Mel Gibson Praises Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ as ‘Spiritually’-Affecting ‘Without Being Overt’

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While it’s not much of a stretch to see how Mel Gibson might appreciate the work of Ridley Scott — both are fans of massive battle scenes after all, having directed films like “Braveheart” and “The Last Duel” — Gibson recently spoke in an interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” about how Scott’s imagery has kept him striving to go further as a filmmaker.

“I’m pretty average at most things, but I’m good at a couple of things. I know how to tell a story on film, I know how to do that,” said Gibson. “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.”

Robert Laemmle

Aaron Sorkin and Pamela Anderson

One image that continues to speak to Gibson on an emotional and spiritual level is featured at the beginning of Scott’s Oscar-winning “Gladiator.”

“I always like to reference just a shot, it’s in a Scott movie and you don’t know why it works or why it’s effective on some level, but it’s kind of a profound, effective shot,” he said. “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.”

He added later of Scott’s craftsmanship, “He knows how to shoot, and it’s a valid pursuit I think in storytelling if you can do that. Every time he goes out there, it’s eye candy. It’s a feast for the eyes.”

Despite having a new Scott film to appreciate this year with “Gladiator II,” Gibson isn’t feeling great about where filmmaking is now compared to when he was in his prime. Especially having had to pare down his usual shooting style for his upcoming thriller “Flight Risk,” starring Mark Wahlberg.

“We’re living in a different time now in the film world,” Gibson said. “Everything’s upside down and you have to compete in a medium where you have less time, less money, do it fast, do it now, and it’s like, ‘Wow, can I do that?’ I always had the luxury of big budgets and 3,000 people on horses and all this kind of stuff and was able to take my time with stuff, but I had 22 days [for ‘Flight Risk’].”

The film is set primarily in the cabin of a small aircraft that’s transporting a government witness, with Wahlberg playing a hitman charged with taking him out. The cast also features Topher Grace and Michelle Dockery.

Watch Gibson’s full interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” below.

“Flight Risk” releases in theaters on January 24 from Lionsgate.

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