A story very loosely based the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a Frank Miller panel come alive.
Practical Effects
Those abs were real, the blood was digital.
Direction
Snyder's speed-ramping basically invented a genre.
Director
Zack Snyder
Gerard Butler
King Leonidas
Lena Headey
Gorgo
Dominic West
Theron
David Wenham
Dilios/Narrator
Vincent Regan
Captain
Michael Fassbender
Stelios
Tom Wisdom
Astinos
Andrew Pleavin
Daxos
Andrew Tiernan
Ephialtes
Rodrigo Santoro
Xerxes
Giovani Cimmino
Pleistarchos
Stephen McHattie
Loyalist
Greg Kramer
Ephor #1
Alex Ivanovici
Ephor #2
Kelly Craig
Oracle Girl
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gerard Butler trained for four months and never used a body double, even for the 'tonight we dine in hell' push-up scene. His body was wrecked for years.
This film launched a thousand 'THIS IS SPARTA' memes and accidentally became a symbol for various political movements, from fitness culture to far-right masculinity groups. Snyder was just trying to make a cool comic book movie.
US
