300

Title: 300
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Gerard Butler, David Wenham, Lena Headey
Year: 2006
MPAA: Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
Date of Review: March 15, 2007

On page A3 of the Wednesday, March 14, 2007 edition of the Ottawa Citizen, an article titled "U.S. accused of ‘cultural warfare’" written by Steven Edwards talks about a problem which has arisen with the release of Zack Snyder’s visually arresting 300: Iranians believe the film is insulting, saying that it portrays their Persian ancestors as "...both ruthless and repeatedly outsmarted by the Greeks." This is just one of the many complaints and backlashes against the action epic, others being that it is sexist, misogynist, and that it praises violence. Indeed, 300 has become a much more controversial film that it was ever believed (or intended) to be. However, what everyone seems to be forgetting about this film is that, while it is indeed a story based on an actual event, it is not meant to be taken as historical fact. It is an energetic action romp with some of the most stunning visuals ever put on film, and considering Snyder’s outspoken goals of creating "something cool", he has succeeded.

To call either Frank Miller’s graphic novel or Zack Snyder’s film adaptation misogynist seems like a totally redundant criticism. Almost all of Miller’s work has had tones (usually none-too-subtle) of sexism, but at the same time, the women are also portrayed as morally superior to men. In Sin City - another film greatly bashed for its portrayal of women as sexual objects - the women were actually more dangerous than the men, and were always the ones left with the upper hand. Similarly in 300, while the men are the ones doing all the fighting, the women are portrayed as the keepers of knowledge, wisdom and equality. The Oracle - a nude woman who spasms and gyrates as she acquires her visions - is the one who prophesizes the battle with the Persians, and without her vision the Spartans would have been destroyed in their homes. The other main female character, the wife of King Leonidas, also represents democracy and common sense and she pleads with the elders to send reinforcements to the battles. Perhaps people have been a little too hasty to call the film sexist before actually looking at the roles of women in the film, as compared to the men who are, by and large, blunt instruments.

That is not to say that the male characters aren’t interesting or entertaining - they are, but for different reasons. Miller has written a story about some of the manliest men that ever lived, literally born and bred to fight and kill. The combat in the film is stunning, especially as the camera focuses on a single fighter as he works his way through the battlefield. The best example of this actually happens in the first battle, as we watch King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler, and with enough charisma and machoism to cut with a knife) pummel his way through the Persian fighters. For action junkies and gore hounds, it’s certainly a sight to behold. The violence, much like Sin City, is brutal, but so stylized that it can’t really be considered "gross" - as warriors slice and dice their way through each other and limbs go flying, the audience is assaulted with a barrage of two-dimensional, comic book style blood which adds a great feel of surrealism to the film, which is accentuated in many other scenes such as a tree literally built with human bodies. There are images in this film that need to be seen to be understood, and once seen surely won’t be forgotten very soon.

300 isn’t a horribly complicated film, and viewers looking for a realistic or telling story of an ancient battle and its societal repercussions should look elsewhere. What’s stunning about the film is the sheer scope and passion of it all - to go to battle knowing that you are going to die, but you do it so that people will remember that at least you tried is a very noble theme. Miller obviously had a great passion for this story when writing the comic, and Snyder and the cast and crew no doubt had just as much dedication in bringing it to the screen. They do not sugarcoat it or try to make it into something more than it is - Snyder and the rest of the team were perfectly content in making an action film, and did not have any illusions about making something that would be any smarter or deeper than what is right in front of us in the theatre. It’s entertaining as hell.

To reiterate, the imagery in 300 is astounding. Every shot is composed so beautifully, with a wonderful colour palette which alters with each battle and major location. The costumes are beautiful, the battles maintain a grand scope while focusing on only one or two fighters at a time, and it is generally just a great looking movie. The sound is equally impressive, with a rousing score by Tyler Bates - though some may be disappointed that there is no Nine Inch Nails used in the film, since the track "Just Like You Imagined" was used to effectively in the trailers. Technically, movies don’t get much better than this.

The performances are also generally quite good for this type of balls-to-the-wall action film. The whole thing is completely stolen by Gerard Butler, though, whose portrayal of King Leonidas (in both his acting ability and his awe-inspiring physical shape) seems almost god-like. The script is a bit stilted at times, as it often sounds as if the actors are saying lines directly from a comic book - and, more specifically, a comic book by Frank Miller. The glorified prose can come across a little hammy at times, especially in the narration by David Wenham, but when the action starts and the film kicks into gear, this all seems very forgivable.

Coming back to the situation with Iran, it is hard to understand how one could be truly offended by this film, unless they believed it to be parading itself as historical fact. But this is such a flawed perspective to go into the film with, it’s hard not to laugh at anyone that feels they have been psychologically wronged by viewing it. 300 is a heck of a lot of fun, and while it isn’t as ambitious as Sin City in terms of story, its visuals and energy make it nearly surpass its film-noir brother in terms of sheer entertainment.

8 / 10