He has been involved in so many great projects. It's been so long since I saw The Year of Living Dangerously, all I remember is I liked it a lot. I think the one I watch the most is Payback. What a collection of actors. James Coburn does a really good turn, and uncredited.
Picked up a Bounty widescreen sanctuary special edition dvd, got a dedication in the booklet from the director .. reads “Stephen.. thanks for all your help + advice .. Roger D Assume .. Roger Donaldson
I think the tougher question would be, has he made a bad film? The guy's arguably the best actor of his generation, and I'd be hard-pressed to put (m)any directors ahead of him. His performance in the first LW is one for the ages. His performances in the three MM films are untouchable. The things he's able to silently convey with his eyes, his face, and his body language are what elevates him above anyone else. His direction of Hacksaw Ridge was spectacular.
Due to His well-documented personal "issues" in the 00s, people forget that once upon a time--and it wasn't all that long ago--He was the biggest movie star in the entire world, and for very good reason. He always brings His characters to life, and He's always been very good at picking good projects that fit Him--whether He's directing or acting. I'm not even sure it's possible to whittle it down to one film because He's been nothing but quality since He first started as a pro in 1976, but I'll try to make a list of ten spanning 1976 to the present: 1 - Mad Max, 79. 2 - Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, 81. 3 - Lethal Weapon, 87. 4 - Lethal Weapon 2, 89.* 5 - The Man Without A Face, 93. 6 - Payback, 99(Theatrical Cut)/07 (Director's Cut)** 7 - The Patriot, 00. 8 - The Passion Of The Christ, 04. 9 - Apcalypto, 06. 10 - Blood Father, 16.*** Honorable Mention: Get The Gringo, 12. *It's well-established that sequels genuinely are inferior to their precursors, though there are some notable exceptions. L.W. II is an interesting case study because Shane Black's original script for it (titled Play Dirty) was a dark, vicious film in the vein of the first film. In this script, Riggs dies at the hands of Vorsteadt (stabbed and left to die slowly in the midst of a raging inferno), and there is a scene in which an airliner full of cocaine explodes, snowing coke all over L.A. and the Hollywood Hills. Black left the project due to creative differences with director Donner, and while I like the finished product--it still retained some of that darkness and viciousness--I really would've liked to've seen Play Dirty put on 35 mm. **I treat Payback the same way I do Iggy & The Stooges' 1973 masterpiece, Raw Power--a serious collector needs both the original 1973 Bowie Mix, and the amped up 1997 Iggy Mix. I saw the theatrical cut on opening day as a teenager, and I loved it--Mel's "Porter" was rough 'n tumble, but with a great comic/wisecracker tone. Regarding the cinematography, I loved the scenes that were filmed with a blue hue giving those scenes a surreal, dreamlike, voyeuristic quality. Some years later, director Helgeland released His original vision of the film--a darker, bloodier, less comic affair than the theatrical release, and with a grainy, gritty film stock used to give it a 70s look. In some ways, the D.C. is superior because it is a violent tale and with a downbeat 70s style ending that would've been par for the course for old B/grindhouse films. In this instance, Porter doesn't play games--He is brutal towards His opponents. That said, I enjoy both--so I own both. ***Mel's managed to make a spectacular comeback both as director and actor; however, these days, He's getting great character parts, or leads in gritty B films. Blood Father is a prototype for this new chapter--He's bulkier (ironpumping), and rockin' a magnificent beard. The John Link character is roughhewn, but He's no psychopath--and He's there for His daughter despite Her sins. Absolutely heartbreaking ending on this outing. This film, along with Get The Gringo, showcases Him as a tough guy with a heart of gold--and He absolutely shines in these sorts of stories. Looking forward to the upcoming TV series taken from the John Wick franchise titled The Continental in which Mel will star. - siyt
The Passion of the Christ or Hacksaw Ridge for directing What Women Want or Daddy's Home 2 for acting
Good call on Blood Father. Tough, gritty film - it really grabbed me. Mel is very good in it. A pity it fared so poorly at the box office - about $7MM on a ~$15MM budget according to Wikipedia. As for the question of the thread, it'd be Road Warrior for me. "If it's all the same to you... I'll drive that tanker." PS: Probably Signs in the second position.
Lots of great movies mentioned... One folks outside Aus may not be familiar with is "Gallipoli", if you haven't seen it, it is an excellent movie, but it is quite old now... I need to rewatch it myself
Ok, well I just watched Gallipoli for the first time in about forty years (free on Pluto tv) I still reckon it's a hell of a movie
Gallipoli is great. The Year of Living Dangerously, also directed by Peter Weir, is pretty good too. I remember reading that Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins said the script for The Bounty was the best they'd ever read, but the movie was compromised by the studio. That bums me out, as I think it's a very good film, but it could have been a masterpiece. It was the only version of the story that even tried to humanize Bligh, who is a jerk, but is also right. It's also the most historically accurate version by far.
Very peripherally related side note, but the story of what happened to the mutineers is interesting, if quite grim: Descendants of the Bounty mutineers - Wikipedia
Braveheart and Apocalypto. Top 3 most popular ... Starring Mel 1. Braveheart (1995) 8.4 R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, History 2. Lethal Weapon (1987) 7.6 R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller 3. The Road Warrior (1981) 7.6 R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi (Only Directed by Mel) 2. Hacksaw Ridge (2016) 8.1 R | 139 min | Biography, Drama, History 3. Apocalypto (2006) 7.8 R | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Such an interesting story. Obviously so, they made three movies about it, and given Hollywood nowadays is so in love with remakes, I'm sure a Ridley Scott version will be announced any day now staring Matt Damon and Adam Driver.
Mel Gibson was great as Hamlet, I wish he'd made Macbeth too, I think he'd been great in that role as well. I think because of the roles he took, or at least the movies he's best remembered for, people tend to forget great of an actor he really was.
Conspiracy Theory is excellent, Lethal weapon films are good fun Mad max is awful and Braveheart is a strong candidate for the worst movie ever made