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Hacksaw Ridge


HACKSAW RIDGE
An Oscar nominee for Best Picture of 2016, Hacksaw Ridge is a riveting and eye popping fact-based drama that takes an unflinching look at the senseless carnage of war through the eyes of a conscientious objector and his sometimes credibility-stretching contributions that are a blazing testament to the directorial genius of Mel Gibson.

This is the true story of Desmond Doss, the God-fearing son of a WWI veteran who wants to join the army during the second World War, but as a medic and upon arrival at boot camp, shocks his commanding officers and bunk mates when he refuses to even touch a gun. This leads to the expected tension with his fellow soldiers and eventually to court martial proceedings where he is incredibly exonerated and begins to serve his army in WWII without ever picking up a gun.

Since it's based on fact, it's hard to dispute a lot of what Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight's screenplay presents here. We get a very balanced look at the consequences of Doss' beliefs, understanding how he feels, but also understanding the mistrust and resentment that develops in his barracks, wondering how safe they would be in combat with someone who refuses to shoot a gun and we wonder if Doss is even going to survive boot camp, but he not only somehow survives, but becomes a major force when his unit is actually sent to battle the Japanese at the battle location of the title. I had very mixed feelings about Doss' relationship with the guys in the camp because I understood both sides, even though I found it a little hard to believe that Doss thought he could go through army training and never pick up a gun.

Once it was clear that Doss was going to be allowed into combat without rifle training, the story becomes a little pat and contrived as Doss' indispensable role in the battle at Hacksaw Ridge does defy credibility to a degree, but in terms of movie entertainment, it made for an emotionally charged story that had me riveted to the screen, despite some stomach-churning violence and carnage.

Director Mel Gibson is no stranger to cinematic carnage, as anyone who saw The Passion of the Christ can attest, but he takes it to an entirely different level here, which had this reviewer constantly turning back and forth from the screen, unable to stomach some of the carnage displayed here. Gibson paints some shocking cinematic pictures here...the sight of the wagons of dead and half dead bodies returning from the Ridge just as Doss' unit arrives to replace them is permanently etched in the memory, the varied effects of these men is all over their faces and there are no two faces the same. The sight of a soldier on attack who picks up the half-blown off body of a fellow soldier to utilize as a shield was a shocking image that I was sure was my eyes playing tricks on me.

In addition to his brilliant recreation of the carnage and insanity of war, Gibson also manages to pull some strong performances from a terrific cast. Andrew Garfield received a Best Actor nomination for his compelling, wide-eyed sincerity as Doss, a character we are behind from the moment he appears onscreen and his likability makes it much easier to accept the sometimes hard to believe war hero he is set up to be. There is also standout work from Sam Worthington as Captain Glover, Luke Bracey as Smitty, Theresa Palmer as Doss' wife, Hugo Weaving as his father, and in a startling change of pace for the actor, Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell. As great as the cast is and as impressive as the production values are, they only work because of a director with his eye on the prize and a second Best Director Oscar is not out of the realm of possibility for an artist working to repair the damage he's done to his career and this film is a good start.