300 (2006)

The memes. The abs. The stylized violence that launched a bunch of early 2000's imitators. 300 (2006) is a truly iconic flick based on the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film revolves around King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his army of 300 well chiseled Spartans doing battle with the invading Persian army lead by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Based on the true story of the Battle of Thermopylae, the military culture of Sparta doesn't take too well to being threatened by a Persian messenger, so they kick him down a well and set off to fight the much larger Persian Army. When the higher ups don't give Leonidas permission to go to war, he can only recruit 300 soldiers to take on the entire Persian fleet. But Leonidas and his crew manage to bottleneck the Persians and slaughter tons of them, despite Persia using rhinos, elephants, gunpowder, and all sorts of other stuff that the Spartans have never seen before. But unfortunately, when they're betrayed, they're whole strategy falls apart. The tale of history's most badass battle losers, the film is a visual masterpiece and skinsationally violent with a body count of 585.  That’s all well and good, but what really put this film on the map was the sight of all the buffed warriors. Never have there been so many audacious abs on display. Dressed in leather codpieces, these he-men do bare-chested battle with taut arms, ripped chests and toned legs. Butler’s King Leonidas gets the action going with a regal butt shot as he stands outside his bedroom in his stately glory revealing buns fit for a king, before heading in to bed his wife, giving us a little leg/hip view. That'll have you hard for Gerard! The dimly lit scene never gives us a good look at his passion scepter, but the rest of the sweaty battlefield action more than makes up for it! This is madness? This is mad hot! This is 300!