Mel Gibson Movies

Want to know the best Mel Gibson movies?  How about the worst Mel Gibson movies?  Curious about Mel Gibson’s box office grosses or which Mel Gibson movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Mel Gibson movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well, you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.

Mel Gibson (1956-) is an American actor, producer, and director.  For almost 25 years his movie career was filled with blockbuster after blockbuster.  During that time frame, he also managed to win two Oscars®His career started to stumble a few years ago due to problems in his personal life but it appears he is starting to turn things around as he seems to be returning to the acting world.  Mel Gibson has over 65 acting and directing credits listed on his IMDb page.  This page ranks all of his movies.  Cameos, television appearances, and movies not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.

Mel Gibson Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews, and awards.

Mel Gibson & Kurt Russell in 1988's Tequilla Sunrise

Mel Gibson & Kurt Russell in 1988’s Tequilla Sunrise

Mel Gibson Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies any way you want.

  • Blue Link = Mel Gibson Movie Trailer
  • Sort by Mel Gibson’s co-stars of his movies.
  • Sort Mel Gibson movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort Mel Gibson movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort Mel Gibson movies how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Mel Gibson movie received.
  • Sort Mel Gibson movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score.  UMR Score puts box office, reviews, and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.

Adjusted Mel Gibson Adjusted Worldwide Box Office Grosses 

Mel Gibson in 199's Braveheart

Mel Gibson in 199’s Braveheart

Thoughts On All The Mel Gibson Movies

Agent Game (2022) My thoughts:  This is not very good.  Nowhere near the highlight of Mr. Gibson’s career.

Air America (2006) My thoughts:  Remember when Mel was the superstar and Robert Downey, Jr was the one struggling in his personal life?  As for the movie, not the best from either actor.

Apocalypto (2006) My thoughts: The fourth movie Mel directed.  I had high expectations for this movie but the movie did not meet those expectations.  And looking at the massive 2nd-weekend dropoff, I was not the only one thinking that way.

Attack Force Z (1982) My thoughts: I watched this movie many times in the mid-1980s, as it was in heavy rotation on HBO.  As a teenager I thought it was pretty good….have yet to see it as a smarter wiser adult so I am not sure it is still a “pretty good” movie.

Bandit (2022) My thoughts:  Awesome movie.  Bandit made my Top 10 list of favorite movies seen in 2022.  Mel has a supporting role.  Worth checking out.

The Beaver (2011)  My thoughts: This is one strange movie that starts dark and ends up evener darker…not a movie that I will ever watch again.  Jodie Foster was the director and to date the last lead role for Gibson.

Bird on a Wire (1990) My thoughts: Despite being his 11th biggest box office hit this movie is pretty bad.

Blood Father (2016) My thoughts: Mel’s newest starring role movie is getting some solid reviews and the trailer looks promising.  Looking forward to this one.

Boss Level (2020) My thoughts:  Trailer for this one looked promising.  Movie was not nearly as good as the trailer.  In the end, I thought it was ok….just not enough Mel in the movie.

The Bounty (1984)  My thoughts: The fourth film version about the mutiny of the Bounty.  Gibson follows in the footsteps of Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, and Marlon Brando as he plays Fletcher Christian.  A good movie with Anthony Hopkins stealing the movie and keep an eye out for a very young Liam Neeson.

Braveheart (1995)  My thoughts:  Let’s see how did Braveheart get this top-ranking?  First of all, it is one of his biggest hits.  Secondly, it is one of his best-received movies according to critics and audiences.  Thirdly it got some serious Oscar® love….10 Oscar® nominations and 5 wins.  And finally, Mel Gibson got not one but two Oscar® wins for the movie.  One was for Best Director and the second was for Best Producer…which he won when Braveheart won the Best Picture Oscar®.  Kind of hard to top those accomplishments.

Chicken Run (2000)  My thoughts: Granted Mel Gibson only provides his voice in this computer-animated stop motion movie, but it is a very entertaining movie that both parents and kids can enjoy.

