Hacksaw Ridge

When I saw Mel Gibson's name on this movie, I was skeptical. This was first directorial job in ten years and as for myself, I have only seen "Braveheart". I am aware of his past mistakes in his private life and while we shouldn't forget that he made those mistakes, we can still support him in his other endeavors as long as they are honorable. I heard about how "Hacksaw Ridge" got a ten-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and that may be a turning point in Gibson's career. My opinion is that the film has an amazing story and the filmmakers wanted to have that as the focus. Remember though that this is a Gibson film so the level of violence as well as its glorified depiction should be expected.

The movie reminds us that for those who fought in World War I, they had no idea what they were in for. When World War II came around, those who enlisted knew what their fathers went through but that didn't make their first battles any easier. I enjoyed the religious angle of this movie. My personal belief is that murder is wrong and war should only be fought when freedom is at stake. If I had to go to war, I would do whatever I could to make the biggest difference (even if that meant fighting with weapons). I do not think it is right however to force your religious convictions on another. Desmond wants to serve as a medic in the battlefield and to do so without a gun may be unthinkable but he had something to prove. He did just that and this film exists to tell that story. Sergeant Howell and Captain Glover at first try to scare Desmond out of serving. When that doesn't work, they put aside the usual sternness and try to reason with him. It is a powerful scene when Howell for example realizes that Desmond has been beat up and still won't quit. Desmond won't even name those who hurt him. He begins to earn the respect of those around him so their motives appear to change. They go from seeing him as a coward to not wanting to see him die or have his beliefs jeopardize anyone. The latter part of the movie is quite powerful and part of the reason for that is what was established previous to the war scenes. One of my favourite scenes on Okinawa is when Desmond treats the wounded Japanese soldier. When Desmond finally touches a gun, it happens so fast we don't even realize the magnitude of the moment. I love how Desmond does so though without contradicting his beliefs. The biggest flaw I saw in the story of this movie is that we don't get to see Desmond reunited with his wife following the war. We get to see the real Desmond Doss and his wife Dorothy in archival footage but that isn't the same for me. We need resolution in the fictional universe as well. Speaking of the archival footage at the end of the movie, they way it was presented made the very end of the movie so powerful.

As good as the story of this film was, I feel I would have liked it even better if another director had made it. This has nothing to do with Gibson's controversial actions in real life. I just don't agree of his depiction of violence. First of all, today's audience are used to a realistic depiction of war. This kind of portrayal of WWII in "Hacksaw Ridge" feels more in common with the war movies prior to "Saving Private Ryan". While we have seen legs and arms missing in war movies before as well as guts blown out, Gibson seems to glorify the violence. I prefer the straightforward realistic approach we have seen courtesy of Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood. The one part where an American solider pick up half a man to use as a shield as he ran towards the enemy shooting seemed too exaggerated. The reason why I like "Braveheart" a lot more despite its similar portrayal of violence is because the medieval setting is so far in the past that we can suspend our disbelief. World War II has archival footage and pictures that contrast what Gibson presents to us. That being said, I went into this movie expecting this kind of portrayal of WWII. The editor of this film, John Gilbert, edited "The Fellowship of the Ring" by the way and he won his first Academy Award for his work on "Hacksaw Ridge". I like the casting of the movie. Andrew Garfield is starting to become a versatile actor and his Oscar nomination for this movie proves it. We have seen him change the Internet as well as wear a superhero suit but this is far more dramatic and intense than either of those roles. Vince Vaughn has had this kind of role before in "Rudy" and I liked him in "Hacksaw Ridge". Sam Worthington was perfectly cast and I enjoyed Hugo Weaving as well.

I was happy to see that "Hacksaw Ridge" was dedicated to two famous filmmakers: James Horner and Andrew Lesnie. Horner wrote the musical score for three of Mel Gibson's previous directorial films, including the amazing score for "Braveheart". Lesnie, a director of photography, worked on every Peter Jackson Middle-Earth movie (winning an Oscar for 'The Fellowship of the Ring"). When you ignore the mistakes Mel Gibson made in his personal life (which can be hard to do), he is a decent choice because of his experience and his religious ideals. I like how the use of swearing is limited because it proves you can make a good war movie without swear words. It may seem weird to have me praising him and criticizing him all at once but we all have strengthens and weaknesses. Many critics seem to be letting go of Gibson's past and I don't mind that. Over time, Gibson may be able earn back what he lost and we should be willing to forgive him if that happens. It is one thing to remember what someone did but we shouldn't hold that against him for the rest of his life. Then we become the bad guy. This movie and Gibson's nomination at the Oscars for Best Director gives me hope for his comeback. Other nominations I haven't already mentioned include Best Picture and Best Sound Editing. Usually a war movie can easily win the Oscar for Sound Mixing and such was the case with "Hacksaw Ridge", bringing the total Academy Awards wins to two. It took a long time to get this film made because the real Desmond Doss didn't want the film to inaccurately portray him or the war. It appears that "Hacksaw Ridge" is historically accurate as per the request of the real life man but it's too bad they couldn't cover his time in the Battle of Leyte. I lived in Leyte, Philippines for two years and so for sentimental reasons, I would have liked to see that. By the way, Desmond Doss earned two bronze stars from his service in Leyte. Of course some historical licensing was taken because Desmond's heroics on Okinawa occurred over the course of three weeks instead of three days. I may prefer a more realistic depiction of violence but the story of this movie was given the attention it needed so that satisfies me.

4 Stars