Quote:
Originally Posted by Xantar
Acting? What acting? Don't get me wrong, the actors were fine in their roles. But there wasn't really much "acting" required of them. The best thing I could say for Gerard Butler (Leonidas) is that he avoided going so far over the top as to be cartoonish. And that's worthy of praise. But please, let's not start giving the man acting awards just yet.
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I thought Gerard Butler was absolutely fantastic as Leonidas. Over the top? Of course. He was playing a legendary character; a
mythic character. He actually lent some humanity to the character that most history books describe as a cold, calculating, ruthless and brilliant man. But he still had to be MORE than just a man in his portrayal. You also have to think about the true quotes that come from history and not just the pen of Frank Miller. "fight on the shade"? A real quote. "Eat well because tonight we dine in Hell"? A real quote. "Come home with this shield or upon it"? A real quote. Butler didn't overact... Spartans did.
As for the phalanx breaking, that was going to happen in a movie like this. Phalanx fighting, while brutally effective in its day, was short of visually exhilirating. My biggest complaint is with the depiction of Spartan marriage in the film. Its so far off its hilarious. Spartan marriage involved the "wife" being raped late at night in a tent. True, she was expecting the rape, but it was still forced intercourse nontheless. The men and women almost never met socially, but instead only to procreate.
This was a culture run like a colony of ants. No pleasure other than that of the pride in your people. Life as a cog in a very powerful and brutal machine.