Review of Apocalypto (2006) by Markb. — 17 Jan 2007

Nearly three years ago, while squeamishly preparing myself to see Mel Gibson's now-legendary The Passion of the Christ, I stopped in a favorite sports bar and, learning that the bartender on duty had already seen it, asked her if I should have a courage- fortifying beer beforehand.

"Yes," she replied, "and one after, too!" Gibson's followup might well demand a six-pack before viewing by the overly sensitive--any movie that opens with testicle-eating (animal, not human) is one that isn't shy about letting the audience know early on what it's in for--but if you're prepared for where Mel takes you, Apacalypto is one of the purest, most viscerally exciting and visually stunning action movies of the last several years.

It helps enormously that the likable hero, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) is motivated not by revenge (justifiable though this might be) but by self-defense and preservation of his family...especially when his wife and little boy represent the zenith of noncloying adorableness.

Gibson's much-publicized use of the Mayan language throughout turns out to be something of a moot point: after the establishing sequences (which feature lots of tribal male bonding and practical joking, just what you'd expect from the director of Braveheart and a rabid Three Stooges fan), the action becomes so clearly set that Apocalypto would've worked beautifully as a silent film.

And while you don't normally expect to use (or read) words like "subtlety", "thoughtfulness" and "nuance" when referring to the cinema of Mel Gibson, Apocalypto's left-field final twist brings the movie's breathless pacing and vivid violence to a surprisingly somber, reflective close.

It also forces viewers to redefine again the controversial filmmaker who rather puzzlingly became the darling of the right-wing media with Passion (as though identifying and supporting intensely with Jesus' suffering in his last hours on earth and supporting troop buildups in Iraq and turning a deaf ear to restrictions on torturing prisoners were somehow synonymous) but recently made some anti-Bush statements that confounded the right-wing press while delighting those moviegoers who, like me, found absolutely nothing wrong with loving both Passion AND Fahrenheit 9/11.

Being a big fan of Apocalypto as well doesn't prevent me from expressing a few reservations and misgivings, though: as far as certain other, far more heavily-publicized, tequila-fueled utterances made by Mel are concerned, it's hard to completely put them out of one's mind during a sequence in which Jaguar Paw, fleeing from Mayans attempting to sacrifice him to their gods, comes across some examples of their brutal handiwork that unavoidably brought to mind certain Holocaust photos and films I've seen.

Equally disturbing is that, as hugely effective and even enjoyable as Apocalypto is during most of its running time, its maker (who reportedly encouraged director Ron Howard to use a lot more ketchup during the shootout scenes in Ransom) seems to be having just a little bit too much Herschell Gordon Lewis-style fun filming the tribal atrocities he's putting up on screen.

Remember the junior high school boys' room admonition "Shake it more than twice and you're playing with it"? Put it this way: depicting one human sacrifice qualifies as legitimate plot revelation.

..but going back and lovingly doing it all over again is masturbation.