Spartans, prepare for glory!|Dec. 09, 2006|USA|117 Min.|R
Genre: 4K-2160p;Action;Adventure;War
Description: In 479 B.C., one year after the Battle of Thermopylae, Dilios, a Spartan hoplite, recounts the life of Leonidas I, from his childhood to his rise as king under Spartan customs. The story begins with a Persian envoy arriving in Sparta, demanding “earth and water” as a sign of submission to King Xerxes. However, the Spartans respond by throwing the envoy and his escort into a deep pit. Leonidas then visits the Ephors, proposing a plan to defend against the vastly larger Persian army by creating a strategic bottleneck at the Hot Gates, allowing the Greek heavy infantry to counter the Persian light infantry effectively.
The Ephors consult the Oracle, who forbids Sparta from waging war during the Carneia festival. Frustrated, Leonidas departs, unaware that the Ephors had been bribed by Xerxes’ agents. Despite the prohibition, Leonidas assembles 300 of his finest soldiers under the pretext of a personal bodyguard and sets off. Along the way, they are joined by thousands of Arcadians and other Greeks. At Thermopylae, they construct a defensive wall, using the bodies of Persian scouts as building materials. Stelios, a Spartan elite, brutally mutilates a Persian messenger to send a warning to Xerxes.
Meanwhile, Leonidas encounters Ephialtes, a deformed Spartan whose parents fled to spare him from infanticide. Ephialtes seeks to redeem his family’s honor by joining Leonidas’ army and reveals a secret path the Persians could use to outflank the Spartans. Although sympathetic, Leonidas refuses, as Ephialtes’ physical deformity prevents him from holding a shield properly, which would jeopardize the phalanx formation.
Cast director: Zack Snyder
Cast actor: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Tom Wisdom, Stephen McHattie, Andrew Tiernan, Andrew Pleavin
Original name: 300