Mel Gibson turns his story of clashing civilisations into a thrilling chase - a Mayan The Fugitive - and shows his complete assurance as director with unflinching depictions of brutality including not just one, not two, but three unhurried scenes showing the heads of human sacrifices being bowled down the side of a Chichen Itza-like pyramid, brutality decried by critics as historically inaccurate and racist, but the movie is nonetheless remarkable for having been a huge box office success despite its decidedly un-box-office 16th Century setting and its cast of mostly non-actors speaking the Yucatec Maya language.
★★★★☆
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