Apocalypto
Starring:
Gerardo
Taracena, Raoul Trujillo, Dalia Hernandez, Rudy Youngblood.
Running
time: 139 minutes
Year:
2006
Directed
By: Mel
Gibson
Written
By: Mel
Gibson & Farhad Safinia
Mel
Gibson has lead a somewhat controversial career. He is a talented actor no
doubt about it, but his private life and his religion have spilled into his
public image and he has been a mess in front of the paparazzi several times.
His directing career is also marred with controversy, especially with The Passion Of The Christ, which had
faithful followers leaving cinemas in disgust. It can be said that he does
touch some issues that most would not dare to. With Apocalypto he has touched on a subject matter unseen before on
cinema screens, and he has also shown that no matter the controversy he is very
talented.
Apocalypto
is
a story within the Mayan culture. The Mayan's have been mentioned before in
films but they have never been the soul subject. Here we see a peaceful tribe
within the Mayans. Members spend their days hunting boar, setting traps and
making babies, as well as mocking each other. The tribe is a peaceful community
that lives in wooden huts. One day whilst out hunting, a separate tribe crosses
them, stating that they are relocating. Many of their community are bloodied
and seem to be desperately running. The other members, a young Mayan called
Jaguar Paw (Youngblood) and his friends, warn the opposing tribe to not cross
again as they don't want the trouble. Little are they aware that the following
morning their peaceful tribe is disrupted by Mayan rebels, who murder, kidnap,
and rape members of the tribe. These rebels search the jungle for captures that
they take to the almighty leader in a Mayan City, where the women are sold as
slaves and the men are sacrificed for the greater good. The Chief believes God
is punishing them by plaguing their crops and the only way to repay him is to
sacrifice members of their kind.
As the Mayan rebels attack, Jaguar Paw manages to
escape with his pregnant wife and son, who he lowers into a deep hole with the
promise that he will return for them after he has helped his fellow tribe. Unfortunately
he is defeated and taken captive with the rest of his tribe and lead across the
jungle to the Mayan City. Once there Jaguar Paw witness' his tribe being
sacrificed but is saved when a total eclipse is said to be a sign of God.
Instead of being used as sacrifices, the captives are lead out to be target
practice, but Jaguar Paw manages to evade the rebels, killing the leader's son
in the process. Being the target of the rebel's vengeful rage he disappears
into the jungle, leading them to his parts where only he can fight back and
free his family from the deep hole he left them in.
The story is intriguing. It is interesting to see a
story from an angle we haven't seen before. The Mayan culture is really brought
to life by Gibson, albeit I don't know how they lived and looked, but he has
managed to show us a believable resemblance. They run around with little
clothing, large piercings split through their noses, ear lobes, and lips and
hunt for food with wooden spears and bear traps. Gibson manages to show all
this using relatively unknowns in the roles, and each one of them nails their
character perfectly. To be honest it wasn't like I was watching people acting
like Mayans, I believed they actually were.
The film does have many violent scenes in it. Most
noticeably in the final forty five minutes which is a constant adrenaline rush
as we follow Jaguar Paw's run from his captives with them in hot pursuit. Spears
and arrows land in torsos, but the blood isn't over the top and outrageous but
subtle and believable. Also in the opening scenes we see violence, with the
rebels attacking the village, but most of the graphic scenes are hinted at off
camera.
Apocalypto
asks
many questions. It shows that genocide took place well before we existed, and
shows how they would do all they can to continue their civilisation. The ending
shows the Spanish Armada approaching and the Mayans ask the question of do they
run to man or do they continue the way they know. They know how to fight and
Gibson shows their struggle with passion and emotion.
It really is a solid film. It is highly enjoyable
and shows a civilisation unknown to us. The acting is strong and the direction
is brilliant. Despite at times where there were a few slow moments, at two
hours twenty minutes there could have been cuts, it is still a solid film and
one that I do recommend. It is nothing like I was expecting and shows many
themes that we should acknowledge; civilisations destructs from within, so why
fight each other? Strong film, strong message.
3.5
/ 5
Tolli
Next film to review: ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
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