Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
91%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
56 wins & 115 nominations total
Hacksaw Ridge uses a real-life pacifist’s legacy to lay the groundwork for a gripping wartime tribute to faith, valor, and the courage of remaining true to one’s convictions.
Hacksaw Ridge is like a rollercoaster ride that starts off slow and steady, but once it picks up speed, it’s a wild and intense ride. Mel Gibson’s direction may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to deny the power of the combat scenes. Andrew Garfield’s performance as Desmond Doss is impressive, and the film’s message about faith and courage is inspiring. Sure, it’s a bit formulaic and jingoistic, but sometimes you just want to watch a good old-fashioned war movie. Just be prepared for some gruesome moments that might make you want to cover your eyes.
Production Company(ies)
HBO Documentary Hit The Ground Running Films, Notorious Pictures,
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence including grisly bloody images
Year of Release
2016
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Atmos
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 19m
-
Language(s):English, Japanese
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 4, 2016 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 21, 2017
Genre(s)
War/Biography
Keyword(s)
Hacksaw Ridge, War, Biography, Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Mel Gibson, Bill Mechanic, David Permut, Terry Benedict, Paul Currie, Bruce Davey, William D Johnson, Tyler Thompson, Brian Oliver, Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan, R, Grisly Bloody Images, Graphic War Violence, Lionsgate Films, SDDS, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Scope (2.35:1), $67.0M, reviewed by Wendy Ide, Donald Clarke, Kevin Maher, Nigel Andrews, Peter Bradshaw, Geoffrey Macnab, Brian Eggert, Matt Brunson, Leo Brady, Rudie Obias, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, directed by Mel Gibson, written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, produced by Bill Mechanic, David Permut, Terry Benedict, Paul Currie, Bruce Davey, William D Johnson, Tyler Thompson, Brian Oliver, MPAA rating R, valor, faith, courage, pacifist, WWII, Congressional Medal of Honor, Battle of Okinawa, box office success, gritty, realistic, powerful, gripping, controversial, inspiring
Worldwide gross: $180,563,636
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $222,544,422
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 641
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 24,268,748
US/Canada gross: $67,209,615
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $82,835,754
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 842
US/Canada opening weekend: $15,190,758
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $18,722,587
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 693
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $40,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $49,299,943
Production budget ranking: 806
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $26,548,019
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $146,696,460
ROI to date (est.): 193%
ROI ranking: 644
Sam Worthington – Captain Glover
Luke Bracey – Smitty
Teresa Palmer – Dorothy Shutte
Hugo Weaving – William Thomas Doss
Rachel Griffiths – Bertha Doss
Director(s)
Mel Gibson
Writer(s)
Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan
Producer(s)
Bill Mechanic, David Permut, Terry Benedict, Paul Currie, Bruce Davey, William D. Johnson, Tyler Thompson, Brian Oliver
Film Festivals
Venice
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
56 wins & 115 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (281) | Top Critics (70) | Fresh (236) | Rotten (45)
Gibson’s robust directorial technique brings an undeniable punch to the combat scenes … Elsewhere in the film, however, there’s a sledgehammer lack of subtlety that is only partially mitigated by Andrew Garfield’s impressive performance.
January 29, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
If they gave out awards for “most movie in a movie”, then no other movie need turn up.
January 27, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
A rousing tale of Pacific War heroism that has more in common with jingoistic Wayne staples such as Sands of Iwo Jima or The Green Berets than anything in the 21st century, this is wearily formulaic film-making.
January 26, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Vintage Mel-odrama.
January 26, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Hacksaw Ridge is an old-fashioned war film, melded with a kind of new-fashioned explicitly violent drama.
January 26, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge is one of the best Second World War movies since Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line. It is also a wildly contradictory affair, combining folksiness with a pathological quality.
January 25, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Hacksaw Ridge seems at odds with itself, particularly during the chaotic and gruesome second half, as it tells a story about a brave pacifist while also satiating the filmmaker’s long-demonstrated bloodlust.
April 9, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Mel Gibson’s direction can hardly be deemed inspired, but because he’s less ham-fisted in his jingoistic zeal than Peter Berg, his workmanlike efficiency at least rarely gets in the way of a worthy storyline.
November 13, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Hacksaw Ridge sends us into the trenches, displays what one can achieve with faith, and honors the courageous character of Desmond Doss.
February 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Leo Brady
AMovieGuy.com
Overall, the movie doesn’t add up to much.
December 23, 2020
Rudie Obias
Battleship Pretension
It’s as if Gibson wants to impart a message of peaceful religious convictions while also reenacting grisly, high-octane war moments.
December 4, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Is Gibson glorifying the violence that Doss nearly gave his life to shun? Perhaps.
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com…
Plot
The true story of Desmond T. Doss, the conscientious objector who, at the Battle of Okinawa, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his incredible bravery and regard for his fellow soldiers. We see his upbringing and how this shaped his views, especially his religious view and anti-killing stance. We see Doss’s trials and tribulations after enlisting in the US Army and trying to become a medic. Finally, we see the hell on Earth that was Hacksaw Ridge.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Hugo Weaving, who plays Desmond Doss’s father in Hacksaw Ridge, is known for his roles in The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Mel-Gibson.jpg
