Speaking of brave men of the West

There's a new movie out called 300, recounting the Greek battle against the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 BC. Victor Davis Hanson has lots of background material and a (mostly positive) review of the movie here.

Hanson is the author of lots of books on military history, including The Wars of the Ancient Greeks, which I started reading awhile back but - as with most books I've started on - I haven't finished. You can read Mr. Hanson's bio here.