In praise of a career, in criticism of character

Mel Gibson is no longer being considered for a part, because as a writer I have been unable to write a part that doesn't interfere with the story I have in mind.

It really is a shame that he had his anti-Semitic tirade in 2006.  Not only did it condemn a race, it tarnished his career, and now on Facebook most of his movies have as much as two-thirds as many Likes as votes on IMDb.

Don't worry - he would have been the villain.  Josef Stalin's grandson, to be exact.  Most moviegoers would probably now want him either as a villain or not at all.  My critiquers, employed specifically for this movie, say the part would contribute to the movie being over-stimulating (ie there would be too many plots).

Despite being a conservative, at one point he owned an ill-fated electric car, and was interviewed in the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? in 2006.

As for his filmographies, it's only been a year and a half since I've been watching movies nearly every minute of my spare time.  His most widely-seen film among the film-buff crowd, Braveheart (1995), despite winning both Best Picture and Best Director (Gibson himself), is actually not my favorite movie, nor my least favorite, though its powerful conveyance of moral choices and how they intertwine with the Scots' fight for independence even moves me.

Halliwell's editor John Walker listed Braveheart 872nd on his list of one thousand greatest films in 2005.  Personally, I'd replace it on these lists with The Patriot, which has many similarities despite being set 500 years later.

I've expressed interest in going out of my way to watch his movies, of which I've currently only seen 9 (10 if you count Casper, in which he cameoed).  My mom's had thoughts of doing the same with Jason Robards, "even though he was an SOB in real life." (Emphasis added.  And did you know that Jimmy Stewart was a McCarthyist?)

I am not pardoning Gibson.  I am simply saying that in spite of this dogmatism, he is genuinely talented, and that the tirade ought not to have happened because of its role in affecting the public's view of him.  The film where he plays a Jewish person is in post-production, but whether it's just for the money or to genuinely atone - my guess is as good as yours.

Everyone else is still being planned on!