A year before the #MeToo movement brought predators and abusers in Hollywood to their knees, one of the industry’s most controversial figures staged a comeback. Mel Gibson had been cancelled before the concept had even entered public consciousness, for his alleged antisemitism and violent behavior. When he staged a return with the religious-themed World War 2 movie Hacksaw Ridge, and was seemingly welcomed back with open arms, there was an understandable push-back from a section of society. Hacksaw Ridge emerged as a major box office success, and earned Gibson a Best Director nomination at the Oscars — a sign that all was forgiven. It remains controversial to this day, more for the drama surrounding it than for the film itself, which was very warmly received. Audiences that haven’t watched the movie can now do so, as it heads to the Hulu streaming service on January 1.
Hacksaw Ridge starred Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss, a man who refused to carry a weapon after he was enlisted to serve during World War 2. He did this for religious reasons, and the movie was also marketed at faith-based crowds. It earned $180 million at the worldwide box office, against a reported budget of $40 million. Hacksaw Ridge was also critically acclaimed, having earned six Oscar nods. It’s now sitting at a “certified fresh” 84% critics’ score and an even higher 92% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “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.” This was shortly after Garfield ended his tenure as Spider-Man, and only a few years before he starred in another movie that dealt with religious themes, Martin Scorsese‘s Silence.
Mel Gibson Is Returning To Familiar Ground Next
Gibson wouldn’t direct another film until the action-thriller Flight Risk, which was released earlier this year. A major creative departure for him — Gibson is known for his large-scale epics — the Mark Wahlberg-led movie made a little under $50 million in its box office run, but has emerged as something of a streaming favorite. Gibson is now putting together a two-part follow-up to his biggest hit, The Passion of the Christ. Set for release in 2027, The Resurrection of the Christmovies are set to become big-screen events. Also starring Sam Worthington and Vince Vaughn, Hacksaw Ridge is heading to Hulu on January 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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November 4, 2016
- Runtime
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139 minutes
- Writers
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Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan
- Producers
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Bill Mechanic, Brian Oliver, Bruce Davey, David Permut, Paul Currie, Terry Benedict, William D. Johnson
