Hacksaw Ridge

By: John Delia

Cinematically brilliant, the movie Hacksaw Ridge grabs you by the collar and slaps you upside your head with a true story of our fearless military and a hero that earned the respect of his country. It’s a reminder why we are free and why all our American soldiers can hold their head high for battles fought in every conflict. Sometimes it takes the insight of a good film like this to bring us back to reality.

A strong minded guy from a small town in Virginia, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) has determination and spirit when it comes to family, his faith and even love at first sight. Not one to hold back on letting a girl know his interest, Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) finds herself in love with this forward guy. However, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America thrown into war against the Japanese, his duty to his country pulls the two apart.

At boot camp, Doss finds himself in what he believes to be the perfect place for him to serve as an Army Medic. His only flaw being a conscientious objector, Doss will not carry a gun nor intentionally kill anyone. Being sent to the heavily fortified Japanese held island of Okinawa, he’s face to face with the enemy in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII.

A story so unbelievable it boggles the mind, yet told as if you are there positioned from afar with a line of sight that takes you into one of the most horrific military firefights. Using cameras taking film from every angle of the devastating battle, director Mel Gibson shows the extensive slaughter of both armies as they fight up close. He inserts this relentless hero who runs among the fight to save fallen GIs. The chaos, havoc and mayhem lasts for what seems forever only pausing for orders from Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) or Doss’s fellow medics.

It becomes surreal and gut-wrenching to see what men face at the command of nations fighting for what they believe. While Americans drive back an enemy that wants to conquer other countries for power, they also know that the Japanese could destroy our homeland rich in freedom. Gibson holds nothing back when it comes to the battle, much like the war scenes in Clint Eastwood’s film Letters From Iwo Jima and Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan to name a few. At one point Hacksaw Ridge gets so realistic looking, you may have to turn away from the graphic violence.

The acting in Hacksaw Ridge under Mel Gibson’s direction is extremely good and Oscar worthy. Leading the cast, Andrew Garfield shows the challenges of Desmond Doss as he inserts himself in a situation far beyond the ultimate war objector. As a Seventh Day Adventist, he knows that killing another person will defy his belief and when he won’t pick up a gun he becomes an outcast among his fellow soldiers. Garfield’s a winner here and much like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump he sticks to his beliefs and tackles the most horrendous job of the war.

As Sergeant Howell, Vincent Vaughn shows he can handle a serious character that has to push his platoon to get ready for battle. He’s a no nonsense Drill Sergeant that has to deal with training in all facets of war. When he realizes that Doss is a conscientious objector to killing even if it’s to save his own life, Howell tries to reason with him. Back to the wall on the subject, the company commander puts Doss on trial, but you can see that Howell has already relented. Good job on your serious role Vince Vaughn.

A parting accolade for Hugo Weaving who plays Tom Doss, Desmond’s father who is a guilt ridden WWI soldier that lost his friends in battle and could never come to grips with it. He sometimes takes it out on his two boys and wife, especially when he’s had too much to drink. When he realizes that Desmond has chosen his own path in life, the temperament changes.

Hacksaw Ridge has been rated R by the MPAA for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence including grisly bloody images. There’s also a scene of wife abuse brutality. The film is not for the immature even if they play video games with war violence.

FINAL ANALYSIS: In my top ten film choices for this year’s Best Film Oscar, beyond a doubt. (A)