Apocalypto is a brilliant film designed as an emotional mass market play, but the production design was so great it's award worthy. Mel Gibson's films usually

Apocalypto is a brilliant film designed as an emotional mass market play, but the production design was so great it's award worthy. Mel Gibson's films usually give some insight into the nature of power and politics, which is really fun because so few attempt to bother with that kind of stuff. Listen to the DVD voice-over with he and the director of that film, they give you some amazing information as to the backstory of the political setup of the city in which the scenes took place.