Mel Gibson’s name always starts an argument because people either praise his movies or bring up his scandals. You cannot ignore the fact that he has made films that stay in your head for years. He goes from wild roads in Mad Max to bloody Scottish fields in Braveheart without flinching. Some people see him as that reckless cop in Lethal Weapon who never plays by the rules.
Others talk about his later years when he steps behind the camera and shows he can still shock people. His career has not been smooth, but he always comes back with another film that people watch and talk about. You hear folks arguing over scenes and performances that still hold up today.
This list does not just care about box office money but looks at what fans love most on IMDb. These ten movies show why he keeps getting new chances in Hollywood.
You can spend a weekend watching these and see why people keep debating him. Some scenes make you want to stand up and cheer. Other moments hit hard and remind you he never plays it safe. All of them prove one thing. Mel Gibson knows how to make people pay attention.
Top 10 Mel Gibson movies, ranked by IMDb scores
1. Braveheart (1995)

Mel Gibson put everything he had into making Braveheart, and he won Best Picture and Best Director for it. He played William Wallace, who stands up when England tries to break Scotland’s spirit. The battles feel real because Gibson shot them on muddy fields with men fighting in armor that looked worn. His freedom speech before Stirling Bridge still fires people up when they hear it today.
The movie brought medieval war stories back to Hollywood and gave big fight scenes a rough edge that people remember. Its shout for freedom lives on in stadiums and protests where crowds borrow Wallace’s words.
2. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Hacksaw Ridge shows how Desmond Doss saved seventy-five men in Okinawa and never touched a gun. Andrew Garfield made Doss feel strong without giving him fake hero lines. Gibson did not soften the battle, so Doss’s faith felt real when bullets rained down around him.
People left theaters stunned by how a quiet man stood firm when war got loud and ugly. It pulled Gibson back into Hollywood’s spotlight and proved he could handle true stories that make people see courage in a new way.
3. Apocalypto (2006)

Apocalypto drops you in the jungle where Jaguar Paw runs for his family’s life through thick trees and traps. Gibson shot it in a native tongue, so every line felt right for the setting and time.
The sets came alive because he worked with real experts who knew what the last Mayans wore and built. The chase never slows until the last breath. The film still gets credit for showing a world most people never knew.
4. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

The Road Warrior turned Max into an icon when Gibson put him back on dusty roads filled with spiked cars and leather-clad raiders. Max helps protect a fuel tanker for a small band of survivors who trust him with everything.
The stunts looked risky because they were. Real drivers pushed those cars through wrecks that shaped how action films do car chases now. The style spread to games and movies that still copy its wild roads.
5. Lethal Weapon (1987)

Lethal Weapon turned Gibson into the poster boy for action heroes who lose it when pushed too far. Martin Riggs jumps off roofs and pulls stunts because he does not care what tomorrow brings.
His scenes with Danny Glover still crackle because they played off each other without reading lines word for word. The mix of jokes and gunfire built the buddy cop style that movies still copy. Riggs and Murtaugh’s banter is famous.
6. Gallipoli (1981)

Before Hollywood came calling, Gibson showed his raw side in Gallipoli. He plays Frank Dunne, who joins World War I with a friend looking for glory they never find. The film shows how young men learn what real fear feels like once they reach the trenches.
Peter Weir shot those battle scenes without gloss. The final charge leaves you cold when you see who does not come back. It made people rethink war stories told through big flags and loud speeches.
7. Mad Max (1979)

Mad Max gave Gibson his first shot at leading a film that blew up past Australia. He plays a cop who wants to keep his family safe while bikers rip the world apart. The cars fly down empty roads with real bikers doing stunts that hurt.
Gibson shifts from calm to cold once revenge hits him. The film built a future where deserts and engines rule. It showed people you do not need big budgets to make an action classic.
8. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ does not flinch when it shows the final hours of Jesus’ life. He shot it in old languages so it would feel like a piece of history, not watered down.
Jim Caviezel took on every scene with open wounds and raw pain. Churches filled up with screenings, and people talked about it for years. Gibson proved he could risk big without any studio backup.
9. The Man Without a Face (1993)

Gibson made his first movie as director with The Man Without a Face and took on the lead role as Justin McLeod. McLeod lives alone with scars that scare a town full of whispers and rumors.
A lonely boy comes knocking for help with his grades and finds a teacher who hides old pain. The story stays small and honest. Gibson showed he could handle quiet moments instead of big battles.
10. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Max returns for a third ride through wastelands in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. He wanders into Bartertown, where Tina Turner rules the roost with fights in a cage that people still talk about.
Max flips from brawler to unlikely savior when he finds kids living in the wild who think he is their hero. Some say it drifts, but it gave Max more soul. Two men enter, and one leaves; still, he lives on.
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