Conspiracy Theory (1997) My thoughts:  Mel and Julia Roberts team up for one of his biggest box office hits.  Patrick Stewart as the villain actually outshines both Mel and Julia.

Daddy Home 2 (2018) My thoughts: Movie has some funny moments, but overall, this is a pretty

Dangerous (2021) My thoughts:  Mel literally phones in this performance.  He plays Scott Eastwood’s shrink.  Mel’s entire role takes place on a phone.  Pretty forgettable.

Dragged Across Concrete (2019) My thoughts: Looking forward to seeing this movie. The director was the man behind Kurt Russell’s Bone Tomahawk and Vince Vaughn’s Brawl In Cell Block 99….both have a nice following.

Edge of Darkness (2010) My thoughts: This was Mel’s return to acting in front of the camera after 7 years away.  A pretty standard action piece that did not bring Gibson back to his glory days.

The Expendables 3  (2014) My thoughts:  It could have been a great movie with all the in front of camera talent….instead this turned out to be a pretty bad movie.

Father Stu (2022) My thoughts:  Mel and Mark Wahlberg play father and son again. This based on a true story movie, is ok….it just never gets going.  Mel is probably the best part of the movie.

Fatman (2020) My thoughts:  Loved this movie.  I loved it so much, that I went out and bought it for my collection.  Mel as Santa is AWESOME!

Force of Nature  (2020) My thoughts:  Ok…Mel is the best part of the movie.  Sadly, he is only in a supporting role, and even more sad, the rest of the movie is horrible.

Forever Young (1992) My thoughts:  It has probably been 20 years since I saw this romantic time travel movie.  Forever Young was a box office hit and made during the career peak of Mel.

Gallipoli (1981) My thoughts: I recently re-watched Gallipoli…it was much better the second time around.  I can see why it got a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Foreign Film.

Get The Gringo (2012) My thoughts:  One of Mel’s better movies of the 2000s.  This Video on Demand movie is fun and entertaining. It is a very gritty movie.  Mel is a blast to watch as we watch him maneuver through one bad spot after another.    Sadly this movie is rarely talked about. Worth checking out.

Hamlet (1990) My thoughts:  This is actually one of the few versions of Hamlet that I have ever seen.  If you like Shakespeare then you will probably like Mel’s Hamlet.  As for me, I have always found it very hard to get into the language of the great William Shakespeare….so it was not a fun movie-going experience for me.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) My thoughts:  The return of Mel Gibson is complete. This is one of his best movies period.  Great action, great drama…great movie period.

Hot Seat (2022) My thoughts:  Dumb action movie. Mel plays second fiddle to Kevin Dillon.  How is that possible?  

Last Looks (2021) My thoughts:  Mel gets caught up in a murder.  Is he an innocent viction or the villain?  Really enjoyed this one, and would watch it again.  A nice surprise.

Lethal Weapon (1987) My thoughts: I find it shocking that this movie is almost 30 years old.  We got this classic in 1987 and Die Hard in 1988…those were the days.

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) My thoughts: Not as good as Lethal Weapon, but a very good sequel.  Joe Pesci made a very nice addition to the series which is Mel’s 2nd biggest box office hit.

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) My thoughts: After hitting two home runs with Lethal Weapon 1 and 2 part 3 was a double at best.  That being said it is his 4th biggest box office hit.

Lethal Weapon 4 (2000) My thoughts: The fourth and final movie in the Lethal Weapon series.  Made a ton of money but they probably should have stopped as a trilogy.

Machete Kills  (2013) My thoughts: I will not be going to the theaters to see this movie, but it does seem to be the start of the return of Mel Gibson.   After his turn as the villain in Machete Kills he will be the villain in Expendables 3.

Mad Max (1979) My thoughts:  The first of the Mad Max movies is my least favorite of the trilogy…but it is worth viewing to see the beginning of Max’s story.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) My thoughts: The biggest box office hit of the Mad Max trilogy.  The first half is awesome but falls apart when he leaves Bordertown.  The final chase is weak compared to the chase in The Road Warrior.

The Man Without A Face (1993) My thoughts:  Mel Gibson’s directorial debut is an entertaining movie and one of my favorite Gibson movies.

