Apocalypto (2006)

Director:

Mel Gibson

Writers:

Mel Gibson (written by) &
Farhad Safinia (written by)

Release Date:

8 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

When the end comes, not everyone is ready to go

Plot:

As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man captured for sacrifice, flees to avoid his fate.

Plot Keywords:

Jaguar | Tribe | Temple | Maya | Human Sacrifice

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Rudy Youngblood	...	Jaguar Paw
Dalia Hernández	...	Seven
Jonathan Brewer	...	Blunted
Morris Birdyellowhead	...	Flint Sky
Carlos Emilio Báez	...	Turtles Run
Amilcar Ramírez	...	Curl Nose
Israel Contreras	...	Smoke Frog
Israel Ríos	...	Cocoa Leaf
María Isabel Díaz	...	Mother in Law (as Isabel Diaz)
Espiridion Acosta Cache	...	Old Story Teller
Mayra Serbulo	...	Young Woman
Iazua Larios	...	Sky Flower
Lorena Heranandez	...	Village Girl
Itandehui Gutierrez	...	Wife
Sayuri Gutierrez	...	Eldest Daughter

Also Known As:

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Maya

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Ireland:15A | Germany:18 | UK:18 | Australia:MA | Argentina:18 | Israel:18 | Malaysia:18PL | China:(Banned) | Indonesia:Dewasa | Thailand:R-14 | Taiwan:R-18 | Philippines:R-18 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Italy:T (original rating) | France:-12 | Canada:14A (Alberta) | South Africa:16 (V) | Italy:VM14 (re-rated) (court decision) (2007) | South Korea:18 | Norway:15 (original rating) | Norway:18 (re-rating) | Poland:18 | USA:R (certificate #42915) | Brazil:16 | Hungary:18 | Japan:R-15 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | New Zealand:R16 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico

Company:

Icon Entertainment International

Trivia:

(At 01:31:34) There is a single frame in which Waldo (from Where's Waldo?) is seen lying on the pile of dead bodies.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The long feathers on the Mayan priests's head dress were those of the Quetzal, a native Central American bird. In the film they are the tail feathers of Reeve's Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii, a native bird of China and often used in movies when long plumes are needed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
title card: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." W. Durant

Movie Connections:

Featured in My Longest Day (2008)

Soundtrack:

Nichos del Tiempo

The Perfect Action Movie

I'll keep this review short. I'm dense as to what "message" Apocalypto may have been trying to send. I'm not convinced it's a message movie at all. The film's value lies in its limitless ability to pump adrenaline. The movie belongs in the action section when it goes to video. And in that genre, hardly another movie will be able to hold a candle to it.

Apocalypto delivers a rush that does not let up. Once the real action starts, brilliant images unlike any showcased in cinema flash across the screen with dizzying speed. Repeatedly and without letting up, the movie features scene after scene that hits the perfect note, which is always a high-pitched one filled with tension. Apocalypto is the perfect action film, punctuating its frenzy of activity with beautiful and surprising images.