Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

Apocalypto

There's been plenty of talk and lots of good and bad reviews from all corners on Apocalypto and Mel Gibson. It's fun to read them and good to form your own opinion. For me, Apocalypto turned out to be an interesting action/adventure film within a Mayan setting. It was entertaining because it was out of character. You don't come to a film like this expecting to see a Die Hard style plot, but here it is. If any of you have seen Brick, you know the feeling; Noir in a High School setting catches you off balance.

When I finished watching Apocalypto my first thought was that I had seen this story before. Different setting, different time frame, same chase'em down plot. In trying to think of which film I was relating Apocalypto to, I discovered, over a few days of thinking, that it was actually many, many films, all with similar stories.

Like The Naked Prey, or Die Hard, Apocalypto pits one driven man against many ruthless killers. All the talk about historical accuracy is somewhat lost on me, as I can only see this film as an action adventure piece set in an unusual time period. Aside from documentaries, I highly suggest that viewers should not mistake entertainment films for history lessons. I love JFK for it's intricate and mystifying plot, but I would never take it as historically accurate.

The same is true of Apocalypto. Enjoy this film for it's great action, fast pace, irony and heroism.