The cult Mel Gibson movie Quentin Tarantino called a “masterpiece”
Mel Gibson was, for a time, one of the most highly-coveted actors in Hollywood. With an impressive list of successful movies under his belt, he soon turned his attention to filmmaking. However, Gibson is now more routinely considered a divisive figure in the landscape of contemporary cinema. Accused of homophobia and antisemitism on multiple occasions, Gibson was blacklisted from Hollywood, following which he made his return with the 2016 western Hacksaw Ridge. Despite the backlash against his views, Gibson’s features have received numerous accolades, and Quentin Tarantino, arguably one of the art form’s loudest critics, even considers one of Gibson’s works to be a true “masterpiece”.
Over the years, Gibson has accumulated some of the most prestigious prizes within the film industry. Ranging from multiple Oscar wins for Braveheart to AACTA Awards for Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson has drawn critical attention and acclaim for his directorial style, but personal issues have complicated his legacy. While those problematic issues have been enough to dissuade most casual filmgoers, Tarantino has rarely let anything get in the way of his love for cinema.
During a 2008 Sight & Sound interview, the Pulp Fiction director was asked about his opinions on digital cinematography and its practitioners. An obvious purist, with an extensive collection of VHS tapes and a strong endearment for traditional cinema, for a long time, Tarantino has maintained that digital cinema is detrimental to the medium’s future. However, he made some concessions while discussing the practice during this conversation.
“To me, 97% of the use of digital is laziness,” Tarantino claimed. “They are trying to make it easier on themselves, and it shows. But in those cases where they are creating a whole new cinematic landscape, I can’t be churlish about that. I’ve got to give it up. It adds another possibility in which to tell stories and create pictures.”
According to Tarantino, digital filmmaking might open up different ways of conceptualising cinema, but it is often used as a tool of convenience rather than innovation. The acclaimed filmmaker criticised prominent directors such as David Fincher for using digital cinematography, insisting that the results are uninteresting.
There was one digitally filmed work which fooled Tarantino when he first saw it, and that was Apocalypto. A 2006 historical epic by Mel Gibson, the film follows the journey of a Mesoamerican hunter during the decline of the great Mayan civilisation. Apocalypto remains one of the finest movies of the century, creating a tension so intense that it can drive an audience out of their seats and away from the relentless struggle. The film was a critical and commercial success, admired by directors such as Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, providing Gibson with one of his latest, and perhaps final, bright spots.
At the time, Tarantino called Apocalypto the greatest cinematic achievement of that year. However, for the Reservoir Dogs filmmaker, things eventually changed. He later reflected: “I thought Apocalypto was a masterpiece. Then I found out [Mel Gibson] did it in digital and it lessened the effort for me. Using a Mount Everest analogy again, the mountain got smaller, and the achievement was a little less.”
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.