Maverick (1994) My thoughts:  Mel takes over the Maverick role in this western box office hit.  Added bonus we get James Garner and James Coburn in supporting roles.  A movie I can watch repeatedly.

Million Dollar Hotel (2001)  My thoughts: Mel has the best part in the movie,  but that is not saying much as this movie is pretty bad.  Rockstar, Bono, provided the story and was one of the producers.

Mrs. Soffel (1984)  My thoughts: One of Mel Gibson’s first American produced films.  Mel plays a prisoner and Diane Keaton plays the warden’s wife that falls in love with Mel….not a very believable story…but Keaton did earn a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Actress for her role in the movie.

Panama (2021) My thoughts:  Weak action movie.  Mel only has a handful of scenes.  He is fine is his role, but this one is very forgettable.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) My thoughts:  Not only is it Mel Gibson’s biggest box office hit, it is one the biggest box office hits of all-time.  I just recently watched this movie for the first time and I’m still trying to figure out if I liked the movie or not.

The Patriot (2000) My thoughts: I actually did not like this movie on my first viewing but it has gotten better on repeat viewings.  Gibson’s 10th biggest box office hit of his career.

Payback (1999) My thoughts:  Another one of my favorite Gibson movies.  I love the very small part of James Coburn.  But caution to all..it is a pretty violent movie.

Pocahontas (1995) My thoughts:  Another voice-only role…this time it is for Disney Animation.  Pocahontas was one of his biggest hits and won two Oscars

The Professor and the Madman (2019) My thoughts: I liked the movie, but it was a lot more violent and gory than I was expecting. Mel is good in the movie….but Sean Penn is better.

Ransom (1996) My thoughts: A pretty intense movie from director Ron Howard.  Mel is excellent as the dad fighting to get his son back.

The River (1984)  My thoughts:  Mel does a good job playing a farmer dealing with floods, greedy banks and the evil rich neighbor, Scott Glenn.  Sissy Spacek plays Mel’s wife at the height of her career.

The Road Warrior (1982) My thoughts: The second part of the Mad Max trilogy is my favorite of the three movies. The final action scene is one of the best-filmed action scenes ever….and done without computer help.

Signs (2002) My thoughts:  M. Night’s last good movie, Mel’s 2nd biggest hit, and one of his better-reviewed movies puts Signs into Mel’s Top 5.  This movie seriously freaked my now 19-year-old daughter out….she made it to the scene where Mel is looking under the door with the knife…11 years later and she still will not watch the end of the movie.

The Singing Detective (2003)  My thoughts:  While it is nice to see Robert Downey, Jr. and Mel in another movie together, this pretty depressing story about a writer with a skin disease is not a fun movie to watch.

Tequila Sunrise (1988) My thoughts:  I love this movie, the three leads (Mel, Kurt Russell, and Michelle Pfeiffer) are outstanding.  No idea why critics and audiences only gave it a 54% rating.  Repeat viewings only add to the depth of the story with lots of subtle hints about the character’s actions and decisions.

Tim (1979) My thoughts: Only his 3rd movie.  I saw this movie many years ago.  Mel plays a role unlike any other in his career as he plays a young man with below-average intelligence.  Piper Laurie gets top billing but it was Mel that stands out in this movie.

We Were Soldiers (2002) My thoughts: Tells the story of the first major battle in Vietnam.  The first half of the movie is a family drama while the second half is a war movie…that combination might not suit many viewers…but I liked the movie.

What Women Want (2000)  My thoughts:  I like this movie, but my wife loves this movie.  It is the 5th biggest box office hit of his career.

 The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)  My thoughts: I have seen this movie but it has been almost 30 years since my last viewing.  The only thing that really sticks out in my memory is Linda Hunt playing a man in her Oscar® winning performance.


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76 thoughts on “Mel Gibson Movies

  1. This video was good timing because on my return from France I watched a rerun on TV of Mel’s 1999 Payback which was made before the Mad Max of the screen became the real-life barking-mad Mel, a decline that saddened me as I once admired him for seeming to be a very sensible and intelligent actor.

