In the same note, so does Raoul Trujillo, who gives a rousing yet despicable act as the hatemongering leader Zero Wolf. Despite attaining a lower rank in the Mayan government, the enemy’s own political mania surfaces through Trujillo’s acting. He represents evil - a blindsided, jingoistic drone for an anxious civilization on the verge of a social cataclysm. Also noteworthy is Rodolfo Palacios as Snake Ink, an embittered peon whose pleasure for torture is a sight to cringe at. Jonathan Brewer should be mentioned for his comic relief role Blunted, whose inpotentency misfortunes brew laughter for the village, but have an odd dramatic comeback later in the film.

Gibson’s eye for sweeping landscapes and rainforests of Catemaco is strong, allowing the rich blue and yellow skies to mix with the palate of adobe and greenery. Like its material, Apocalypto has a continuously dark theme - much of the action springs through wooded areas, and climaxes through a solar eclipse. James Horner’s haunting instrumental score pervades all dramatic sequences, and the choice of percussion gives a rattling sensation for the chase sequence. On the topic, the film opens with the quote by Will Durant pondering “a civilization that cannot destroy itself without until it destroys itself within.” Gibson bridges this concept with what appears to be a creative analogy to the current Iraq War, and furthermore, war in general. From the introduction of a threat to the Mayans, leading to the sacrifice of strong Mayans for appeasement, and then to the fight for survival by those who stand against this anxiety, Gibson intelligently - and backhandedly - summarizes a philosophical discussion into a chase scene that will dazzle any action aficionado.

Apocalypto is a sure contender for one of 2006’s best films, as it broadly argues a heavy-hitting topic through an environment never intricately explored on the silver screen. It’s not for the weak of heart, and not for those who’ll go any distance to argue the film’s quality through the director’s own controversies. This is a hybrid experiment if I ever saw one.