300

As far as battles go, the battle of Thermopylae perhaps has few parallels: 300 men pitted against a million strong invaders. As far as timing goes, there perhaps won8217;t be a better time for 8220;the battle for an individual8217;s freedom against the tyranny of Persian rulers8221;. One side driven by 8220;duty, honour, glory8221;. The other comprising 8220;slaves, monsters8221; and others who can8217;t refuse a dictator8217;s bidding.

That said, 300 is a visually magnificent story that tells it straight. It never pretends to be doing anything other than showing men who were born to fight in fights you may never see again. All other emotions take a backseat to the most basic ones8212;anger, revenge, greed, lust.

Based on Frank Miller8217;s graphic novel on the 480 BC battle, it remains true to his drawings, converting them on to the screen almost line by line, with live action juxtaposed against digitally created backgrounds. The effect is like a comic on screen, only with real people. Even the expressions are exaggerated like you would find in a comic Miller is also the man behind Daredevil, Sin City and Batman8217;s dark avatar.

The story begins with Spartan King Leonidas Butler refusing to submit before the might of Persian 8220;God King8221; Xerxes Santoro. Xerxes has annexed almost the entire Asia to form an army the size of which 8220;has never been seen before8221;.

However, the Spartan Council led by Theron West, who has been bought over by the Persians, refuses to let Leonidas fight during what is considered a holy period in Sparta. With the Persian army knocking on the doors, Leonidas gathers 300 of his bravest men, calling him his 8220;personal bodyguards8221;, and sets off to take on Xerxes.

While there are few 8220;messages8221; in the film, there is repeatedly talk of a 8220;free8221; Greece, of 8220;freedom8221;, of 8220;free men8221;. At one point, Leonidas tells Xerxes: 8220;A new age has come, an age of freedom. And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it.8221;

But this is Miller8217;s vision. Historically, it was Athens where these ideas were born, and the Spartans weren8217;t really friendly with the Athenians. Yes the Spartans were bravest of soldiers, but great thinkers? Maybe not. But then, as we said, Miller is aware of the timing of the film8217;s release.

As for watching the 300 die, which is of course just a fraction of the total toll in the film, it8217;s a no-frills exercise. Like in last week8217;s Apocalypto, 300 finds more than a few inventive ways in which a man can go to his grave, but the director doesn8217;t linger on any. Snyder again is just telling you, like it is, in a comic8212;brutal violence but momentary images, the thrill being in the execution of the act, rather than the act itself. And, in real battlefields, you don8217;t ponder on your kills.