An epic story of exceptional courage

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2007)

I was deeply interested in the Battle of Thermopylae long before this movie came out. History itself lends for one of the greatest stories of human courage in the face of overwhelming odds that I know of. 300 Spartans along with 700 Helots held the massive Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae for three days while the rest of Greece was able to master their forces. They could have possibly held the pass indefinitely if it were not for a local named Ephialtes who thought he could gain a profit by leading the Persians behind the Spartan lines.
Despite being outnumbered by more than a hundred to one by even the most conservative accounts the Spartans refused to back down and fought to the last man, taking a rather disproportionate number of Persian soldiers with them.
That is the Battle of Thermopylae in a nutshell. For the most part this story transfers to the big screen in what I now regard to be the best epic battle sequences in cinema. However well the fights are choreographed though, there are some historical inaccuracies that are sure to annoy the history buffs;
1. I am pretty sure that the Spartan hoplites fought in more than just their helmets, bracers, groves and Speedos. No soldier fighting in a battle where stabbing and slashing weapons were used would have been so dressed.
2. One scene showed the Persians using makeshift pottery grenades when gunpowder would not have been discovered for almost another thousand years.
3. No nation in history used rhinos as beasts of war.
4. The many bizarre ogre like Persian elite soldiers almost put this movie into the realm of fantasy. Yes, I know that's how they looked in the comics but come on!
One of the subplots that I particularly dislike, and one that is actually central to the movie, is that of Leonidas's wife Gorgo (unnamed in the movie) trying to rally support for her husband while a traitorous politician tries to thwart her. That made sense from a dramatic standpoint but was the single greatest event in the movie that never actually happened.
A particularly enjoyable part of the movie is having events narrated by David Wenhem. He has a way of theatric narration that catches your attention and the final narration he gives at the end is one of the greatest speeches ever given in cinema.
My one final lasting puzzlement is all the arguing over the directors portrayal of history as well as undertones of racism. It's a movie for *obscenity* sake! While this movie was clearly not meant to be a history lesson it was meant to be entertaining and does so quite well. And as for the bizarre conspiracies of inciting Americans against the middle east I'll believe that when I see it. While this move was not meant to inspire racism in its viewers it certainly does inspire a sense of valiance, patriotism, courage and honor that was a trademark of the Spartan culture but severely lacking today.
I gave this move a seven out of ten. I loved the styling and artistic look of the movie. It looked excellent and was solidly entertaining. I also didn't like some of the major historical inaccuracies as well as the unnecessary nudity. This movie would have gotten a nine if not for that.