Director: Mel Gibson
Release Date: 26th January 2017
Rating: 15 (UK), R (US)
The year's most talked about war epic, Hacksaw Ridge is a well-crafted biopic that Mel Gibson and cast should be proud of.
Based on the story of Corporal Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) - the first conscientious objector to receive a medal of honor in the United States Army - Hacksaw Ridge is in absolutely no way a war film that makes conflict on the battlefield appear to be fun. A great failing of plenty of Vietnam/World War II war films out there, showing the enemy to be on one side of the battlefield being trounced by the 'heroes' on the other. This movie does not partake in this convention, and portrays outright horror throughout.
The storyline is broken into three main sections; Desmonds' early life and young romance, Desmonds' attempts to get enlisted in the army with much difficulty, and the battalions' assault upon Hacksaw Ridge in Okinawa. As the film progresses, it improves in quality. The first section is the only part of the film I can particularly criticise - insert forced, eye-rolling romance with lukewarm performances by Garfield and Teresa Palmer: Desmonds' love interest, Dorothy.
What held the opening act together was the performance of Hugo Weaving, playing Tom Doss; Desmond's father. As a soldier in the Great War, Tom is absolutely opposed to his sons enlisting in the army, as he believes there is only death and destruction awaiting them if they were to fight in the army. Weaving is an excellent actor, and was cast very well in the role, presenting a broken man who lost those he loved through conflict.
When the movie reaches full swing and Desmond is training to serve in battle, the film becomes more dramatic and begins to flow more smoothly, and introduces a surprisingly well cast Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell, while appearing as the comic relief of the film, actually puts together a crisp execution of his character. It was difficult to keep track of the different soldiers in the company however, as only a couple of these characters were particularly memorable.
The best part of the film, the section which is truly Oscar worthy, is the assault upon the ridge. The direction is perfect; there is no hiding the brutality of the battlefield. As soon as the fight begins, there is no mercy as to what the viewer sees, there is no form of restraint on gore or cruelty at all, and the suspense and terror is kept consistent.
Garfield's performance improved incredibly when the second act came into play, and the well cast company including Captain Glover (Sam Worthington) made the movie worth watching to such a level that the earlier sections of the film that I found quite mundane were completely removed from my mind.
When the credits filled the screen, I found Hacksaw Ridge to be a touching yet vicious film which deserves all the credit it is getting. I could not recommend the movie more, although it is not for the faint-hearted.
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