It's a descent into madness as vertiginous as Heart of Darkness, and a portrait of futility as monumental in its irony as Shelley's Ozymandias.

Never has human folly seemed so vivid, rapacious and primeval.

The whole movie merges landscapes and character with such force that, once seen, you never forget it.

... the imagery is astonishing: jungles layered in mist and fog, broken by a glittering train of armored soldiers with their slaves, their guns, and thrones carrying improbably dressed and coiffed noble women.