Fictionalized action films based on the retellings of the Persian Wars, a series of conflicts between the Empire of Persia and Greek city-states.

Director Zack Snyder's 300 (airing on SYFY this month) remains a standout piece of his filmography, an operatic action epic based on one of the most famous battles in the history of the ancient world.

In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in the mountain pass of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in ...