Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Apocalypto
2006
****½
Director: Mel Gibson
Cast: Rudy Youngblood, Morris Birdyellowhead, Carlos Emilio Baez, Raoul Trujillo

Mel Gibson follows the offputting The Passion of the Christ with another ambitious epic in an obscure language. This time, however, he's made a brilliantly captivating action drama which argues that the downfall of the Mayan civilization had begun before the white man arrived in the 16th century. Jaguar Paw is a young tribesman with a pregnant wife and son. The early scenes depict a close-knit community, which is followed by a brutal attack on the village by warriors who plan to sell the women as slaves and the men as human sacrifice. The mid-section in the Maya city contains some beautiful, arresting and wonderfully over-the-top images, and the film climaxes in one of the most exciting chase scenes ever put on film.