Mel Gibson names his all-time favourite movie shot: “You can’t explain it, but it works”
Iconic film critic Roger Ebert once said, “Movies are like a machine that generates empathy,” and that description of the medium of cinema has lived in the hearts of cinephiles ever since. It perfectly illustrates something cinematic language can do better than almost any other medium: inspire emotion. Sometimes, when we watch a great film, it stirs our hearts in ways we can’t quite explain, and this is exactly what happens to Mel Gibson when he watches his all-time favourite movie shot.
In 2025, Gibson’s reputation and status in Hollywood are worlds away from his heyday as one of the most popular and successful actor/directors in the game. In the ’90s, he was Martin Riggs in the blockbuster Lethal Weapon series, and the star/director of Braveheart, which dominated the box office and won five Oscars, including ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture.’
These days, though, Gibson primarily works outside the mainstream Hollywood system, following a slew of controversies in the 2000s, including accusations of domestic abuse, homophobia, racism, and antisemitism. In 2016, he directed the war drama Hacksaw Ridge with Andrew Garfield, which led to a thawing of his reputation for a short period, as well as another ‘Best Director’ Oscar win. However, his output as an actor in the years since, which consists mainly of direct-to-streaming indie thrillers, demonstrates that Hollywood still isn’t ready to fully accept him as a screen presence again.
Somehow, though, in 2025, Gibson was given yet another chance by Hollywood behind the camera. He directed his sixth movie, the dismal Mark Wahlberg action thriller Flight Risk, and hit the promotional trail as much as his tattered reputation would allow. This amounted to appearances with lesser-known outlets and making unfortunate statements like “daddy arrived and he’s taking his belt off” when referring to his new gig as one of President Trump’s special ambassadors to Hollywood. Oh dear.
However, during an appearance on the often controversial Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Gibson finally managed to say something of substance, and it came when he was talking about the art of filmmaking. “I’m pretty average at most things, but I’m good at a couple of things,” he said with pitch-perfect false modesty. “I know how to tell a story on film, I know how to do that. That’s a weird place to be, but I think a lot can be achieved by art and image, and you can convey a lot without actually having to say it. You can do things to affect people emotionally or spiritually, even without being overt.”
Suddenly, Gibson was illuminating his thoughts on cinema as that empathy machine, and it was fascinating to listen to. As a two-time ‘Best Director’ winner, it can’t be denied that the man knows what he’s doing when it comes to conveying emotion through visually arresting imagery, and his commitment to visuals made all the more sense when he revealed his love of another director whose movies are “a feast for the eyes.”
“He knows how to shoot,” Gibson said of everyone’s favourite blockbusting octogenarian, Ridley Scott. “It’s a valid pursuit, I think, in storytelling, if you can do that. Every time he goes out there, it’s eye candy.”
Interestingly, Scott is the man responsible for directing the shot Gibson most often references when pursuing imagery that subconsciously affects an audience on a spiritual and emotional level. To him, the shot says more than words ever could, even if he can never quite put his finger on the reason it is so damn effective. “You don’t know why it works or why it’s effective on some level,” Gibson mused, “but it’s kind of a profound, effective shot. It’s that first shot in Gladiator where he’s running his hand over the wheat, with that music and stuff. Why does that work? I don’t know. You can’t explain it, but it works.”
Indeed, while he may be wrong about a hell of a lot of things in life, Gibson isn’t wrong about this one. The wheat field scene in Gladiator is exceptionally moving, as the combination of simple imagery, Hans Zimmer’s score, and a sense of peace and immortality is all conveyed in a shot that is more profound than the sum of its parts.
