Mel Gibson: Holywood Martyr Figure

News about Mel Gibson's upcoming movie Passion about the last hours of Jesus continues to come out every so often. One might imagine that Gibson's project just came out of nowhere, but in reality he seems to have been preparing for it for quite some time. Many of his roles have even made him appear to be a Christ-figure.

Jessica Winter writes in the Village Voice:

[C]loser scrutiny reveals that Gibson ... has long been in piecemeal rehearsals for his divisive passion play. As his clout and asking price have increased over the decades, so has the degree of Christian overtones and iconography in his films. ... Conservative if not Traditionalist, Gibson's typical onscreen persona might suggest a stoic priest surrogate, a complex martyr, even a Christ figure. ... In its finished form, The Passion of the Christ may prove to be a spectacularly misjudged tantrum—against Jews, the Vatican, lapsed Catholics, or ancient Romans. It may instigate violence, stir religious awe, or inspire indifference.

I have watched and enjoyed a number of Gibson's movies, but Winter's brief analysis provides good reason to go back and take a closer look at some of the characters he has created. What messages has he been trying to send in the various movies? In what way has he perhaps been preparing the way for his film about Jesus?

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