Bovie Movie

Mel Gibson plays a neurotic New York cabbie who’s consumed by wild conspiracy theories and their implications in this uneven romantic comedy thriller from director Richard Donner. It’s the newsletter Gibson produces that suddenly intensifies interest in him from ominous parties such as creepy Patrick Stewart, who may work for the CIA. But that’s only the half of it, because when he turns to Justice Department attorney Julia Roberts for help, the MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE-like plot takes off. Donner glosses over the improbabilities with his usual considerable style and bravura, and Gibson and Roberts make an engaging team, but the uneasy combination of light laughs and unsavoury darkness eventually conspires against them. Conspiracy theorists will love it, though. 

Mel Gibson directs this 13th-century saga of Scottish revolt against English tyranny with a claymore-like flourish, defying the criticism that there are moments as bogus as plastic haggis. He also stars, portraying William Wallace as a medieval, woad-smeared Mad Max-like hero, a rebel leader and rabble rouser, an intrepid champion from the mould of Hollywood heroes, made believable by the grace of the star. However, if he’s a wartime resistance leader in the style of Robin Hood with a comely Maid Marion in the shape of Sophie Marceau then Patrick McGoohan as the villainous King Edward “Longshanks” is a jeering, sneering cliché too far — the Sheriff of Nottingham with his own portable torture chamber. As director, Gibson’s control over thousands of extras, in the swift succession of gruesome hand-to-hand battles, is as effective as anything in Laurence Olivier’s Henry V. But when the action moves in for the emotional kill, the film loses credibility — Wallace’s disdain at his own disembowelment being a prime example. Yet, for all its stereotypes and disparities, there is a nicely judged air of political cynicism, as noblemen switch allegiances as easily as horses. It succeeds in bringing to life the reality of Scottish patriotism and brilliantly captures the spirit of revolution. Little wonder it won an Oscar for best picture. 

This formulaic, gung-ho war drama is based on the bestselling memoir by war correspondent Joseph Galloway and Lt General Harold G Moore, who led a battalion of the Seventh Cavalry into the first major confrontation of the Vietnam War in November 1965. Randall Wallace’s second film as director is an overlong account of how Moore’s men stood their ground in the Ia Drang river valley against overwhelming numbers of North Vietnamese soldiers, but this is no American equivalent to Zulu. Instead, the film earnestly treads familiar ground as Wallace manipulates the audience between violent action, sentimental pep talks and scenes from the homefront as the telegrammed notices of death begin to arrive. This is a straightforward tribute to the fighting man, devoid of political comment or historical background and with no real characterisation — although Sam Elliott does wonders with his few lines as Moore’s second in command. Mel Gibson is mesmerising as the valiant Moore, but this is a portrait of war in the style of The Green Berets rather than Platoon and his role is too flawlessly heroic to ring entirely true. 

In this action romp par excellence, each overblown set piece becomes ever more ludicrous — implausibility is, after all, a large part of the entertainment here. The basic buddy-buddy situation is a familiar one, but Mel Gibson, as the loose-cannon detective whose disregard for danger reaches new heights when he investigates a drugs ring, and Danny Glover, as his by-the-book, ever-fretful partner, bring a great deal of spirit and fun to the mindless mayhem. The chalk-and-cheese chemistry of the two leads was so popular that three further sequels were made over the next ten years. 

Mel Gibson has another crack at a drugs-related role (first seen in Tequila Sunrise), although this time the mood is considerably lighter. He plays a former small-time drugs courier who has been in hiding since he turned FBI informant, but who ends up on the run with an old flame (Goldie Hawn) when his cover is broken. It’s frothy nonsense for the most part, but expertly packaged by director John Badham, and it does boast the rare sight of macho Mel impersonating a camp hairdresser. Hawn is an able if sometimes irritating foil, while David Carradine, Bill Duke (best known now as the director of films such as Deep Cover and A Rage in Harlem) and Stephen Tobolowsky are an entertaining trio of villains. 

