Deep Water & Apocalypto

A good start to the year...

Deep Water

A documentary relating the events of the 1969 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race - the first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race - concentrating on the tragic events surrounding Donald Crowhurst, a British businessman and amateur yachtsman.

Crowhurst was woefully unprepared for the voyage, his boat the Teignmouth Electron was a custom-built (and untested) trimaran and the safety devices he planned to install weren't complete, but as a result of sponsorship deals he faced bankruptcy if he didn't launch on the race's deadline of 31st October. After setting off, he found he was travelling less then half his planned speed and estimated his odds of survival as 50/50. He ended up circling the waters off Brazil and Argentina while sending in faked reports of his position and speed. To save face, his plan was to wait until all the ships were on their return journey and to slip in behind the pack and come in last, filing a falsified log book which wouldn't be under much scrutiny as he wasn't going to win either of the race's prizes; the Golden Globe trophy for the first sailor home and £5,000 to the yacht with the quickest speed.

However, events overtook him and he ended up being the only yacht left in the race (Robin Knox-Johnston having already finished); all the other competitors having retired from the race for one reason or another. Receiving news via Morse that he would return to a hero's welcome having completed the fastest journey, Crowhurst knew that his deception would be uncovered. He drifted at sea for a number of days, slowly descending into madness before finally committing suicide.

'Deep Water' comes from the producer of 'Touching The Void' and relies in the main on archive audio and video footage interspersed with modern interviews with key people who have a personal stake in the tale such as Knox-Johnston and Crowhurst's widow and son. The film is an engrossing and sympathetic portrayal of the turmoil that Crowhurst went through; the dilemma of not wanting to let down his family and friends while facing bankruptcy if he turned back too early, the psychological pressure brought about by spending months alone at sea and his eventual suicide upon realising that he would be exposed.

Apocalypto

The latest blockbuster from Mel Gibson, despite its historical setting, is at its (bloody) heart an action-chase movie.

It is the story of one Jaguar Paw, a hunter whose idyllic lifestyle is shattered when his village is destroyed by Mayan marauders. Bound by his captors, Jaguar Paw is forced to march to a Mayan city where the females are to be sold as slaves while the males are to be sacrificed to quench the thirst of the Sun god who has brought famine and pestilence to the Mayans. At the moment when Jaguar Paw's heart is about to be wrenched still-beating from his body and his head chopped off and thrown down the temple's steps, he is 'rescued' by a solar eclipse. (You can tell this is coming as it's on the film's poster, it's just a surprise that the Mayans who were fabled for their ability to tell the time through movements of the Sun and other celestial bodies didn't see it coming!) The film then becomes one extended chase sequence as Jaguar Paw runs pell-mell back to the ruins of his village, intent on rescuing his heavily pregnant wife and young son from the cave that he lowered them into just before he was captured, while being chased by a pack of vengeful Mayans. Oh and then the conquistadors turn up...

If this plot sounds wafer thin, that's because it is! However, that doesn't stop it from being an enjoyable popcorn movie. Yes, I realise it's historically inaccurate. (Here are two things I know of that are worthy of mention: 1) The Mayan civilisation was long gone by the time the conquistadors turned up. 2) Although the Mayans participated in human sacrifice, it wasn't on the assembly-line basis that you see in the film). I should add that it's performed in the 'Mayan tongue' - which means arty style subtitles - but you don't really need to read the dialogue to know what's happening.

After the initial scene setting, the film has three distinct sections. The first is the destruction of Jaguar Paw's village, which plays out like a fight sequence from Michael Mann's 'Last Of The Mohicans', but turned up to 11. The second part, when our hero is transported to the Mayan city, has an 'Apocalypse Now' feel to it; strange encounters had en route to a final destination, complete with a scary prophecy-spouting child. The final section, with Jaguar Paw outwitting his pursuers, comes over like a loin-cloth wearing version of 'Die Hard'/'First Blood' as our hero picks off his enemies one-by-one using his finely honed hunter skills.

I went into 'Apocalypto' with very low expectations, but found myself thoroughly enjoying the film as a piece of pure escapism. Gibson as usual has directed another enjoyable action film that needs to be seen on a big screen, as the story is wrapped up by beautiful imagery and great cinematography - another way that this film is similar to 'Last Of The Mohicans'. The film is by no means flawless, for example, it starts with a quote about a civilisation having to destroy itself from within before it can be conquered from without, and I'm not sure where this central idea disappeared to amongst all the blood.

Warning: It is violent and deserves its 18 certificate, as it is pretty gruesome in places; panther maulings, human sacrifices (did I mention still-beating hearts?), Japanese movie-style blood spurts, artistic blood sprays when clubs hit heads (think of the Sony Bravia advert with the paint bombs exploding around the block of flats). You have been warned.