This film is part of Rentals
Hacksaw Ridge
Andrew Garfield stars in Mel Gibson’s visceral war film, telling the extraordinary story of the soldier who saved 75 lives in one of WWII’s bloodiest battles.
Director: Mel Gibson
Overview
Mel Gibson’s powerful, Oscar-nominated return to the director’s chair tells the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun, during one of the bloodiest battles of World War Two. Featuring some of the most viscerally exhilarating combat scenes ever filmed, while also radiating the irrepressible optimism of its central character, Hacksaw Ridge is a sensational return to top-tier filmmaking from its provocative director.
British star Andrew Garfield is perfectly cast as the Seventh Day Adventist who pleads to serve in the American military despite refusing to carry a gun, capturing the character’s blend of boyish enthusiasm with unyielding determination to endure pain and hardship. And the film itself shares the same dualism, one familiar from Gibson’s previous films, where a focus on bloodshed and suffering is leavened with a transcendental faith in humanity. Symbolising Mel Gibson’s plea for redemption after a string of on-and-offscreen controversies, Hacksaw Ridge was rewarded with a slew of awards nominations that signalled the film industry’s re-acceptance of its wayward star. And the sheer technical prowess of its battle scenes establishes Gibson as a maestro of powerful and redemptive screen violence; arguably Hollywood’s heir to the great Sam Peckinpah.
Related
Occupied City Occupied City
Documentary 2023 251 mins Director: Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen’s cinematic commemoration of the Holocaust offers a multidimensional experience full of gravity and sublimity.
The Small Back Room The Small Back Room
Thriller 1949 103 mins Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
An embittered bomb disposal expert is driven to drink in Powell and Pressburger’s compelling insight into the mental anguish of the alcoholic.
Casablanca Casablanca
Romance 1942 103 mins Director: Michael Curtiz
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in the eternal story of love, loss and redemption; the ultimate testament to the brilliance of Golden Age Hollywood.
Summerland Summerland
Drama 2020 100 mins Director: Jessica Swale
Gemma Arterton stars in acclaimed theatre director Jessica Swale’s moving Second World War drama, as a woman rediscovering her ability to love.
Kanarie Kanarie
Drama 2018 124 mins Director: Christiaan Olwagen
A Boy George-obsessed smalltown boy joins the South African Defence Force army choir, in this quirky Apartheid-era musical drama.
Full Metal Jacket Full Metal Jacket
War 1987 117 mins Director: Stanley Kubrick
Recruits move from the brutal US Marine training bootcamp – into the nightmare of war.
Apocalypse Now Apocalypse Now
War 1979 141 mins Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Transplanting Joseph Conrad’s colonial-era novel Heart of Darkness to Vietnam, Coppola created a mesmerising fantasia on the spectacle of war.
Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon
Action and Adventure 2016 107 mins Director: Peter Berg
Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich bring to life the devastating oil-rig disaster in this intelligent and incendiary eco-thriller.
Moonlight Moonlight
Drama 2016 111 mins Director: Barry Jenkins
Winner of the 2017 Oscar for Best Picture (eventually!), Barry Jenkins’ intoxicating drama follows the furtive life of a gay black boy through 80s Miami.
La La Land La La Land
Musical 2016 128 mins Director: Damien Chazelle
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone channel old-school Hollywood glamour in this bright and playful romantic musical from director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash).
Never Look Away Never Look Away
Drama 2018 189 mins Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others) presents this epic, intergenerational tale of love, art and politics, loosely based on the life of world-renowned painter Gerhard Richter.
Pinocchio Pinocchio
Fantasy 2019 125 mins Director: Matteo Garrone
In this unnerving live action adaptation of the classic tale, wood carver Gepetto (Roberto Benigni) crafts a wooden boy named Pinocchio who magically comes to life.
The Keeping Room The Keeping Room
Western 2016 95 mins
On the American frontier a young woman is forced to go to any means to defend her kin from the ravages of the barbaric outside world.
Four Daughters Four Daughters
Drama-documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Her Last Affaire Her Last Affaire
Drama 1936 68 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's 'society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, and glorious comic double-act from Googie Withers and John Lurie.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.
Rynox Rynox
Crime 1932 46 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s earliest existing film is a twisty thriller crafted with a bold visual style that is unmistakeably influenced by Fritz Lang.
Hotel Splendide Hotel Splendide
Comedy 1932 53 mins Director: Michael Powell
Music hall veteran Jerry Verno stars as a lowly clerk who gets more than he bargained for when he inherits a hotel, in Michael Powell's charming comedy.
The Night of the Party The Night of the Party
Crime 1934 61 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s fun stage adaptation about a murder at a society party, with characterful performances from its fine ensemble cast.