The epic “300” is a parable for our time.
Naming “300” the greatest action movie of all time could be blasphemy to the movie gods. But the 2007 epic is all about fleeing from idolatry, anyway.
The Battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartans and the First Persian Empire’s tens of thousands of soldiers took place nearly 2,500 years ago. But King Leonidas I of Sparta (Gerard Butler) is an action hero perfectly made for our time.
Leonidas defends his country from the invading threat posed by Persian forces, but his refusal to kneel before Xerxes the Great (Rodrigo Santoro) has little to do with ancient geopolitics. Leonidas puts his life on the line for cultural values we still must fight for today.
Spartan culture, as depicted in the film, is one closely associated with what we might call “traditional masculinity.” Spartan men are compassionate fathers and stoic warriors, described as hard, strong, proud, logical and fearless. Spartan men are willing to sacrifice themselves for their nation, “the world’s one hope for reason and justice.” But, above all else, Spartan men value freedom.
Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) inspires her husband Leonidas to go into battle by asking him to think not as a Spartan, husband or king, but primarily as “a free man.” When Sparta’s 300 brave soldiers gather before marching to battle, a soldier affirmingly shouts, “For Sparta! For Freedom!”
Throughout the film, Xerxes serves as the most obvious existential threat to Spartan culture. He is an androgynous dictator, threatening the freedoms of every man, woman and child in his path. A self-described “generous god,” Xerxes appeals to man’s greatest weaknesses — lust, vanity, megalomania, greed — to win over his allies. He also relies on brute force and enslavement as tools of coercion.
But the biggest threat to Spartan culture, even more than Xerxes, are the very institutions that are trusted to preserve the Spartan way of life. Sparta’s governing bodies, the council and ephors, are corrupt. Its religious authority, the oracle, is manipulated by corrupt ephors. Sparta’s elites betrayed their king and country in exchange for Xerxes’ gold coins. They literally sold out.
Looking around North America today, it’s hard not to see the parallels between the threats we face and those faced by King Leonidas. Traditional masculinity is commonly referred to as toxic. Our culture is taken for granted by institutions that allow far-left activists to undermine our way of life. Elites don’t care to stand up in defence of our nations, but are very careful about criticizing the Chinese Communist party, which lines their pockets with today’s equivalent of Xerxes’ gold coins.
Without our version of Leonidas and his 300 men, one must wonder if our civilization might collapse, too.
“300” also delivers creative combat scenes. The military strategy that Leonidas uses to funnel Persian soldiers to the foot of Mount Kallidromo, an area known as the Hot Gates, gives Spartans the initial advantage. Three hundred soldiers defeat countless waves of opposition, which includes thousands of soldiers, an armed rhino, war-painted elephants, a Frankenstein-like monster, masked Immortals and magicians.
Despite Sparta’s success, “300” never allows its audience to believe that Leonidas might win the Battle of Thermopylae. From the very beginning of the story, the film’s narrator warns Greece that “a beast approaches, patient and confident, savouring the meal to come.” Queen Gorgo’s last words to her husband are, “Come back with your shield, or on it.”
Winning the battle was never the point. This is a story about what men are willing to die for. Leonidas was willing to die to protect his culture, and to expose authoritarians as false idols.
The king of Sparta summarizes the film’s message best: “The world will know that free men stood against a tyrant. That few stood against many. And before this battle was over, that even a god king can bleed.”
LEONIDAS PUTS HIS LIFE ON THE LINE FOR CULTURAL VALUES.