ONE of the greatest stories from history has been served up on a plate to one of the greatest of modern film-makers and he's made a pig's ear of it.

How Oliver Stone the man who brought us the likes of Platoon, Salvador, JFK and Born On The Fourth Of July could cock this one up is a mystery.

He's got the talent, and he clearly had no trouble getting the funds, but what should have been an awe-inspiring epic has eluded him.

Alexander the Great was the Macedonian warrior king who all but conquered the world some 300 years before the birth of Christ and all before the age of 33.

It is an enduring saga that has been retold throughout the centuries and has attained mythical status.

In the film, his mother told him: "The world is yours go and take it." And with his vast army in tow, Alexander slaughtered and united civilizations as he cut a swathe through Asia.

Such a story is a mouthwatering prospect for any director, and it is certainly one that suits Stone's uncompromising style of film-making. But to say the result is disappointing is the understatement of the year.

The story is set in a time when war was a way of life and Stone certainly makes this clear in the film, with his no-holds-barred depiction of some truly bloody battles.

These are brilliantly executed, and you are likely to wince as you watch them swords and spears find their mark with sickening brutality. And one scene which features a thundering herd of war elephants is eye-popping stuff.

But two great battle scenes are not enough. For the rest of the film we must endure almost three hours of utter bombast and boredom. Stone's own script is torture, with just about every main character given long-winded, nonsensical speeches which add little to an already overstretched running time.

Poor old Colin Farrell, as Alexander, comes off worst. When he is not spouting pure drivel, he is reduced to screaming and shouting, more like a spoiled child than a raging warrior.

It's a shame Stone's direction and script have reduced Farrell's performance to desperate over-acting, because this could have been the role of a lifetime for a busy young star whose work has been increasingly interesting.

But you have to feel sorry for any actor who, in his earlier scenes, has a dyed blond hair-do that makes him look like Little Lord Fauntleroy. Even more unforgivable, later on, is the dodgy mullet he sports that wouldn't look out of place on the head of a 1980s footballer.

There is no doubt that Alexander is spectacular and at times it looks gorgeous. But, unlike its subject matter, this film is a million miles from being great. 4/10

by Stephen Webb

Alexander

Starring: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Val Kilmer

Director: Oliver Stone

Certificate 15, 175mins

Now showing at UGC and Cineworld