I missed this on first run but just caught it.
Easily one of the top 100 films of all time, maybe even one of the top 10.
Boy is it hard to reconcile this brilliant piece of work from writer/director Mel Gibson in 2010 with the same Mel Gibson who in 2016 came out of retirement to bring us Blood Father.
But I digress.
This is a treat for the eyes the ears and the soul. I do not think movies get any better than this.
I did note that the cynics said this film reflects Gibson' penchant for violence...? Give me a break! There is little known about the Mayans -- thanks to the Christian friar who became their friend and then decided the world would be better off if he burned 99.9% of their books -- not to mention the core paradox THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD 1000s of BOOKS READY FOR BURNING? -- but their artwork clearly shows that, whatever their mysterious origins, by the end of their empire they had devolved toward an addiction to human sacrifice.
(Much like other more recent empires I could name ... but again I digress).
Given what he had to work with -- a mysterious people with a lost history -- Gibson not only created a glorious film but also a really neat revenge tale as well.
Highest rating. Recommended.
Easily one of the top 100 films of all time, maybe even one of the top 10.
Boy is it hard to reconcile this brilliant piece of work from writer/director Mel Gibson in 2010 with the same Mel Gibson who in 2016 came out of retirement to bring us Blood Father.
But I digress.
This is a treat for the eyes the ears and the soul. I do not think movies get any better than this.
I did note that the cynics said this film reflects Gibson' penchant for violence...? Give me a break! There is little known about the Mayans -- thanks to the Christian friar who became their friend and then decided the world would be better off if he burned 99.9% of their books -- not to mention the core paradox THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD 1000s of BOOKS READY FOR BURNING? -- but their artwork clearly shows that, whatever their mysterious origins, by the end of their empire they had devolved toward an addiction to human sacrifice.
(Much like other more recent empires I could name ... but again I digress).
Given what he had to work with -- a mysterious people with a lost history -- Gibson not only created a glorious film but also a really neat revenge tale as well.
Highest rating. Recommended.