Every now and then, a movie comes along that promises to do something that has never been done before. Living up to its hype, Frank Miller's "300" is an entrancing blend of powerful imagery and excessive violence. A cinematic thrill ride of the highest caliber, "300" is a true work of art in terms of storytelling, cinematography and non-stop action.
Since "Braveheart" took home the Best Picture Oscar in 1995, Hollywood has consistently churned out wartime epics depicting the fierce battles and courageous heroes of yesterday. Director Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead") takes this concept and adds a spin of his own, cutting out all of the slow parts of the story and concentrating almost entirely on the battle sequences. Think "Troy," but two and a half hours shorter.
"300" tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which 300 Spartans went up against 10,000 Persians and fought to the bitter end. The Spartans, trained to be soldiers from birth, were hailed as the greatest army in the world. Living by the mottos "Never retreat, never surrender" and "Death in the battlefield is the greatest glory he could achieve in his life," the proud soldiers defended their name and their land to their last breath.
Written by graphic novelist Frank Miller (author of "Sin City"), "300" wallows in the pulp fantasy Miller has made a career out of. Similar to "Sin City," "300" relies heavily on the use of computer generated backgrounds and carefully chosen color schemes to set the tone for each particular scene. The movie was shot almost entirely on green screen, allowing the filmmakers to create highly impressive visual effects that bring the story straight off Miller's pages alive and kicking.
Gerard Butler ("The Phantom of the Opera") adeptly plays King Leonidas, the leader of the Spartans and commander of the army. Leonidas is one of the most brutal and hardboiled heroes seen in a long time, a Herculean image of masculinity in its highest form. The level of testosterone surges through the roof, as more than half of the film is dedicated to gory, over-the-top action scenes featuring dozens of decapitations, impalings, and dismemberments. With tons of slow motion, no holes barred, skillfully choreographed battles, "300" could arguably be called one of the greatest action movies of the decade, as well as one of the manliest movies of all time.
Throughout the film, the Spartans hold their ground against endless droves of Persian forces, continuously being asked to surrender and in turn adamantly denying the requests. The decadent and deformed Persians are lead by the pompous world conqueror Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro, "Love Actually"), who comes off as slightly homoerotic. Standing nearly 8 feet tall and covered in dangling jewelry; he claims to be a god. When he requests that Leonidas need only kneel before him to end the war, Leonidas retorts that he cannot kneel because his legs are tired from killing Persians all morning.
In the tradition of other great action movies, "300" is chock full of great one-liners that moviegoers will be reciting for days after seeing the film. Several of the lines are said to be actual quotes from King Leonidas in 480 B.C., including classics like "Spartans! Enjoy your breakfast, for tonight we dine in Hell!"
Like "Sin City," "300" is so much fun to watch because it doesn't present its content as reality, but rather chooses to accept its absurdity and run with it. It doesn't take itself too seriously, like drawn out big budget snore fests such as "Alexander." While "300" could never be compared to the likes of a critically acclaimed film such as "Gladiator," it is a success in it's own way, and is content to be in a category of its own.
