Apocalypto

Whether Mel Gibson’s a boozy, narcissistic jerk whose entitle-itis got him in over his head during a traffic stop or (and?) an anti-Semite who’ll only say so when he’s drunk is irrelevant to me. Truth be told, the tone of Gibson's commentary left me thinking he's probably a bit of both. But considered strictly on its’ own merit, Apocalypto is beautiful and exciting and masterfully made, and the scale of the production is just jaw-dropping. Just take a look at the size of the Makeup Department. For Christ's sake, more than 60 drivers alone are credited.

The casting and acting are terrific. Rudy Youngblood as Jaguar Paw is winning and runs his sandals off. Raoul Trujillo as the lead heavy, Zero Wolf, is seriously menacing. But Gerardo Taracena as Middle Eye, the fellow from the poster, sprouting the Coolio braid from his forehead, steals the show. The way he juts out his lower jaw and deadens his eyes makes you sick; you just know he’s frozen over inside. From his IMDb page, I gather he hasn’t hit Hollywood yet, but hopefully we’ll be seeing him again soon.

A fun game I found myself playing throughout was “Spot the Movie Reference.” We have the spiked mantrap of Southern Comfort, the throat-slashed loved one of Braveheart, an anachronistic nod to Ratso Rizzo’s “I’m walkin’ here,” Beyond Thuderdome’s orphan cohort and even a brief glimpse of a pre-Columbian Master/Blaster.

But Gibson’s got some new tricks, too. According to the commentary, the coarse, funny, seemingly anachronistic banter of Jaguar Paw and his hunting party is actually borne out by research of the idiom of the late-classic Maya. And while Gibson and cowriter Farhad Safinia's refusal to paint their heroes as noble savages is not what you're used to, you come to appreciate it. It makes the world seem more authentic.

The human sacrifice and eclipse scene atop the pyramid is a skillful demonstration of political manipulation as the king and high priest work the crowd with little more than a nod and a wink. And, while Gibson admits a bit of dramatic license, the perfectly choreographed gauntlet scene seems realistic and maintains the high-tension sadism of the raiding party.

For 139 minutes I was alternately excited, saddened, thrilled, filled with dread and just plain knocked out. Whatever you think of the man, the movie is amazing.