On G List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


Gallipoli (1981)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 3/25

Gallip
3/25: Gallipoli reminds me of The Deer Hunter.

People had complained about the overlong backstory. Rubbish. I've seen a lot of war pictures, and their main problem is too much fighting. Hence, they're all the same, illustrating the oft-repeated message that war is pointless. Gallipoli postpones it until the final fifteen minutes, and the result is a powerful ending.

However, what's shown is just a small part of the Gallipoli campaign and is rather concerned with the Battle of the Nek on August 9, 1915, as opposed to the whole thing which lasted from February 17 to January 9 of the following year. For reference, WWI ended in November 1918. There was no strategic value in going over the top and charging ahead. In other words, it was a senseless waste of lives.

Mark Lee and Mel Gibson are the standouts. They carry the show effortlessly from start to finish. The former hasn't appeared in anything noteworthy afterwards while the latter is quite young-looking. As a bonus, Russell Boyd's cinematography makes the movie even better which was shot on location in either Australia or Egypt.

All in all, Gallipoli is much more than Mel Gibson; it's Australia history.