This story is portrayed against the background of the Mayan civilisation. The main protagonist is Jaguar Paw the member of a hunting tribe in the jungle. His seemly peaceful life in turned upside down by the attack of an army in the dawn of the day. What follows is a journey through the forest battling against all odds for survival.
The most striking quality of this film is the amount of research which has gone into the film. It is not without logical flows though. But considering the enormous job involved and the finish they have achieved the few flaws can be easily forgiven and is not noticeable except for an expert on Mayan civilization. One of my friends who is into animals had a doubt about the colour of the Jaguar. But it turns out that that colour was present on the Jaguars in that particular forest!
All the main characters are unknown faces which add to the authenticity of the story. Above all they all look Mayan! Some of the lesser characters are real Mayans recruited from the forest! A sick girl who prophesied the fall of the empire is a real jungle girl speaking her own language. In short the entire cast and setting is convincing and well researched.
The entire film is not for the faint hearted. The blood and massacre shown is incomparable even by Hollywood standards. I would excuse Mel Gibson for this considering the fact that the massacre at that period of time was considered the biggest in history by a big margin. But girls and children especially, please be ready for the shock. The good thing is that the camera is pretty fast. The film never pauses anywhere. Death was an accepted fact for the Mayans and that is the way it is treated in the film. No slow motions(few if any), not much special effects etc makes the storytelling more convincing. The first half is a bit slow and the
groundwork for what follows next is laid down. The second half is fast! If you found some scenes repelling you won’t get time to think of that! The second half is basically(okay I will spill the story a bit) a group of people chasing the hero across the jungle on foot. But it somehow is more gripping than the best car chases that I have seen! The film is worth seeing for the second part alone!
The music in contrast is quite subtle except for the few instances when it plays in the centre stage; a dance being one. The camera work is marvellous and the shots breathtaking. It is Latin America in its full splendour. In short, though not perfect, the film is probably the best in one last year. It is bit graphic and the violence can shake you. But otherwise probably it is quite a gripping story told by a man who deserves applause – Mel Gibson.