Mel Gibson: Don't Make Him Angry

We often enjoy playing games of 'Who Should Play This Role' and 'Who Would've Made a Perfect ______.' I think most families and groups of friends do. To this day, I still think that David Bowie would have made a stunning Lestat and Sting could definitely pull off a better Louis than Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, "Interview With the Vampire" came out a little too late and my choices were getting a bit long in the tooth. So, on to more modern movies.

"Who do you think should play the new Incredible Hulk," I posed to my family, strolling out to the living room. My son continued to click-click-click away; involved in some life-or-death game of Warcraft, he was oblivious to the world around him. My mother couldn't remember the man's name that she wanted to offer up as a suggestion (she's horrible when it comes to names). "The guy who was just in the news... oh, what is his name? He just got in trouble, again, for beating up his girlfriend."

Ohhhh... Yes, I know this one!

Apparently We Agree

Mel Gibson.

Don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him, when he's angry.

It started out as a joke, but the more I thought about it, the more I could actually see it. I've been watching the man for years and years, beginning with his role of "Mad" Max Rockatansky, back in the 80's. I watched them all - "Mad Max," "Mad Max 2" and who could forget Tina Turner's hair... err, I mean, his role... in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome?" The Road Warrior had the whole angry, vengeful sci-fi/post-apocolyptic vigilante role down pat.

Mel Gibson also had some bit parts and shorts throughout the years, proving that he could also pull off Dr. Bruce Banner's habit of being withdrawn and sort of invisible, blending in with the general public. Mel has played a baseball player in "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" and the role of 'Bearded Mechanic' in "The Chain Reaction" (both roles that were uncredited), not to mention his role of mutinous Fletcher Christian in the 1984 seafaring flick, "The Bounty." While some people loved this one, it continually put me to sleep - hence why I use it as an example of good and boring Dr. Bruce Banner-esque roles.

Mel also showed us his lighter side (and endeared him in the hearts of many) with roles like Sergeant Martin Riggs of the Lethal Weapon films, or his amusing roles in comedies such as "Tequila Sunrise," "Bird on a Wire," or "Air America." He was also the swoon-worthy voice of John Smith, in the 1995 Disney hit "Pocahontas." Throughout the years, people have always raved about how they enjoyed working with him and his desire to make people laugh around the sets.

But Mel Gibson has also shown us his more deep and passionate side - and I'm not just speaking of his controversial "The Passion of the Christ." My real reasoning for envisioning Mel as the new Hulk lies in a movie where he played a character named Justin McLeod. No, no... this isn't Braveheart, nor is it a Highlander spin-off. In 1993, Mel Gibson played a brilliant role that, I believe, proves he would do a brilliant job as The Incredible Hulk.

The Man Without a Face

Marking the directorial debut of Mel Gibson, "The Man Without a Face" is the story of a reclusive painter and former teacher, who was left horribly disfigured after he was involved in a car crash that also killed one of his students. Ever since, he has been bitter and eccentric, hiding away on his property and shunning the company of others. This all changes, however, when young Chuck approaches him and asks to be tutored, so that he might pass the entrance examination into a military academy. While this is the start of a strange, yet wonderful friendship between young Chuck and the horribly disfigured teacher, the other townsfolk do not believe it to be so innocent and the teacher's dark secrets are dragged out into the open.

The end result is a brilliant masterpiece that is both tender and tragic - something that I have always pictured the Incredible Hulk as being, as well. There were so many different layers to this comic book character, that I find it fitting that he be matched with an actor that's equally complex. Mel Gibson has that complexity and that depth, regardless of what the media portrays him as being.

Mel For Hulk!

So in summation, while it all began as a joke, I do see him pulling off an amazing Incredible Hulk. He has the depth of character and the acting ability to play the mood swings from doctor to monster, and he has an intense likeability that many find very endearing, despite all the controversy. This is why Mel gets my vote for the new Incredible Hulk, hands down.

Sources:

Personal experience, having watched most movies that Mel Gibson has acted in/produced

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000154/ - Movie release dates