Apocalypto
Amazing movie portraying Mayan civilization in its decline, featuring an indigenous cast that speaks in their native tongue. The story follows a young man named Jaguar Paw who becomes captured when his village are attacked by another hostile tribe, and sees himself and his tribesmen get dragged to an ancient Mayan city where they will be sacrificed to the Aztec gods.
The story is simple, yet very compelling. The pacing is excellent, the action is riveting, the whole movie looks beautiful and is is very well shot. The Mayan setting is quite unique, I can't think of one movie that goes this far to portray this particular era with this much attention to detail. I know the movie has been criticized for historical inaccuracies, but it feels authentic, raw and is just dripping with atmosphere. The cast is great, both the heroes and the villains are compelling characters, very believable and very natural in the emotions they display. They are also rocking some very cool outfits, especially the bad guys.
Apocalypto also has great environmental storytelling, with a lot of "show, don't tell" - mentality. You can basically watch the entire movie without sub titles and you will have no issues understanding the characters, the story or what is going on. Say what you will about Mel Gibson, but he's an hell of a film director. Apocalypto is easily his best directorial effort. It's truly one of a kind.