Hacksaw Ridge

Went into this one with a little trepidation. After all Mel was the director and this wasn't going to be a Steven Spielberg Saving Private Ryan. For those expecting action from start to end... be patient... it takes over an hour to get to Okinawa. Then the action starts. I must say the realism of some of the scenes was pretty good. This in itself bumped the movie up to an 8. However, some of those crazy tactics made those familiar with actual combat shake their heads. I mean c'mon... about 500 US troops all packed together in a 50 m2 area charging straight at the enemy who is know to be dug in waiting? I guess Hollywood needs the drama and excitement but this reminded me of those other farces such as "We Were Soldiers" (starring Mel Gibson - this director) and Windtalkers. Now Japanese tactics? Yeah ok. Not uncommon for Banzai attacks in mass similar to this, but these occurred mostly at night and not during broad daylight. Anyway, it was what it was. Those people rating it very high likely have no idea, but it makes for good TV I suppose. As the Trailers state it's..."The Best War Movie Since Saving Private Ryan". That's not saying much considering the bevy of War Stinkers released since that epic classic.