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Hacksaw Ridge

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Hacksaw Ridge
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMel Gibson
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySimon Duggan
Edited byJohn Gilbert
Music byRupert Gregson-Williams
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 4, 2016 (2016-09-04) (Venice)
  • November 3, 2016 (2016-11-03) (Australia)
  • November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04) (United States)
Running time
131 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Australia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[1]

Hacksaw Ridge is a 2016 Australian-American biographical war film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Corr, Teresa Palmer, Richard Pyros and Rachel Griffiths. Principal photography began on September 29, 2015 in various locations around New South Wales including Sydney Olympic Park and lasted for 105 days ending in December 2015.

It had its world premiere on September 4, 2016 at the 73rd Venice Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation. The film is scheduled to be released in Australia on November 3, 2016, by Icon Film Distribution, and in the United States on November 4, 2016, by Summit Entertainment.

Plot

The film is based on the true story of US Army medic Desmond T. Doss. Doss was a Seventh-day Adventist conscientious objector who refused to bear arms, yet was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman for single-handedly saving the lives of over 75 of his comrades while under constant enemy fire during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

Themes

The film was described as an anti-war film.[2]

Cast

Additionally, Gibson's fifth son, Milo Gibson plays a soldier in the film who in one scene is holding a Thompson submachine gun.[3]

Production

Development

The project was in development hell for 14 years.[4] Numerous producers had tried for decades to film Doss' story, including decorated war hero Audie Murphy and Hal B. Wallis (producer of Casablanca).[5] In 2001, after finally convincing Doss that making a movie on his remarkable life was the right thing to do, screenwriter/producer Gregory Crosby brought the project to film producer David Permut through the efforts of Stan Jensen of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[4] In 2004, director Terry Benedict won the rights to make a 2004 documentary about Doss and secured dramatic rights in the process. However, Doss died in 2006, after which producer Bill Mechanic acquired and then sold the rights to Walden Media, which developed the project along with producers Bill Mechanic of Pandemonium Films and David Permut of Permut Presentations, while co-producers of the film are Gregory Crosby, Steve Longi, and Elexa Ruth.[6] Walden Media insisted on a PG-13 version of the battle, then Mechanic spent years working to buy the rights back.[5] [7]On November 20, 2014, it was announced that Mel Gibson was in talks to helm the film with Andrew Garfield also in talks to play Desmond Doss.[6] Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace wrote the script while Wallace was previously attached to direct the film. Andrew Knight polished the original script. Gibson's partner Bruce Davey would also produce the film along with Paul Currie.[8]

On February 9, 2015, IM Global closed a deal to finance the film and also sold the film into the international markets.[9] On the same day, Lionsgate acquired the North American distribution rights to the film.[10] Chinese distribution rights were acquired by Bliss Media, a Shanghai-based film production and distribution company.[11]

Hacksaw Ridge is the first film directed by Gibson since Apocalypto in 2006,[12][13] and marks a significant departure from his previous directed films such as Apocalypto and Braveheart in which the protagonist would engage in constant violence.[3]

Casting

File:Hacksaw ridge.jpg
Hacksaw Ridge cast (from left to right): Robert Morgan, Vince Vaughn, Nico Cortez, Daniel Thomlinson, Goran Kleut, Luke Pegler, Milo Gibson, (extra), Harry Greenwood, Firass Dirani, Richard Pyros, Luke Bracey, Andrew Garfield, Jacob Warner and Sam Worthington.

The cast – Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Luke Pegler, Richard Pyros, Ben Mingay, Firass Dirani, Nico Cortez, Michael Sheasby, Goran Kleut, Jacob Warner, Harry Greenwood, Damien Thomlinson, Ben O’Toole, Benedict Hardie, Robert Morgan, Ori Pfeffer, Milo Gibson, and Nathaniel Buzolic, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Corr – were announced between November 2014 to October 2015.[8][14][15][16][17]

Andrew Garfield plays Desmond Doss, a US Army medic awarded Medal of Honor by the President Harry S. Truman for saving lives during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.[6] Garfield had high regards for Doss and venerated him for his act of bravery hailing him as a "wonderful symbol of embodying the idea of live and let live no matter what your ideology is, no matter what your value system is, just to allow other people to be who they are and allow yourself to be who you are." He found the idea of playing a real superhero (as compared to his past roles playing of Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel) much more inspiring.[18] Gibson was drawn to Garfield the first time he saw his performance in The Social Network.[3]

Teresa Palmer wanted to land a role in the film so badly regardless of a specific character. She auditioned via her iPhone and sent the recording to Gibson. After three months of not getting a reply, Gibson reciprocated by holding a Skype chat with Palmer who told her that she landed in the role of Dorothy, Doss' wife.[19]

Principal photography

Principal photography commenced on September 29, 2015,[13] and lasted for a total of 105 days[3] ending in December of that year.[4] The film was based at Fox Studios in Sydney after producers scouted for locations around the country.[20] Filming took place mostly in the state of New South Wales – where Gibson spent much of his early years – in and around Sydney such as in Richmond,[21] Bringelly,[22] and Oran Park.[23] He moved to the state in July 2015, two months before filming began.[24] The graveyard scene was shot at the Centennial Park Cemetery.[25] Filming in Bringelly required the team to clear over 500 hectares of land including deforesting 80 trees. This evoked the ire of certain environmentalists. However, producers had the full clearing and approval to take up such tasks after conditions were imposed to replant and rehabilitate part of the land after filming ceased.[26] According to Troy Grant, New South Wales' deputy premier and minister for the arts, the film brought in 720 jobs and US$19 million to regional and rural New South Wales.[27]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2016[28] where it received a 10 minute standing ovation.[29] The film will be released by Icon Film Distribution in Australia on November 3, 2016,[30] by Lionsgate/Summit in the United States and Canada on November 4, 2016,[31] by Bliss Media in China in November,[32][33] with IM Global handling international sales.[13] It will hit cinemas in the U.K. in 2017.[34]

