Gallipoli

PG

Released Aug 28, 1981

1h 50m

Drama

List

91%

46 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Archy (Mark Lee) and Frank (Mel Gibson) are two young Australian sprinters who want to join the army to fulfill their sense of duty. Turned down because they are too young, the pair hop a freight train to Perth, where they are allowed to join up. They board a troop ship headed to Cairo and, after training in the shadows of the Great Pyramids, the boys are finally sent to the front line, where their speed makes them candidates for messengers in one of the war's bloodiest battles.

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Critics Consensus

Peter Weir's devastating anti-war film features a low-key but emotionally wrenching performance from Mel Gibson as a young soldier fighting in one of World War I's most deadly and horrifying battles.

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Umatsu O

The dullest war film I have ever seen. 85% of the film reeks of the stuff you'd expect to find on the cutting room floor. Nothing scenes that establish nothing about nothing. Only literally the last 20 minutes of the film contain anything even vaguely interesting, and even then, a great deal of the 'action' is done off-screen.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/07/24

Full Review

gabriel b

Outstanding film that captures loss of innocence in war as well as any film ever made. Strong acting performances in a subtly wrought tale of modern geopolitical conflict and interpersonal relationships through the lens of a skillful director.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/04/23

Full Review

S B

A timeless Aussie classic. A must see for any Australian, man, woman or child. A study in film making, and a snapshot of history at its most gut wrenching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/23

Full Review

Richard L

One of the most uninteresting war films I've seen. Takes forever to get going, while at the same time somehow not managing to impart much character to our main characters either. When it finally does get going, it's not much to look at - scenes lack any emotion. A truly horrific soundtrack rounds it all off.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Brilliant classic that parallels sprinting with WWI, all leading up to an emotionally DEVASTATING climax. Queue up Albinoni's Adagio in G minor...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/02/22

Full Review

william k

Large-scale anti-war drama of an infamous battle is excellently produced with good period details and performances and does get its message through, although there are quite a few historical inadequacies concerning the actual events.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Peter Weir

Director

Mark Lee

Archy Hamilton

Mel Gibson

Frank Dunne

Bill Kerr

Jack

Ron Graham

Wallace Hamilton

Harold Hopkins

Les McCann

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Gallipoli: Official Clip - Meeting Frank

2:13

Gallipoli: Official Clip - The Trenches

1:57

Gallipoli: Official Clip - Massacre

2:10

Gallipoli: Official Clip - Bad News

2:12

Gallipoli: Official Clip - The Final Wave

2:13

Gallipoli: Official Clip - Reunited

2:13

Gallipoli: Official Clip - Arriving in Gallipoli

2:13

Gallipoli: Official Clip - Friendly Race

2:10

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Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Gallipoli is a predictable war movie filled with all the gung-ho cliches of the genre -- and I loved it.

Jun 29, 2018

Full Review

David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

Gallipoli was, and is, a triumph.

Jul 7, 2017

Full Review

Evan Williams

The Australian

Weir's objective was not to show us Gallipoli through a documentary lens, but with an artist's vision. He has succeeded magnificently.

Jul 7, 2017

Full Review

Michael Bronski

Gay Community News (Boston)

For its flaws, Gallipoli is consistently interesting, and attractive to look at.

Sep 9, 2022

Full Review

Richard Freedman

Newhouse News Service

It maintains interest throughout, without ever being a particularly gripping, dramatic experience.

May 13, 2020

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

Peter Weir concludes his movie by leaving promises unfulfilled. But it's precisely that absurdity, that emptiness, that he had set out to communicate. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 23, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Archy (Mark Lee) and Frank (Mel Gibson) are two young Australian sprinters who want to join the army to fulfill their sense of duty. Turned down because they are too young, the pair hop a freight train to Perth, where they are allowed to join up. They board a troop ship headed to Cairo and, after training in the shadows of the Great Pyramids, the boys are finally sent to the front line, where their speed makes them candidates for messengers in one of the war's bloodiest battles.

Director: Peter Weir
Producer: Francis O'Brien
Screenwriter: Peter Weir, David Williamson
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Australian Film Commission
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 21, 2010
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Mono

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