The tale of 300 Spartans facing off against overwhelming odds is the film that truly launched Zach Snyders directorial career. Its clear he took notes from our greatest action movies and expanded upon his education. He uses slow-motion more than any Michael Bay movie. Is there any movie with more testosterone than 300? The men in this movie are all over-the-top action heroes except this time there are three hundred of them. What makes this movie a guilty pleasure is how much it revels in the gore and violence of the battles. The action sequences are just shiny, arguably beautiful, displays of them hacking and slashing their way through thousands of enemies. Gerard Butler leads these men into battle and it is a shame he has not capitalized more on the action pedigree he establishes here. None of his other action movies have reached this height. I know this movie is all about the men but if I could add anything to it, I do wish theyd given Lena Headey more to do. She is wonderful in her role as the queen and its a shame they could not create more story for her. There is a lead villain but really the enemy here is the sheer number of foes that the Spartans must face. Their level of underdog status is graver than any other movie on this list. They just managed to keep this movie under two hours and I suggest you watch the whole thing. Best line: "The enemy outnumber us a paltry three to one, good odds for any Greek. This day we rescue a world from mysticism and tyranny and usher in a future brighter than anything we can imagine. Give thanks, men, to Leonidas and the brave 300! TO VICTORY!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrIbxk7idYA
