The twelve essays in A Critical Companion to Mel Gibson offer various interpretations of Mel Gibson's work, treating this prolific but controversial figure not only as a filmmaker but as a historian, religious thinker, and social philosopher. From The Man Without a Face and Braveheart to The Passion of the Christ , Apocalypto , and Hacksaw Ridge , this interdisciplinary collection mines Gibson's life and oeuvre for insight into existential problems, Aristotelian virtues, the politics of film, interreligious dialogue, adaptation issues, and much more.