10 Intense Movies That Captivated The Hell Out Of You
5. Apocalypto
Even now, it's strange to think that Mel Gibson was the filmmaker behind 2006's Apocalypto. It doesn't "feel" like a Gibson film, really, nor does the man anywhere in the movie, either. What Apocalypto proves, however, is that Gibson - despite his controversial status - is a filmmaker of genuine talent: this, after all, is one of the most relentlessly intense films of the last few decades.
At its core, this is a picture about the end of Mayan civilisation. The story concerns Jaguar Paw, a hunter/family man who one day finds himself captured by a neighbouring tribe and forced to run a gauntlet of endless peril. As he attempts to survive, he must dodge death at every turn, and Gibson makes this into a thoroughly captivating rollercoaster ride, barely giving you a chance to breath.
Spears fly, heads roll... this is a brutal film, and watching it is akin to running the gauntlet yourself. There are few motion pictures that one could genuinely describe as "heart-stopping," but the perfect pacing, genuine tension and relentless violence of Apocalypto makes it worthy of such an accolade - and then some.