# What is the best Mel Gibson movie?

> Sweeping historical epics, gritty action landmarks and the films he stepped behind the camera to direct go head to head across decades of work. Which one wins?

*By YPB Team · Published September 3, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-mel-gibson-movie*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Braveheart** — score 1000/1000
   The 1995 epic he directed and starred in, winning the Best Picture Oscar.
2. **The Patriot** — score 930/1000
   A sweeping 2000 Revolutionary War drama with Gibson as a reluctant fighter.
3. **We Were Soldiers** — score 930/1000
   A harrowing 2002 Vietnam War drama based on a real battle.
4. **Maverick** — score 891/1000
   A breezy 1994 Western comedy with Gibson as a charming card shark.
5. **Payback** — score 818/1000
   A stylish 1999 neo-noir crime thriller with Gibson as a vengeful thief.
6. **Apocalypto** — score 734/1000
   The visceral 2006 Maya-civilization chase film he directed.
7. **Ransom** — score 734/1000
   A gripping 1996 thriller about a father fighting his son's kidnappers.
8. **Tequila Sunrise** — score 636/1000
   A slick 1988 crime romance with Gibson as a reformed drug dealer.
9. **Lethal Weapon** — score 520/1000
   The 1987 buddy-cop hit that launched a beloved action franchise.
10. **Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior** — score 382/1000
   The 1981 post-apocalyptic action classic that made him an international star.
11. **The Passion of the Christ** — score 382/1000
   His controversial and record-breaking 2004 religious epic as director.
12. **Mad Max** — score 382/1000
   The gritty 1979 Australian original that started the dystopian saga.
13. **Gallipoli** — score 382/1000
   Peter Weir's acclaimed 1981 WWI drama that boosted his early career.
14. **Conspiracy Theory** — score 382/1000
   A 1997 paranoid thriller pairing Gibson with Julia Roberts.
15. **Signs** — score 212/1000
   M. Night Shyamalan's tense 2002 alien-invasion thriller starring Gibson.
16. **Hacksaw Ridge** — score 212/1000
   His Oscar-nominated 2016 WWII drama about a pacifist medic, as director.

Tags: movies, directors, actors, mel gibson