`Troy' finds Achilles' heel in so-so Pitt performance.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Carrie Rickey

Wolfgang Petersen's "Troy," inspired mostly by Homer's "Iliad" plus a smidge of Virgil's "Aeneid," arrives in an impressive package. But as with the Trojan horse, inside there's a rude surprise.

Rattling around this film, with its commanding performances by Peter O'Toole as Priam of Troy and Eric Bana as his warrior son, Hector, is a bizarre turn by the bronzed Brad Pitt. He plays their Greek adversary, Achilles, like a surfer dude trolling the Aegean for the perfect wave.

Just because Pitt is a hair actor, tossing highlighted tresses for emphasis, doesn't mean he's a bad actor. Physically, he's a superb specimen, crouching …