Ignoring Mel Gibson's recent publicity debacles for a moment, the former Mad Max is, at his core, a skilled filmmaker. "Braveheart", of course, is his reigning masterpiece. But
"The Passion of the Christ" for all its hype and derision was undeniably well made. Mr. Gibson's latest potential debacle is "Apocalypto" (I know, the title itself is tough to take) and not surprisingly it's another dark, well-filmed, thriller set in the past, with good performances and an epic scope. To be sure, the film has its flaws: it is violent, the ending is silly and, well, it's called "Apocalypto". But as exotic as it might seem, "Apocalypto" is really just an action movie set in the rarely-seen Mayan culture. It's "Braveheart" or "The Road Warrior" without the kilts and, well, roads.
The film opens at the decline of the Mayan civilization with a group of hunters enjoying some fresh tapir. Among them is Jaguar Paw played by charismatic newcomer Rudy Youngblood. Though the film is wisely cast with complete unknowns, Jaguar Paw stands out due to his deep eyes, easy looks and, more to the point, extended camera time. During a brutal raid on his village, J.P. is able to hide his pregnant wife and child before being captured and led on a long, long trek through the forest to an enormous pyramid of sacrifice. Our hero is able to evade death on multiple occasions, more due to luck than his own wiles, and so begins the film's extended climactic chase back through the forest to rescue his loved ones.
Despite the unfamiliar setting, the script co-written by Mr. Gibson and Farhad Safinia is pure action movie archetypes, with more than a few references to Mr. Gibson's own "Braveheart", including the throat-cutting of a loved one and the ever popular hero-on-the-sacrificial-altar sequence. There's been much hoo-hah about the film's violence but, considering the subject matter, "Apocalypto" is about as bloody as it needs to be. Yes, it's brutal at times, but that comes with the territory. And there's nothing nearly as egregiously sadistic as the Christ-flaying scenes from "Passion".
And like "Christ", "Apocalypto" is spoken entirely in an ancient language with subtitles. The Mayan dialogue sounds surprisingly natural and at times quite beautiful. Still, Mr. Gibson makes the wise decision to keep the dialogue to a minimum, skillfully telling much of the story visually. I mean, let's face it, when your friends are getting their hearts torn out and heads lopped off, what is there to say?
If you can get past Mr. Gibson's public persona, "Apocalypto" is a good, solid action movie. I'm not sure I need to see Mr. Gibson acting on screen again, but as long as he stays behind that camera, I'd be happy to see what he comes up with next. Let just hope he thinks of some better titles.
