Although born in New York, Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson aka Mel Gibson grew up in Sydney, Australia. This American actor got his acting chops by studying acting at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art. 

Mel Gibson started his acting journey in 1977 with the Australian TV series The Sullivans. In the same year, he made his debut on the big screen with a thriller film called Summer City, in which he acted as the lead actor. In the 1980s, he formed his own movie production company Icon Entertainment. 

Gibson was often compared to legendary classic film stars such as Steve McQueen, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Sean Connery, and Robert Redford. He was even called for playing the role of James Bond. But he turned down the offer as he did not want to be known by any other fictional name other than his own. 

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In addition to being an actor, Gibson's biggest identity is that he is also a film director. He was accompanied by filmmakers such as George Miller, Peter Weir, and Richard Donner, which developed his mastery of filmmaking. Dedicated to fans of the 80s and 90s movies, today's article focuses on the 5 best movies of Mel Gibson.

Top 5 Movies of Mel Gibson

Braveheart (1996)

Historical Epic | IMDb: 8.4

It was Braveheart that the whole world remembers Mel Gibson for. He himself did all the work of directing, producing, and acting in the lead role in this American film.

Sir William Wallace, a Scottish warrior in the late 13th century, led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England. In the context of this historical event, Blind Harry wrote the famous epic The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace in the 15th century. And inspired by this, Randall Wallace wrote the screenplay of Braveheart.

What stands out the most in the film is the battle scenes. In addition, Gibson's set design and acting took the audience back to the mood of 700 years ago. The Battle of Stirling Bridge sequence in particular is considered one of the best-directed battle scenes of all time.

This movie helped Gibson bag the most prestigious awards like 2 Oscars (Best Director and Best Picture) and 1 Golden Globe (Best Director). As a result, he became the sixth Oscar-winning actor-turn-director worldwide.

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Lethal Weapon (1987)

Buddy Cop | IMDb: 7.6

This is one of Gibson's most influential movies. It is the parent film of the successful film franchise Lethal Weapon. Here he is seen as LAPD detective Martin Riggs, who teams up with a colleague of a completely different ideology to try to catch a group of drug smugglers. Her pairing with Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh in each of the films was highly acclaimed. Following the success of Lethal Weapon, director Richard Donner gave audiences three more sequels. In fact, the popularity of the film series even led to a television series.

Lethal Weapon set a record for leading the box office for three consecutive weeks. It popularized a new genre called Buddy Cop, which was followed by subsequent successful film series like Hot Fuzz, Tango & Cash, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour.

Mad Max: The Road Warrior (1981)

Post-Apocalyptic Action | IMDb: 7.6

The work that made Mel Gibson known to the world was the Mad Max franchise directed by George Miller. This independently financed post-apocalyptic blockbuster was dubbed into American English separately for US audiences.

The main story was about a crime-ridden dystopian future where ordinary people have to survive by defending themselves from a band of murderous robbers. The whole background was made in the style of an archetypal western frontier movie, where a tough guy Max tries to help a small family escape from a gang of robbers.

Here Max's Aussie down-under humor, carefree and uncomfortable masculinity made Gibson the ideal male star around the world. 

Apart from Gibson, the film cast includes Bruce Spence, Mike Preston, and Vernon Wells.

Gallipoli (1981)

World-War Drama | IMDb: 7.4

In the 80s and 90s, war movies meant Mel Gibson movies. World War I film Gallipoli was the main driving force behind such an idea. The story of this Peter Weir film was set in Gallipoli, Western Australia, where a group of young men set on a quest to attack the Ottoman Empire on behalf of the Australian Imperial Force in World War I.

The movie realistically depicts how war turns innocent youths into heartless warriors. The Australian invasion of the Battle of the Neck sequence in the film's climax remains one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the history of war films.

Gibson's character in the film was Frank Dunn, an Irish-Australian drifter who was clearly opposed to fighting for the British Empire.

Despite being a very early career movie, Young Gibson portrayed the low-key but emotionally traumatized character brilliantly. He also received critical acclaim for the work and it propelled him to further accelerate his career.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Biographical War | IMDb: 8.1

Even though he is absent from the film cast, he has shown his outstanding directing skills in several movies. The best among them is this biographical film set in the context of World War II.

The story revolves around Desmond Doss, an American pacifist youth who aspires to become a doctor. He refused to use any firearms, even though circumstances compelled him to join the War. However, he risked his own life to save 75 soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa. He was the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor by the United States.

Andrew Garfield, the star of this generation, gave an outstanding performance as Doss.

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This movie was Gibson's grand return to films after a long hiatus. His groundbreaking direction perfectly interplays scenes of heart-felt emotion with gruesome violence.

The cinema received 6 Oscar nominations in 2017, including Best Director for Gibson. He also won Golden Globe, AACTA Awards, and Satellite Awards for directing this movie.

Final Words

These 5 top-rated movies of Mel Gibson represent the best works of his film career. His role was immense during the Australian New Wave cinema movement of the early 1980s. Gibson was made an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on 25 July 1997, recognizing his services to the Australian film industry. He has stylized the direction by telling stories of films beyond the language barrier. So not only from Hollywood, this star belongs all over the world. 

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Lots of love to the visionary director on his birthday and best wishes for a future full of great movies.