"Hacksaw Ridge" Goes Above and Beyond
“Help me get one more,” the scrawny young army medic prays as he finishes lowering a wounded man off the ridge. He turns around and stares back at the war-torn field he has traversed about 40 times now, by himself. It’s as if hell itself has come to earth and planted its deepest, darkest level right there on Hacksaw Ridge. If this is hell, then the screams he hears must be the screams of the damned. The scrawny medic screws up his face, and charges back into hell, alone, with no rifle or weapons of any kind, uttering his solemn plea.
“Help me get one more.”
This is “Hacksaw Ridge.” Desmond Doss, a young man from Virginia, joins up with the United States Army to fight in World War II. He receives brutal beatings during boot camp for his unwillingness to pick up a rifle. He’s a conscientious objector, but he wants to serve his country as a field medic. After controversy and a court-martial, he is allowed to continue his service to his country in the way that he sees fit.
“Hacksaw Ridge” is one of the best films of 2016. This film features wonderfully true acting and insightful direction, right along with brutally truthful and bloodily accurate war scenes.
Director Mel Gibson knows how to paint a picture with a film. With big numbers under his belt like “The Passion of the Christ” and “Braveheart,” audiences know what to expect when they see Gibson’s name in the director’s spot. And he does not fail to deliver. “Hacksaw Ridge” may top Gibson’s list as the highest-rated film he’s directed. The atmosphere that he creates in this film is captivating from beginning to end, from the sunny Blue Ridge mountains of Doss’ Virginia home to the smoky, blood-stained ridge of the battlefield.
Andrew Garfield, whom many only know for his role as Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” delivered a startlingly convincing performance as Doss. His nature, his speech, and his sheer boyish charm endear him to the audience, allowing us to connect with Doss on a level that feels much deeper than simply viewer and character. Garfield’s pure honesty adds vibrancy and truth to this already lovable character. Garfield is joined by a large supporting cast, all of whom perform adequately and add to the feeling and emotion of the film.
This movie is fantastic. The audience couldn’t ask for anything more. But it is brutal. The depiction of combat that we see in this film is not clean. It’s not trivialized. It’s not the commonplace, easy-to-stomach nonsense that we see so often. This film shows war. Bloody, brutal, unforgiving war. I have to warn potential viewers: if blood or gore makes you queasy or nauseated, perhaps this isn’t the film for you.
One more note for all of the Mennonites out there. This isn’t your father’s pacifism. Our hero wears a uniform and salutes the flag. But this film is a true retelling of a real man’s pacifism in action.
“Hacksaw Ridge” is quite possibly the best war movie that’s been released in a long time. The acting is highly motivated, the directing is phenomenal, and the story will leave you in tears. I recommend “Hacksaw Ridge” to anyone who wants to be inspired by a powerful film and can stomach the graphic violence.