    Payback reminded me how good he once was whereas when I watched the more recent Blood Father he seemed to me to have lost much of his own fine timing as a performer; and as you know I never watch that Expendables tripe, at least in my view.

    Mind you I still preferred when watching Payback to look at his action-woman co-star Lucy Liu playing a sexual sadist in the film. Lucy brandishing her whip in some racy scenes appeals more to me more than Harrison/Indie cracking HIS whip, but then as always I speak only for myself.

    Mel is said to be one of the richest movie stars ever on the planet with an estimated personal net worth of $425 million. IMDB credits him with 44 acting awards and 40 noms. His Oscar for Best Picture with Braveheart he shared with a Bruce [they’re everywhere aren’t they?] Davey and Alan Ladd Junior. Thus the legendary Ladd name lives on and in fact in a promotion interview for Braveheart Mel spoke about both Laddie Junior AND the latter’s great father. Also once again that astutely observant The Master spotted a link there-

    “Road Warrior has been compared to the classic western Shane, and it is easy to compare Mel Gibson to the young Alan Ladd. Gibson projects both vulnerability and toughness, classic traits of romantic heroes.”

    Whilst I found the Lethal Weapon series OK for entertainment [and Mel didn’t completely tear the *** out of it, the last one Lethal Weapon 4 having been made 21 years ago] I preferred Mel in some of his other action movies such as Payback and Ransom, in Tequila Sunrise where he displayed some of his vulnerability that Joel referred to, and in the, to me, very intelligent The Man without a Face, which Mel directed as well as starred in.

    1. Mel Gibson video best POSTERS. 1/Machete Kills 2/Air America 3/foreign language one for Expendables 3 4/The River 5/The Professor and Joel 6/Forever Young 7/two for Summer Vacation 8/2 for Edge of Darkness 9/1st one for Blood father 10/two for Signs 11/Man without a Face 12/Dragged across Concrete 13/two for We Were Soldiers 14/Gallipoli 15/3 for The Year of Living dangerously 16/the set for Braveheart [a film our sovereign Queen Elizabeth 2nd admires] 17/foreign language one for Lethal Weapon 18/1st one for Hacksaw Ridge 19/Apocalypto 20/Mad Max 79.

      Best STILLS: 1/Mel and Goldie 2/ Air America 3/Tequila Sunrise 4/Expendables 3 5/The River 6/What Women Want 7/Lethal Weapon 4 8/Mad Max 85 9/Lethal Weapon 3 10/Lucy Liu 11/Ransom 12/Pocahontas 13/ Conspiracy Theory 14/Passion of the Christ 15/Maverick 16/The Patriot 17/The Bounty.

      A stunning presentation very evenly throughout and 99% rated by me. You and The Disappearing Man agree on 4 of Mel’s Top 6 best reviewed films

      ADDITIONAL TRIVIA: Slight Dan-like BRANDO links. Mel was noted for his sense of humour and [like Brando] for playing pranks on set. Gibson would often, following serious scenes, oblige the cast and crew to put on fake red noses and according to Helena Bonham Carter who worked with him on Hamlet he would moon the cast and crew after a particularly strong dramatic scene. On the Godpop set Brando and Jimmy Caan were notorious mooners [much to Pacino’s displeasure, Al said in an interview] and the night before a scene in which other actors had to carry Marlon up a flight of stairs on a stretcher, The Great Mumbler crept down and covertly attached heavy bricks to the underbelly of the stretcher. Helena said that Mel’s sense of humour could also be “lavatorial” and Stephanie Beacham said the same thing about Mr Mumbles after co-starring with him in 1971’s The Nightcomers.

      1. Hi Bob. thanks for reviewing my Mel Gibson video, appreciate the generous rating, info, trivia and comparison. Glad you enjoyed the picture gallery.

        There are a lot more stills in the current crop of videos than before I admit, they have been steadily increasing over the years. At the beginning movie poster art was the big attraction on my videos with a few stills scattered here and there for variety. But when it looked like you and Flora and others seemed to like the stills as much as the posters I started to add more.

