Apocalypse then

Apocalypto is an excellent film with an unpopular type of violence | Megan Basham

What are we to make of the violence that permeates Mel Gibson's undeniably impressive piece of cinematic art? That was the question Christians were asking themselves in 2004 after the release of The Passion, and it is the same question moviegoers will likely ask themselves after viewing the director's latest, Apocalypto (rated R for intense and graphic scenes of violence as well as other disturbing images).

Telling the story of Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), a family man and forest dweller whose village is razed by neighboring urbanite Mayans, the movie is successful on nearly all levels. Youngblood and a cast of big-screen newcomers give phenomenal performances (no small feat as all dialogue is spoken in a Mayan dialect with subtitles), Gibson's visual direction and pacing are spot-on, and rarely have audiences been treated to so perfect a merging of action and score. But what about its most savage elements?