Hacksaw Ridge: Movie Review

Mel Gibson is back to fine form with "Hacksaw Ridge". We cannot say how accurate it is when compared to actually being in Okinawa Island back in 1945 but boy is it a terrifying and horrifying experience - one that never holds back on the realities of armed conflict.

Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield) is a Seventh-day Adventist who, like most men his age, decides to enlist in the Army to join the fight against the Axis powers specifically the Japanese after the Pearl Harbour attack. Thinking that he was to become a combat medic who wasn't required to ever hold a weapon, his initial belief is proven wrong. His superiors and peers reject him for the perceived cowardice of his actions and convictions. Eventually, Doss is finally allowed to join the war even with his conscientious objector approach. Doss eventually proves everyone wrong when he was able to save 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

For a film that centers on the character that refuses to wield or even hold a weapon, "Hacksaw Ridge" never holds back on the unpleasant realities of war. Like past Gibson films, this feels like a no-holds-barred representation of its topic. Expect to see men being dismembered, burned, mutilated, and a slew more of ways to get killed in action. It's not for the queasy with gore. But this is also the same reason why the film is so effective in bringing the terror one might experience in times of conflict. The way men die here was disturbing - senseless and quick deaths abound- but also endearing - showing how brave and heroic our protagonist was in the face of his own mortality. The film had us jumping out of our seats numerous times and just shows how effective it was in immersing the audience. The narrative and narration of the plot were ultimately believable. While we doubt its historical accuracy, scenes and situation Doss face never feel fabricated. Acting-wise, Andrew Garfield brought in a stellar performance as Desmond Doss. Even the way his lips moved was subtly different showing how much he changed to make his transformation that much more realistic. The supporting cast like Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington also had great performances. Overall, "Hacksaw Ridge" is an emotional film and one that's truly inspiring on what one man was able to accomplish the impossible more than sixty years ago. "Hacksaw Ridge" was emotional not in a dramatic sense but in a way that it plays with all kinds of emotions we, as humans, encounter.

Rating: 5 reels





Why you should watch it:
- expect this to be a realistic and gory look into the grim reality of World War II
- stellar performance from Andrew Garfield and the whole cast

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- we doubt its historical accuracy but we didn't mind the fabrications if there were