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Action, visuals drive Gibson's Message in "Apocalypto" |
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Written by Colin Covert, McClatchy-Tribune
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Sunday, 10 December 2006 |
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‘Apocalypto’
3 out of 4
Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez
R / 2 hrs. 10 mins./ Carmike 10, Cinemark 16, Cinemark 12 Greeley, Metrolux 14
Degenerate societies on the verge of extinction hold a powerful grip on Mel Gibson’s imagination. From his performances in the dystopian “Mad Max” films through his directorial efforts in “Braveheart” and “The Passion of the Christ,” he often returns to graphically violent variations on the theme.
Are the films warnings to modern viewers, object lessons on the process of civilization’s collapse? After viewing his ambitious, audacious Yucatan chase movie “Apocalypto,” the answer is clearly yes. It’s a stern message picture in the trappings of an action-packed adventure.
As in “The Passion,” Gibson’s actors speak in a subtitled dialect while he tells the story in almost purely cinematic terms. Where there is talk, it doesn’t drive the action but characterizes the protagonists — precisely what effective dialogue should always do but rarely does.
After a slow, tense zoom into the jungle’s emerald underbrush, the film starts with a bang, as a group of hunters dash after a fleeing tapir. A footrace through dense vegetation could become incoherent unless it’s skillfully directed, and Gibson proves his command of the material swiftly and decisively. The pursuit is exhilarating, dizzyingly claustrophobic and suspenseful. It establishes a sense of the teammates’ individual personalities — and their dinner’s terror — as they lure the animal into a spiked trap.
Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), who divvies up the meat, is a natural leader. The successful hunt ends with Jaguar resting his head tenderly against the swollen belly of his wife, Seven (Dalia Hernandez), as their unborn child kicks along with the fireside drums. Life is harsh and uncertain here, but there is an Eden-like beauty, as well.
There’s a savage magnificence to “Apocalypto,” with visuals worthy of Fellini or David Lynch, and the kind of relentless excitement that only a few filmmakers can deliver. No matter how extraordinary the characters and their actions, the experience has a raw, authentic intensity. This, declares Gibson, is how it was. This is how more films should be. | Only registered users can write comments.
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