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Search: Starring Mel Gibson

  • The Beaver (2011)
    Review preview for The Beaver

    By and large Foster keeps things straight, but the film does wobble tonally between psychodrama and whimsy.

    Owen Van Spall · 2.5 out of 5
    A depressed executive finds solace in a hand puppet.
  • Braveheart (1995)
    Review preview for Braveheart

    In terms of accuracy, Braveheart is a big pile of mince.

    Symon Parsons · 3 out of 5
    Hollywood retelling of the story of William Wallace.
  • Chicken Run (2000)
    Review preview for Chicken Run

    The beauty of Chicken Run is its refusal to accept modernity as having squatting rights in a Yorkshire state of mind. Park's heart is with the comics his dad read.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    Plucky chicken caper sees farm birds bid for freedom.
  • Daddy's Home 2 (2017)
    Review preview for Daddy's Home 2

    Screen humour has dropped below the level of funny-ha-ha into an abyss where mechanical failure and humiliation are the stuff of legend.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 1 out of 5
    Christmas holiday mayhem with all the families, including grandads.
  • Dragged Across Concrete (2018)
    Review preview for Dragged Across Concrete

    Long, slow and at times painful.

    Andrew Robertson · 2.5 out of 5
    A pair of cops suspended for strong-arm tactics descend into the criminal underworld.
  • Edge Of Darkness (2010)
    Review preview for Edge Of Darkness

    This is a talky affair designed to move away from the original BBC six-parter's cold-war paranoia in favour of a Michael Clayton-style corporate cover up.

    Stephen Carty · 3.5 out of 5
    A former detective uncovers his daughter's secret life and the reasons why people want her dead.
  • The Expendables 3 (2014)
    Review preview for The Expendables 3

    You get what you pay for with a little bit of humour to lubricate the violence

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    Action packed fire fight for these sell-by-dated mercenaries as they take on a ruthless international arms dealer
  • Father Stu (2022)
    Review preview for Father Stu

    This is an oddity, a curiosity, a mystery not so much in the sense of a religious play but in its intent.

    Andrew Robertson · 2 out of 5
    The story of a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption.
  • Hamlet (1990)
    Review preview for Hamlet

    Gibson's courage captures criticism. He leaps at the role with such raw excitement that comparisons are superfluous.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 5 out of 5
    Mel Gibson brings a lighter touch to the anguished prince of Denmark
  • How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2012)
    Review preview for How I Spent My Summer Vacation

    Gibson effortlessly resumes the back-talking bad-ass of Riggs and Porter with self-assured aplomb

    Merlin Harries · 4 out of 5
    A tough criminal imprisoned in a foreign jail learns how to survive from a nine year old boy.
  • Lethal Weapon (1987)
    Review preview for Lethal Weapon

    Gibson’s got intensity on tap, balancing internal grief with edgy energy and natural comic timing for the performance of his career.

    Stephen Carty · 4 out of 5
    A grief-stricken cop is teamed with a more staid veteran. The pair must overcome their differences to solve a case.
  • Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
    Review preview for Lethal Weapon 2

    It’s not as dark as its predecessor and there’s more emphasis on guns, explosions and car-chases – but if you’re going to make an over-the-the-top actioner, this is how.

    Stephen Carty · 4 out of 5
    The unlikely cop duo set their sites on South African diplomats who are abusing their diplomatic immunity.
  • Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
    Review preview for Lethal Weapon 3

    By going bigger, faster and louder than before, Lethal Weapon III doesn’t hit the same highs.

    Stephen Carty · 3 out of 5
    The odd-couple cops get involved in tracking down armour-piercing bullets being sold on the streets.
  • Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
    Review preview for Lethal Weapon 4

    The real plot doesn't start for almost an hour and when it does is less interesting than a Roger Moore 007 caper.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2 out of 5
    The ageing crime-fighting duo take on a Chinese crimelord.
  • Lethal Weapon: Director's Cut (1987)
    Review preview for Lethal Weapon: Director's Cut

    A scene where Riggs challenges a school shooter is disturbingly relevant even with 40 years of distance.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
  • Machete Kills (2013)
    Review preview for Machete Kills

    Machete Kills is a jumbled assortment of loosely related scenes whose main theme appears to be “how many different ways can you kill people with a helicopter?”

    Max Crawford · 3.5 out of 5
    Machete is recruited by the US government to travel through Mexico and take down a drug dealer who plans to launch a deadly space weapon.
  • Mad Max (1979)
    Review preview for Mad Max

    Mad Max remains a powerful experience simply because it's so well made.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Cult post- Apocalyptic thriller with a battered policeman going all out to get revenge on the bikers who killed his family.
  • The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
    Review preview for The Million Dollar Hotel

    Wim Wenders films this dysfunctional love story in a tricksy cinematic manner, adding another layer of pretension to the already overloaded dumpster.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 1 out of 5
    After a billionaire's son dies, the FBI investigate the eccentric residents of a skid row hotel.
  • The Patriot (2000)
    Review preview for The Patriot

    The film is simplistic to the point of absurdity.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
    A farmer takes on the Redcoats in an act of revenge.
  • Payback (1999)
    Review preview for Payback

    This whole venture is silly-side-up.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2 out of 5
    A man left for dead by his wife, plots his revenge.
  • Signs (2002)
    Review preview for Signs

    Shyamalan continues to cut a swathe through mainstream Hollywood, while retaining an integrity and refusing to compromise his vision.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    Alien invasion as experience by Mel Gibson and his family on a Pennsylvanian farm.
  • The Singing Detective (2003)
    Review preview for The Singing Detective

    This screenplay, twisted out of shape to fit the demands of Hollywood, is a postumous reminder of Potter's unique talents.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    The dreams of a psoriasis sufferer stuck in hospital.
  • We Were Soldiers (2001)
    Review preview for We Were Soldiers

    A true fan is reluctant to give up on a movie and yet 20 minutes into this, the need to escape is almost irresistible.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 1 out of 5
    Mel Gibson leads 400 men into a Vietnam ambush and fights his way out again.
  • What Women Want (2000)
    Review preview for What Women Want

    Helen Hunt looks more ravishing by the movie... Her acting is never lazy, nor lightweight.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    A chauvinist has an accident which leaves him able to hear what women think.

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