The Greeks and Macedonians speak in Celtic tones and mostly with Irish accents in Alexander, Oliver Stone's epic.

It makes a refreshing change from historical characters with broad American accents, and it makes sense with Colin Farrell leading the way in the title role, surrounded by other Irish actors, most prominently Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Kavanagh. It takes a while to adjust to Farrell with blond hair and waxed legs, but his performance builds in authority as his character grows in confidence and determination while building his global empire.

Contrary to rumours - and the bizarre case taken against the producers by 25 Greek lawyers offended by the movie's depiction of Alexander the Great as bisexual - the movie is quite coy in terms of the man's gay side. Farrell gets to kiss one man (as he did in his last film, A Home at the End of the World), but Alexander saves most of his sexual passion for his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His relationship with the love of his life, Hephaistion (Jared Leto) is remarkably chaste, and when Roxane sneers at the two men touching tenderly, he responds, "There are many different ways to love".

The movie has its faults, most of them structural, in its time-shifting and in the tired framing device of having the elderly Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) introduce it and intrusively explain the hero's significance. Just as superfluous is the return of the ubiquitous eagle Stone used in The Doors, but he atones by staging two of the finest battle sequences ever seen in a movie.

Alexander opened in the US on Wednesday. It has its Irish première on January 6th and goes on release here the next day.