Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

[center][font=Book Antiqua][size=6][b]20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [size=5](1954)

Director: Mel Gibson
Writers: Robert Schenkkan, Andrew Knight
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey
Genre: Drama, History, War

About: A U.S. WWII Army Medic, Desmond Doss, who felt it was his duty to serve in the war, but refused to handle a gun as a religious conscientious objector. Instead of fighting, he signs up as an Army Medic, but soon faces court martial charges for disobeying the direct orders to train with a rifle. He's branded a coward and beat to a bloody pulp by the other recruits. However once he's sent to the Battle of Okinawa, he repeatedly risk his own life to save others.

You ever been in a war, CR? No?

Good. Then shut your mouth. Hacksaw Ridge was awesome.

2.5 / 5 is being kind to this awful movie.

Ha I know you're joking MM, but I did expect at least one person to say just that: if I hadn't been in war how do I know it's fake...

Answer: The movie doesn't have to be 100% factual in the battle scenes...BUT what it does have to do is, convince me, (regular-guy-movie-watcher) who's never been in war, that what I'm watching seems believable. It wasn't.

The battle scenes were so fakey-action video game like, that the all important suspension of disbelief didn't occur...and if I don't 'feel' like I'm watching real people in a real battle, then the movie is boring.

Had this movie been hammed up even more and clearly aimed to be an over the top fun-action packed movie then it could have worked. But it's clear to this reviewer, that the intentions of Mel Gibson was to tell a realistic story of an unsung war hero, Army Medic, Desmond Doss, and not to produce a pop corn flick. And in that Mel failed horribly.

I have to disagree, my dear CR. Yes, he clearly wanted to create something violent and tell a proper story about this man; but still, like with Braveheart, I do think Mel is clearly a person who wants to create good entertainment as well. He loves violence, especially the fetish for it seems clear in his last directed feature, Apocalypto. Personally I do think Hacksaw was meant to entertain a fair share as well and I think Mel hit that balance that only Mel can - like he did with Braveheart.

Braveheart is super cheesy when you think about it, but it's super violent too, and even though the "FREEEEEDOOOM!" scene would come off as too much, I personally think he "earns it" by directing the movie the way he did. To me, his style and intention is obvious. Things like Vince Vaughn being dragged on a blanket and shooting bad guys or when he starts lowering the soldiers, both the friends and enemies and the reaction that comes from this; he clearly wants the audience to have fun too and smile and get taking away on this intense battlefield journey.

So yeah, to me it did exactly what you say it didn't to you. but of course, it's my opinion and you did say "it's clear to this reviewer", so it's all good.

If it's true that Mel was on purpose going for a fun-over the top action entertainment movie, then I think even less of him as a director...as the subject matter needed to be treated with more respect. Image if he made The Passion of the Christ in the same vein as Hacksaw Ridge. Of course he didn't do that as he's a devout Catholic and he would know better than to make the story of Jesus into a popcorn flick.

I have to see Saving Private Ryan again, I haven't seen it since it first came out. I remember it awed me at the time. I'm curious as to what my reaction was.

Was that you that got grilled for saying you liked Saving Private Ryan some time ago? Seems I remember something like that.

Director: Mel Gibson
Writers: Robert Schenkkan, Andrew Knight
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey
Genre: Drama, History, War

About: A U.S. WWII Army Medic, Desmond Doss, who felt it was his duty to serve in the war, but refused to handle a gun as a religious conscientious objector. Instead of fighting, he signs up as an Army Medic, but soon faces court martial charges for disobeying the direct orders to train with a rifle. He's branded a coward and beat to a bloody pulp by the other recruits. However once he's sent to the Battle of Okinawa, he repeatedly risk his own life to save others.

Review: Army Medic Desmond Doss is a hero in the truest sense of the word. His story is amazing and deserved to be told...Too bad Mel Gibson made a hack job of Hackshaw Ridge.

I've seen plenty of war movies, some bad, some good, but it's hard to believe Mel Gibson thought his battle scenes were exciting or realistic. They are neither. The idea of a war scene is to make us feel the sheer horror of war that these men faced, and to make us feel like we are actually there. But I found myself laughing at the silly use of rats, maggots and spaghetti legs!

Spaghetti legs is what I call the special effects for the soldiers with their legs blown off. And there's lots of legs being blown off with spaghetti hanging everywhere! Who knew soldiers were full of spaghetti! I mean it really was a stupid effect. You don't have to be medically astute to image what a missing limb looks like on a wounded solider. Other movies get it right. Why couldn't Mel.

Then there's the silly rat-maggots scenes, which look like something out of a bad 1970s horror movie. And poor Mel went back to those effects, time after time again. I guess he thought they were neat. His battle scenes are cheesy popcorn, Hollywood fluff. On top of that was the video game style of filming/editing, with soldiers dying every split second. Watching the battle of Okinawa was like watching somebody playing a video game.

In battle, soldiers aren't lined up 100 per 10 square feet. They are spread out so they aren't easy targets for enemy fire, but not in Mel's movie. Of course it takes money and a thoughtful director to make a war scene vast enough to look real.

If you want to see a war battle that looks real, with wide angle scope, using actors over acres of land, watch Paths of Glory (1957)...or even Saving Private Ryan (1998) which gave the impact of how horrible war is on a huge scale.

Mel Gibson's battle scenes look like a cartoon. I believe Mel has been in one too many popcorn action flicks and doesn't know the difference between realism and fun-blow-em-up movies like Lethal Weapon.

This is Fake review news

I normally respect your opinions but I can't take this seriously. Not sure I have ever disagreed with a review more.

That was me yes. But I got grilled for HATING it though.

So I'm mainly refering to the grand opening sequence, and not so much the rest of the movie.

I guess I can't win them all

Oh! I got that backwards. So why did you like Hacksaw Ridge but hate Saving Private Ryan?

OK, now I have to watch Saving Private Ryan so I can talk about it! You know what is funny is I almost posted that I wished Steven Spielberg had made Hacksaw Ridge...But I'd settle for Clint Eastwood.

This is awesome! I've read all Jules Verne's books. Never seen any movie based on his book thou.

I like Mel directed movies. Love Braveheart and Apocalypto. Respect Passion. I didn't think Hacksaw looked good at all, and definitely didn't feel realistic. I liked it better than you Citizen. I thought it had some nice character moments. Overall pretty underwhelming.

I see what you are saying, MM, about him wanting it to be entertaining, and I don't think that's a problem even in a war flick. That's not what he is going for with the gore though. He's going for realism.