happens

Alexander is a 2004 epic biographical historical drama film based on the life of the ancient Macedonian general and king Alexander the Great. It was co-written and directed by Oliver Stone and starred Colin Farrell. The film's original screenplay was derived in part from the book Alexander the Great, published in 1973 by the University of Oxford historian Robin Lane Fox. After release, it performed well in Europe, but the American critical reaction was mixed to negative with criticism aimed at Farrell's casting, the runtime and historical inaccuracies but praise for the performances, action, soundtrack, and visuals. It also grossed $167.3 million worldwide against a $155 million budget, thus making it a box-office bomb. The film also stars Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Christopher Plummer, Rosario Dawson and Anthony Hopkins. Four versions of the film exist: the initial theatrical cut and three home video director's cuts: the "Director's Cut" in 2005, the "Final Cut" in 2007, and the "Ultimate Cut" in 2014. The two earlier DVD versions of Alexander ("director's cut" version and the theatrical version) sold over 3.5 million copies in the United States. Oliver Stone's third version, Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut (2007), sold nearly a million copies and became one of the highest-selling catalog items from Warner Bros. Pictures (as of 2012). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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• Alexander the Great (1956)
• Gladiator (2000)
• Young Alexander the Great (2010)
• Troy (2004)
• The Passion of the Christ (2004)
• Downfall (2004)
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• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)