http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_%28film%29

In this movie “300”, a heroic squad of 300 Spartan soldiers takes on the Persian Army at Thermoplyae. It says that the Spartans alone were able to hold their ground against the Persians and take down numerous lines of Persian soldiers for three days before falling. The Spartans are able to stop the Persian army long enough for the rest of the Spartan army to prepare and that in the end the Spartans won against the Persians.

What this doesn’t show/tell is that although there were 300 Spartan soldiers at Thermoplyae, there was also 4000 other Greek soldiers there supporting them the first two days. Another fact it doesn’t show is that the “Immortals” of the Persian army were not slaughtered, but actually sacrificed so that the Persian army could go around the Spartans and head straight to Sparta, while the Spartans were distracted with the “Immortals”. In the actual Battle of Thermoplyae, in the aftermath of the battle, Xerxes actually desecrates Leonidas’ dead body after he has achieved victory, which they have no mention of in this movie.

Although this may seem like a heroic story, filled with extraordinary men. It was actually just regular men but many more of them then mentioned.