Apocalypto (2006)

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.

Director:

Mel Gibson

Writers:

Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia

Stars:

Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernández, Raoul Trujillo

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In the Maya civilization, a peaceful tribe is brutally attacked by warriors seeking slaves and human beings for sacrifice for their gods. Jaguar Paw hides his pregnant wife and his son in a deep hole nearby their tribe and is captured while fighting with his people. An eclipse spares his life from the sacrifice and later he has to fight to survive and save his beloved family.

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Plot Keywords:

jaguar | tribe | forest | prophecy | hunting | 

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Taglines:

No one can outrun their destiny.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] Quinta Communications [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

Maya

Release Date:

8 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto

Filming Locations:

Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,360,110 (UK) (5 January 2007)

Gross:

$50,859,889 (USA) (2 March 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Icon Entertainment International, Icon Productions, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie's poster shows Middle Eye, not Jaguar Paw, running from his pursuers.

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Goofs

When he is due to be sacrificed there is a solar eclipse, meaning the moon is between the earth and the sun. Later that night while running in the forest and it switches to his wife in the pit suddenly it's a full moon meaning it has traversed entirely around the earth in one day.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Daniel Paredes ...... Crazy Student and Son of a Driver

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Connections

Referenced in The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Apocalypto"
Written by James Horner

User Reviews

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.