Apocalypto
makes it official. Mel Gibson is a madman. Maybe not the madman that hilarious
South Park episode made him out to be (suggesting that Martin Riggs likes to finger
paint with his own poop will go down in history as one of the funniest things
I've ever seen), still Mel is a little bit nuts. Not that calling Gibson a madman
is an insult. Far from it, Sugar Tits. Actually, Mr. Gibson remains a passionate
film maker with a true eye for the hypnotic. While his latest epic lacks the intimacy
of Man Without a Face, the emotional underpinning of Braveheart, and the unflinching
brutality of The Passion of the Christ, it remains an extremely entertaining action
picture and benefits from a hyper kinetic pace.
As
Apocalypto opens, we're introduced to a small Mayan tribe. They are a peaceful
people and live off the forest as their ancestors did before them. One morning,
a young tribesman, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), is awakened by rustling right
outside the village. Without warning, his people and their homes are overwhelmed
by a hostile (and massive) Mayan tribe. Many of the men and women of this village
are massacred, while others are taken as potential slaves.
Before
being taken, Jaguar Paw manages to lead his pregnant wife and child to safety.
The only question is, how long will they remain out of harms way? This haunts
young Jaguar Paw as he and the rest of his captive tribe are dragged through the
jungle, towards an unknown destination. Throughout his ordeal, the burning desire
to be restored to his family is the only thing that occupies his thoughts.
I
was somewhat surprised by Apocalypto. It wasn't quite what I thought it would
be. Particularly the first thirty minutes, when we're introduced to Jaguar Paw
and his fellow tribesman. They're almost childlike and frat-boyish in the way
they play pranks on one another. Gibson deceptively introduces us to a world that
is quite innocent, but he does so in order that he might unexpectedly drop the
hammer in a big way not but ten minutes later. Once the plot is set into motion,
and Jaguar Paw's village comes under siege, Apocaplyto becomes a hypnotic, nightmarish,
odyssey into a world I don't think I've ever seen in a movie before.
As
Jaguar Paw is taken from his peaceable way of life, he comes face to face with
a world he's never really known. He's witness to strange, mythic mumbo jumbo (some
of which is chillingly delivered by a sickly child), forced to view horrific,
satanic rituals, and plunged into near death experiences on several occasions,
and I was never entirely sure where all of this madness was headed.
The
tone here is gritty but it's punctuated with a perverse sense of humor, not unlike
the works of Mel Gibson's old friend, director George Miller (Mad Max, Road Warrior,
etc.). Not surprisingly, the film is simply stunning to look at. Gibson has a
meticulous eye for detail. Essentially, this movie is about a culture that has
been dead for many, many years, but that doesn't stop Mad Mel from doing painstaking
research. Apocalypto is shot in the Mayan dialect (with English subtitles), and
the locations, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design are breathtaking,
as are most of the performances. Many of these actors (including charismatic lead
Rudy Youngblood) are newcomers, and all are effective.
There's
been a lot of talk about the violence in this picture. Yes, it is extremely bloody,
but this is a movie for adults. Apocalypto is, after all, depicting a violent
world. So, be prepared for chest stabbings, hearts being ripped from bodies, decapitations,
and a Jaguar attack that will leave your adrenalin spiked long after it's ended.
While
Apocalypto does make a statement about a new beginning coming out of the ending
of an old way of life (a theme also explored to more dramatic effect in, say,
Dances With Wolves), it is, at it's heart, an action movie. Most notably in the
second half as Jaguar Paw frantically makes his way back to his family while being
pursued by a pack of hostile Mayan warriors. At this point, the movie becomes
a visceral assault of the senses, as Jaguar Paw uses all his knowledge of the
forest to fight off his enemies (think Predator).
Braveheart
was one of my favorite films of the 90's. Yes, it was an extremely violent movie,
but it was also a story about love. Everything William Wallace did in that film,
he did out of love. Love for his slain soul mate, and love for his countrymen.
Apocalypto follows a similar path at times, but more often than not, Jaguar Paw
acts on pure instinct. He's out to survive. He's managed to emerge from a kind
of Mayan version of Survivor, and at the end of his adventure (an unexpected but
completely acceptable climax), he realizes there's always a bigger fish. There
really aren't a lot of profound points to be made in Apocalypto. If there is one,
I suppose that's it. Mostly though, this movie is about the chase and with good
old Mel behind the camera, you know they action is going to be first rate –
and it is.
Gibson
has had a turbulent year to say the least, and while I don't condone some of his
off screen antics, he remains an extremely impassioned film maker, and that's
why I go to see his movies. With the mesmerizing, action packed Apocalypto, he's
once again whisked me away on a magical mystery tour of a breathtakingly surreal
and enigmatic landscape. And while this isn't exactly the strongest effort of
his career, it's still grand entertainment.
