Many year-end lists of entertainment scandals have Mel Gibson near the top. The scandal is in reference to an anti-Semitic tirade that police said Gibson went on after he was pulled over for driving under the influence in California this past July.

This kind of behavior can hurt the credibility of an artist dealing with serious subject matter. And Gibson's new period-piece epic, Apocalypto, which he wrote and directed, definitely qualifies as serious.

The film tells the story of a small dwelling of indigenous people in a Mesoamerican jungle whose village is attacked by a pack of Mayan attackers. The women are sold as slaves, and men are taken to an unnamed Mayan city to be sacrificed to the gods. The elite of the city are making these sacrifices to try and appease a god they believe to have taken their prosperity as evident from the rotted crops and encampments of people afflicted with smallpox.

The bulk of the plot follows a man in the tribe known as Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) who hides his pregnant wife and son from the burning and pillaging Mayan captors so that they might live. He then escapes the Mayan city and flees through the jungle to attempt to return home to his family. At face value, the movie is filmed brilliantly. The vibrant colors of the jungle, fast-paced action scenes and the seeming authenticity of the varieties of people suit the story of turmoil and triumph over fear.

While Gibson's incessant use of violence might personify his passion as a director, he could have done without several graphic accounts depicted within the film.

There seems to be a constant undercurrent in the film depicting the Mayans as impulsive killers. While the ornamentation of costumed Mayan leaders might seem to have jumped directly from ancient uncovered ruins, the achievements in architecture, science and mathematics that the Mayans accomplished are not evident at all. They are portrayed merely as silently devious and bloodthirsty for sacrifice.

This method of filmmaking might work for box office numbers, but not as a true portrayal of an ancient people. Beyond this, Gibson has stated before the release of the film that there is an allegory portrayed in his film that connects the ancient civilization to that of the modern Western world.

"The precursors to a civilization that's going under are the same, time and time again... What's human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?" Gibson said in September.

His portrayal of a civilization in dire need of being rescued from its plight is shown at the film's end, when Spanish conquistadors arrive on a beach when Jaguar Paw is about to be apprehended for fleeing the Mayan sacrifice. The Mayan rulers are so awestruck by the newcomer's ships that they do not kill the fugitive. That is to say, they are in such a state of brutality that the arrival of a greater power made them realize their mistakes and repent.

All of this occurs with no regard to actual history. The rise and fall of the depicted Classic period of Mayan culture occurred several centuries before the Spanish arrival. However, criticism of historical anachronism might be nitpicking, as Gibson is creating art that involved a retelling of history, not the recreation of it.

Even if the director is crossing the line of taste when negatively depicting an entire civilization, he still offers hope in the character of Jaguar Paw. The character's optimism to save his family and start anew can leave even the most downtrodden swelling with pride.

The combination of triumph over fear and beautiful cinematography amid severe violence really drives home the feeling of confidence we need in ourselves to persevere in times of trouble. GRADE: B-