Frank Miller's 300: "Prepare for Glory!"

From its opening scene-a close-up of thousands upon thousands of what are later revealed to be the bones of countless infant males tossed from a precipice after being deemed unfit for the honor of a Spartan life-to its last, Zack Snyder's (Dawn of the Dead [2004]) newest film, the cinematic adaptation of Frank Miller's popular graphic novel, 300, leaves other filmic adaptations of the battles of the ancient world in its blood-speckled dust.

The driving force behind the film is not the storyline drawn from Frank Miller's graphic novel, as many audience members may expect, nor is it Zack Snyder's exceptional directing or his use of special effects. No, the overall success of the film, while certainly indebted to these talented men, is due to the passionate, testosterone-packed performance given by Gerard Butler (Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life [2003], The Phantom of the Opera [2004]), who plays Leonidas, King of the Spartans and leader of the 300 Greek soldiers whose brave and suicidal stand at the infamous "Hot Gates" forms the basis for the legend, the graphic novel, and the film. Butler, sporting chiseled abs that only seven months of daily, six-hour intense weightlifting sessions could produce, is barely recognizable as the same lanky actor who played the Phantom in Joel Schumacher's 2004 The Phantom of the Opera.

Only slightly less impressive than Butler is actress Lena Headey (The Cave [2005], The Brothers Grimm [2005]), who delivers a stunning performance as Leonidas' wife. In her role as Queen Gorgo, Headey brings to the screen a cunning beauty not seen since Connie Nielsen's award-wining performance as Lucilla in Gladiator (2000). Headey's version of classic beauty surpasses Nielsen's, however, as only a female lead based on one of Frank Miller's unique creations can: both gorgeous and deadly, Queen Gorgo proves a true black widow, and the newest role model for twenty-something women looking for a strong, intelligent female presence on the big screen.