8 Films With "Subtle" Messages (That Are REALLY Obvious)
1. 300
At the Battle of Thermopylae, three hundred battle-hardened Spartan warriors stood their ground in a desperate last stand against the colossal forces of the invading Persian king Xerxes.
This battle has long been considered inspirational, not just for its heroism, but for its symbolism. The forces of good, the bearers of the light of civilisation itself, furiously resisting the overwhelming forces of darkness and barbarism that threaten it from every side.
It seems to teach lessons not just about military prowess but about military philosophy and the meaning of democracy.
It's not surprising, then, that the most martial society in the history of the world, the contemporary USA, would find something fascinating about Thermopylae.
By 2007, when Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 was made into a movie starring Gerard Butler as warrior king Leonidas, the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had entered a malaise from which the world is still recovering.
Coalition forces were bogged down, facing insurgency and terrorism, but the meaning of those wars changed when victory no longer seemed assured.
300 is not a historical movie - it's a fable about the colonial present.