Hacksaw Ridge

With many Remembrance Day poppies still pinned onto people’s coats, you’re likely to be in the mood for a war film. Hacksaw Ridge is a good way to satisfy that craving. It features a true-life story worthy of the history books, features strong direction from director Mel Gibson and appropriately displays the horrors of war, without being preachy. When Mel Gibson’s directs, it’s because he’s got a real passion for the material. I can see why he wanted to tell this story.

Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) is a simple, but earnest inhabitant of Lynchburg, Virginia who sees what is happening in Europe during World War II and seeks to enlist. His beliefs prevent him from taking arms and hopes to bypass the actual combat training to become a medic, something that rubs his superiors and compatriots the wrong way. The film follows Doss’ struggle to serve his country, as well as the romance he develops with nurse Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer), and his exploits on the battlefield.

There are three main elements that make this film a success. First, there’s the quiet moments where we learn the ins and outs of Doss and explore what drives him to enlist. This is where we get to separate this picture from all of those other ones where the crew features nothing but stereotypes. I also think you’ll appreciate the sweet love story featured.  Spoiler alert - click to reveal textThe people involved in this picture are not the typical rookie on his first trip to the battlefield, the dad who longs to see his newborn son or the two best friends who swear they’ll never let go of each other.

During the middle, Hacksaw Ridge is a hardcore war film. We’re talking about images that had me shaking in my seat. I felt like I was right there, in the middle of the fight, barely able to hold onto my sanity. And yet, it’s tasteful. War films are tricky. Unless you’re putting together something like 300, which revels in the loss of blood, limbs, and life. How do you show bullets flying, bodies broken, grenades detonating and the heroism of soldiers without making audiences forget that war is a vulgar thing? Here, it’s so intense you want to wet yourself in terror. The carnage is intense, even inhumane. I’ve got to give special praise to the technical work during the middle of the picture: the makeup, the pyrotechnics, the stuntwork, the sound design made it traumatic, but also too captivating to look away. It’s only towards the end of the picture that you forget how dreadful combat is. Even then I think it still works. It’ so intense that I even managed to forget the reason why I was drawn to the film in the first place, the character of Doss himself. At the core of this film is a struggle that isn’t about shedding blood, and yet it’s just as enticing as the one on the battlefield.

Guns make me uncomfortable. I understand the need for them in the military, but largely, I think firearms are evil so I felt a special kinship with Doss. This picture follows a man that is stuck in a place that calls to him but contains no friends. He wants to enlist and serve as a medic but wants to stay true to his faith, which forbids him from doing a number of things, including holding a weapon. This could’ve easily turned into some holier-than-thou religious propaganda, but it doesn’t, thanks to the fact that you’ve gotten to know the man and understand what makes him tick.

I’ve got a lot of enthusiasm for Hacksaw Ridge. I think it’s inspirational, it’s well made, it has burned some images firmly into my mind. It manages to make you care about a multitude of characters without it feeling forced and I enjoyed the quiet moments to help accentuate how intense war is when you’re right there, in the middle of it. There are a few things that I’m slightly disappointed with. Andrew Garfield struggles a bit with the Virginian accent; either that or his role is written inconsistently at the beginning. There’s also one character whose fate we never learn and, I think the picture gets a little too enthusiastic about showing violence during the conclusion. Those are little things in the end. Mel Gibson firmly directs the picture. There’s a particular shot right at the tail end of the movie that’s genius in that it throws you for a loop completely, but doesn’t actually mislead you in any way. You’ll know what I mean when you see it.

Hacksaw Ridge is violent and frightening.  Spoiler alert - click to reveal textI was shaking in my seat as our hero dodged bullets in Okinawa, and I also felt inspired by his resolve when his ideals were put to the test. The film depicts war as it should be and boy is it effective. You care that much more about the people involved because time is spent developing the characters. Mel Gibson handles this story well and I think you’ll be pleased with the results. See Hacksaw Ridge on a big screen. (Theatrical version on the big screen, November 11, 2016)