Happy Remembrance Day, and what better
way to observe it by seeing a nice movie about a real life dude who
served his country and his God proud during the Second World War.
Hacksaw Ridge is about Desmond
Doss, a young pacifist who still wants to be able to contribute to
the war effort. He tries enlisting in the army with the hopes that he
will become a medic, but runs into trouble when he refuses to touch a
weapon due to his religious convictions. This movie's plot could
somewhat-accurately be described as a blend of the boot camps of
Captain America: First Avenger and Full Metal Jacket
plus the Vietnam battle scene of Forrest Gump. It's a great
story of a man staying true to his beliefs. You'll laugh, you'll cry,
you'll get scared. There's even a decent romance. This movie's got
everything! Well, almost: I think it might've benefited even from
just a short scene at the end where Desmond sees his family again.
But this can be forgiven in light of
Hacksaw Ridge's in-freaking-tense battle scenes. Up close,
dirty, loud, gritty, and extremely violent, the battle scenes here
are some of the most intense I've seen since Passchendaele
(2008) or even Saving Private Ryan (1998). Well done, Mel
Gibson. This is helped by the impeccable special effects and
direction, recreating all the gory nastiness. Take note, this is not
a film for the squeamish.
Hacksaw Ridge also boasts some
exceptional acting. Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss is amazing. He
does a great job depicting a humble hero struggling to do what he
knows is right against all kinds of adversity. Hugo Weaving is good
as Doss's alcoholic, shell-shocked veteran father. Even Vince Vaughn,
whom I normally don't care much for, is good here! He plays the
zero-tolerance, hard-as-nails Sergeant Howell leading his men through
both boot camp and Okinawa. There's also a bunch of likable side
characters, each portrayed handily.
Thinking about this film beyond the
surface level raises some questions. Like, “does this count as a
faith-based movie?” While the main character is a very religious
person who prays and reads the Bible a lot, the movie doesn't exactly
shove his faith right down your throat like a lot of other religious
movies do nowadays. I'd call this more of a tale of virtue/morality.
Another question one might wonder is: “is this a pro-war film?”
It kind of is, which is a rare thing nowadays. Although the battle
scenes are depicted as bloody and terrifying, they are still very
exciting, even heroic. Plus the whole movie is about a guy trying to
serve in the army (saving soldiers lives) after enlisting – even
though in real life Desmond Doss was drafted. At least Gibson chose
to not drown his audience in a sea of US flags.
In conclusion, Hacksaw Ridge is
a brilliant film with a strong theme and stronger performances. It
feels complete. It's the best war film I've seen in recent years,
even better than 2014's American Sniper. If you like war
movies or if you like feel-good movies that have lots of carnage and
bloodshed then this is definitely one you should check out.
Grade: four-and-a-half out of five.
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