        Mel was the main villain in Expendables 3, while that must have been a refreshing change of pace for the actor after playing heroes for decades it must have stung a bit being killed off by his old action movie rivals Sly, Arnie and Harrison Ford, even Banderas, Snipes, Lundgren and Statham were out to get him in the film.

        Only one Mad Mel film scored 10 out of 10 from my sources and it is Braveheart, four films scored 9 out of 10 – Mad Max, Mad Max 2, Apocalypto and Gallipoli.

        Topping the bill at IMDB is Braveheart, no.1 at Rotten Tomatoes is Mad Max 2. Hacksaw Ridge is no.1 on Bruce’s critics chart, Braveheart no.3.

        Mel on The Bounty – “I think the main problem with that film was that it tried to be a fresh look at the dynamic of the mutiny situation, but didn’t go far enough. In the old version, Captain Bligh was the bad guy and Fletcher Christian was the good guy. But really Fletcher Christian was a social climber and an opportunist. They should have made him the bad guy, which indeed he was. He ended up setting all these people adrift to die, without any real justification. Maybe he’d gone island crazy. They should have painted it that way. But they wanted to exonerate Captain Bligh while still having the dynamic where the guy was mutinying for the good of the crew. It didn’t quite work.”

        On his arrest for drunk driving in 2006 – “It was an unfortunate incident. I was loaded and angry and arrested. I was recorded illegally by an unscrupulous police officer who was never prosecuted for that crime. And then it was made public by him for profit, and by members of – we’ll call it the press. So, not fair. I guess as who I am, I’m not allowed to have a nervous breakdown, ever.

        Nobody wants to have their name, you know, besmirched on the front of newspapers and people say wicked things about them and their family and call them all sorts of names, accuse them of being anti-Semitic and everything else. I mean that’s not part of my design. I don’t enjoy experiencing that. That’s just coming from some place that I have no control over.”

        1. Thanks for the usual well-thought-out reply and the quotes etc. It’s interesting to hear Mel’s side of the ‘Mad Mel’ story. It is also intriguing that he played the bad guy in Expendables 3 – only a true action movies buff like you would probably know that!

          I should add that as I’ve tried to make clear I don’t tar all the action icons with the same brush. Eastwood for example has turned in some sensitive performances and his tough guy image doesn’t depend on bruteforce [I had actually initially typed in ‘Bruce’ force!] and/or big muscles, but comes from force of persona. Besides he can have a droll sense of humour at times [see for example some of his witticism in 1993’s In the Line of Fire].

          Bruce Lee, although no dramatic actor, for my money also stands apart with his graceful body movements, watching which are like observing the grace of Rudolph Nureyev in ballet or Roger Federer on a tennis court.

          Anyway Big Kim is the only guy left for me to report back to you on at the moment. Take care meanwhile.

  2. Ive watched DAC ( dragged across concrete) Id say. Its not a brilliant movie!

    I felt the director held back! A mel played it very safe! It has a long run time 2hr 40min. Which does seem to drag on. But. Actually isnt so bad but some scenes could have been cut to give it a more fsster pace. Ummm.. over all i enjoyed it. Its certainly not one of mels best cop movies. But its his first in this conflicted cop role.Its violent and gory. But not on Mels end.

    Thats the thing. Thats why i feel Mel held back. And the director held back. They portray his character as a ruthless racistRogue cop who is violent..but the opening scene isnt violent or ruthless at all!!! So it leaves the viewer going..Ummmm..what??The film could have been better in my mind. Id give it a 7/10. I liked the dialogue between vince and mel.. It was unique!

    1. Thanks for the mini-review of DAC. I am looking forward to seeing. That is indeed a long running time…..only 20 minutes shorter than the upcoming End Game which has a 3 hour running time. Looking forward to seeing that banter between Mel and Vince. Good stuff!

  3. Gallipoli, great movies of the engagement of Australia in the war 1…On Turquie. ..
    Were many m’en die by stupidity of one man. …Mel U are really Greatest in this rôle. …i am crying every time in front my tv….

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