The Lethal Weapon series just gets progressively dumber. It’s meant in the nicest possible way, however, as mindless mayhem doesn’t come much slicker than in these action extravaganzas. Even though the law of diminishing returns is starting to have an effect, the sheer scale of the set pieces in this second sequel will keep fans of the first two movies more than satisfied. This time around, Mel Gibson gets a girl after his own heart (cop Rene Russo with an equally impressive collection of battle scars), soon-to-retire partner Danny Glover looks more worried than ever, and Joe Pesci finds himself the butt of the duo’s jokes. Stuart Wilson, meanwhile, takes over from Joss Ackland as the obligatory imported British villain and enjoys himself immensely as the former cop-turned-monstrous crime lord. Disengage the brain and enjoy. 

Mel Gibson seems to be winning the battle of the sexes in this inventive romantic comedy from director Nancy Meyers. Gibson plays Nick Marshall, a chauvinistic advertising executive who accidentally suffers an electric shock and suddenly finds himself able to hear women’s thoughts. His unique gift sometimes proves to be a mixed blessing, but when bitchy rival Helen Hunt beats him to a top job, Gibson decides to play dirty. Gradually, his insights into how women think, and what they want, bring out his feminine side. Despite the daft premise, this is wittily written and sharply directed, with Gibson effortlessly running the gamut from sheer obnoxiousness to utter charm. Hunt is great, too, as his far-from-perfect love match. A couple of superfluous subplots slow down the action, but otherwise this is splendid entertainment in the grand tradition of those screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s. 

Mel Gibson marked his directorial debut with this low-key, coming-of-age drama set in the late 1960s. Gibson also takes the title role of the horribly scarred former teacher, who lives a reclusive life away from the gossip of his small-town neighbours. He is gradually drawn out of his shell by an unhappy young boy (Nick Stahl) who secures Gibson’s services as a tutor, but their close relationship eventually comes back to haunt him. Gibson takes a back seat to his young lead, and Stahl doesn’t disappoint, delivering a moving, intense performance. The support cast, including Margaret Whitton as Stahl’s marriage-happy mother, plays characters that are also skilfully drawn, and, although Gibson the director sometimes errs too much on the side of sentimentality, it remains an assured debut. 

Writer/director M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) here once again deals with extraordinary events from an intimate perspective. That he fails to pull it off entirely is owing to the enormity of the HG Wells-inspired science-fiction backdrop — which sits uneasily with his low-key approach — and his inclusion of “meaningful” moments that feel awkward and manipulative. Where Shyamalan does score highly is with the edgy, apprehensive atmosphere that he builds up, as Mel Gibson’s Pennsylvania farmer (a former minister who’s lost his faith) discovers crop circles in his wheat field. This, combined with other inexplicable events, leads the reluctant hero and his family to believe that an alien invasion is imminent. Credible performances from Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, as his brother, combine with a spooky ambience and some very effective, old-fashioned jolts to lead us into what should have been an enthralling final act. However, mawkish sentimentality and creaky flashbacks blunt the suspense — yet even those misjudgements are overshadowed by a ludicrously melodramatic climax that reveals the film-maker’s true intentions. Entertaining, if a little disappointing. 

Despite the attention of master scriptwriter William Goldman, this gentle tribute to the hit comedy western TV series missed a golden opportunity for a razor-sharp spoof. There’s no doubt the stars had a ball, though, with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster sparking nicely as the eponymous gambler and the con artist who is more than his match. But it’s left to James Garner (who played the original Bret Maverick), saddled with a role that is little more than a clumsy in-joke, to demonstrate what comic acting is really all about. Fans of westerns, both small screen and big screen, should keep an eye out for a multitude of familiar faces around the riverboat poker tables. The eagle-eyed can spot — among others — Doug McClure, who played Trampas in The Virginian, William Smith, who spent two years in Laredo, and Henry Darrow, who played Manolito in The High Chaparral .