Marketing

In August 2016, Gibson appeared in Pastor Greg Laurie's SoCal Harvest in Anaheim, California, to promote the film.[35]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has an approval rating of 93%, based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[36] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to reviews, the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[37]

References

  1. ^ Karl Quinn (September 17, 2015). "Andrew Garfield admits to nerves ahead of Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge shoot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  2. ^ Samuel Smith (October 1, 2016). "Mel Gibson: 'Hacksaw Ridge' Is an 'Anti-War Movie'". The Christian Post. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Mike Fleming Jr (September 6, 2016). "Mel Gibson On His Venice Festival Comeback Picture 'Hacksaw Ridge' – Q&A". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Michael Peabody (February 3, 2016). "Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge" Enters Post-Production: Release Target in Time for Oscar?". Religious Liberty. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Don Steinberg (September 8, 2016). "'Hacksaw Ridge': An American War Hero Who Refused to Fight". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Jaafar, Ali (November 20, 2014). "Mel Gibson In Talks To Direct 'Hacksaw Ridge' With Andrew Garfield Starring In War Hero Pic". deadline.com. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  7. ^ http://variety.com/2015/film/spotlight/hacksaw-ridge-mel-gibson-1201633130/
  8. ^ a b Bulbeck, Pip (July 30, 2015). "Mel Gibson Ready to Honor Desmond T. Doss with 'Hacksaw Ridge'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Hopewell, John (February 9, 2015). "Berlin: IM Global Sells Much of the World on 'Hacksaw Ridge'". variety.com. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  10. ^ McClintock, Pamela (February 9, 2015). "Berlin: Lionsgate in Final Talks for Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  11. ^ "China's Bliss Media Takes Stake in Wild Bunch's Insiders". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  12. ^ Pip Bulbeck (July 30, 2015). "Mel Gibson Ready to Honor Desmond T. Doss with 'Hacksaw Ridge'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c Pip Bulbeck (September 29, 2015). "Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge' Begins Filming". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  14. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (July 29, 2015). "Vince Vaughn To Star In Mel Gibson-Directed 'Hacksaw Ridge'". deadline.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  15. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (August 25, 2015). "Luke Bracey Lands Lead In Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge'". deadline.com. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  16. ^ McNary, Dave (September 29, 2015). "First Look: Andrew Garfield and Vince Vaughn in Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge'". variety.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (October 19, 2015). "Hugo Weaving Joins Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge'". variety.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  18. ^ Ariston Anderson (September 9, 2016). "Venice: Mel Gibson, Andrew Garfield Discuss the "Strong Faith" Behind 'Hacksaw Ridge' Play Video". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  19. ^ Monique Friedlander (October 18, 2016). "'I really wanted this role': Teresa Palmer auditioned for Hacksaw Ridge via IPHONE... and waited three months to hear back from director Mel Gibson". Daily Mail. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  20. ^ Garry Maddox (July 28, 2015). "Short Cuts: Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge has landed, emotional opening for Melbourne festival and more from Australian film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  21. ^ Bianca La Cioppa (December 1, 2015). "EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge takes semi-rural town back to 1940s as filming begins despite local shopkeepers' urgent meeting to protest AGAINST movie". Daily Mail. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  22. ^ Luisa Cogno (August 3, 2016). "Mel Gibson's war movie Hacksaw Ridge filmed in Bringelly to open in cinemas in November". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  23. ^ Amy Harris (August 27, 2016). "Sydney is the movie capital of Australia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  24. ^ Jason Chester (September 23, 2016). "Mel Gibson begins work on World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge as uniform clad actors film assault course scene in Sydney". Daily Mail. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  25. ^ Megan Pustetto (November 24, 2015). "He means business: Mel Gibson shoots WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge in eerie Sydney graveyard... and is seen for the first time with Vince Vaughn and Andrew Garfield". Daily Mail. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  26. ^ Vera Bertol (October 30, 2015). "Movie set earmarked for residential development when filming done". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  27. ^ Alexandra Spring (July 30, 2015). "Mel Gibson war drama Hacksaw Ridge to begin filming in NSW in September". The Guardian. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  28. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (July 28, 2016). "Venice Film Festival: Lido To Launch Pics From Ford, Gibson, Malick & More As Awards Season Starts To Buzz – Full List". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  29. ^ Nancy Tartaglione (September 5, 2016). "Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge' Rivets With 10-Minute Ovation At World Premiere – Venice". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  30. ^ Cogono, Luisa; Chronicle Camden, Macarthur (August 3, 2016). "Mel Gibson's war movie Hacksaw Ridge filmed in Bringelly to open in cinemas in November". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 5, 2016). "Mel Gibson WWII Movie 'Hacksaw Ridge' Jumps Into November Awards Season; 'The Shack' To Open In March 2017". Deadline. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  32. ^ Patrick Brzeski (May 16, 2016). "China's Bliss Media Launches $150 Million Film and TV Fund". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  33. ^ Patrick Frater (May 16, 2016). "China's Bliss Media Launches $150 Million Fund". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  34. ^ Phil De Semlyen (September 22, 2016). "Exclusive: Mel Gibson talks Hacksaw Ridge". Empire. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  35. ^ Jardine Malado (October 6, 2016). "Mel Gibson's new Christian film 'Hacksaw Ridge' receives 10-minute standing ovation; Movie hits U.S. theaters November 2016". The Christian Times. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  36. ^ "Hacksaw Ridge (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  37. ^ "Hacksaw Ridge reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
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