Apocalypto

Apocalypto
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mel Gibson
Written by	Mel Gibson Farhad Safinia
Produced by	Mel Gibson Bruce Davey
Starring	Rudy Youngblood Raoul Trujillo Mayra Sérbulo Dalia Hernández Jonathan Brewer Gerardo Taracena Rodolfo Palacios Bernardo Ruiz Juarez Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza Ricardo Diaz Mendoza Israel Contreras
Cinematography	Dean Semler
Edited by	John Wright
Music by	James Horner
Production companies	Touchstone Pictures Icon Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (North America) Icon Film Distribution (International)
Release date	December 8, 2006 (2006-12-08)
Running time	138 minutes[1]
Countries	United States Mexico[2][3]
Language	Yucatec Maya
Budget	$40 million[4]
Box office	$120.7 million[4]

Apocalypto (/əˌpɒkəˈlɪptoʊ/) is a 2006 epic historical action-adventure film produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Farhad Safinia. The film features a cast of Indigenous and Mexican actors consisting of Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo, Dalia Hernández, Gerardo Taracena, Jonathan Brewer, Rodolfo Palacios, Bernardo Ruiz Juarez, Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza, Ricardo Diaz Mendoza, and Israel Contreras. Set in Yucatán around the year 1502, Apocalypto portrays the hero's journey of a young man named Jaguar Paw, a late Mesoamerican hunter and his fellow tribesmen who are captured by an invading force. After a raid on their village, they are brought on a perilous journey to a Maya city for human sacrifice at a time when the Maya civilization is in decline.

Principal photography took place in Mexico from 21 November 2005 to July 2006. All of the indigenous people depicted in the film were Maya. Additionally, all dialogue is in a modern approximation of the ancient language of the setting, and the Indigenous Yucatec Mayan language is spoken with subtitles, which sometimes refer to the language as Mayan.

Apocalypto was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures in North America and Icon Film Distribution in the United Kingdom and Australia. The film was a box office success, grossing over $120 million worldwide, and received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Gibson's direction, Dean Semler's cinematography, and the performances of the cast, though the portrayal of Maya civilization and perceived historical inaccuracies were criticized.