The sheer number of stories bred by something as world
changing as a war is staggering. I consider myself something of a World War II
history buff, logging more hours then I care to admit plopped down in front of
the history channel (when it’s not showing a cheap reality show), yet I keep
finding stories that are completely new to me, major stories that merit the
cinematic treatment. Hacksaw Ridge
stars Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss, an army medic who enlisted as a
conscientious objector, wanting to do his part by saving lives and not taking
them. Doss’s bravery is highlighted not just on the battlefield but on the
homefront before touching foot on foreign soil. Doss, due to both his belief system
(he was a seventh day adventist) and a childhood trauma, is not just a
conscientious objector but also refuses to even hold a weapon. The men in his
unit view this as a severe liability so it’s not long until this stance leads
to circumstances that land him in a court martial hearing. His right to serve
upheld Doss is shipped out with his unit to fight the Japanese in the Pacific
theater at Okinawa. In the thick of the fighting the GI’s are pushed back and
forced to retreat down hacksaw ridge, a 100 foot cliff face, leaving Doss alone
with countless wounded soldiers and the advancing Japanese army. 
Almost every war film is, at it’s core, is about a soldier
or group of soldiers who have to overcome insurmountable odds to survive by
killing their way to safety. Why then did it take so long for this unique and
unbelievably inspiring story to make its way to the big screen? Well, it wasn’t
for lack of trying. For decades’ countless producers and even Audie Murphy, the
most decorated soldier of World War II (the character of Frederick Zoller in Inglourious Basterds is a Nazi version
of Murphy), have been trying to get the film made, running into one issue after
another. Finally, the stars aligned when producer Bill Mechanic was able to
finally persuade Mel Gibson to take on directing duties. The result is just
short of amazing. Gibson, for all of his flaws, is one hell of a director.
While you could shoehorn him into a talent for filming violence his touch
extends well beyond the battle scenes. The film really exists in two parts,
Doss’s fight on US soil to be allowed to serve in his way and Doss’s fight on
the battlefield to save the lives of the men under his care. Gibson perfectly
captures the atmosphere around Doss in basic training as he weather’s both
physical and mental beatings from his fellow soldiers as they try to push him
out. Gibson’s able to make his time in basic training appear as the largest
test of self for Doss and that makes all of the difference in the world. The
film illustrates the iron clad integrity possessed by Doss and mental bravery
that was required to face down his commanding officers to do what he thought
was right. This section of the story could have been easily glossed over in
favor of more battlefield screen time but to do so would have been a disservice
to the man and his story. That being said the battle scenes shot by Gibson are
among the best WWII battle scenes I’ve seen, he perfectly captures the absolute
chaos and does something I haven’t seen many do…he shows the truth (or so I’ve
heard) of war by rarely showing the Japanese soldiers in the major parts of the
battle, instead showing only indiscriminate muzzle flashes, usually through
clouds of dust. Hollywood has built this image of soldiers zeroing in on the
enemy and picking each other off with a high level of individual intention. The
truth is most soldiers spend battles firing into a general direction not
knowing exactly what or who they are hitting. Seeing this just adds to the
tension and fear, the absolute uncertainty that is a firefight, the feeling
that anyone can go at any moment and they won’t even know where it’s coming
from. 
Andrew Garfield, who plays Desmond Doss, has long been a
favorite of mine. Needless to say, I wish I could say his performance was
flawless but there is one major problem keeping me from that. During the scenes
where he was attempting to really lay on that humble country boy charm, he
ended up with something more akin to Forrest Gump than southern gentleman. I
was afraid during the first 20 minutes or so that this would overtake his
performance and the film but thankfully it was kept to a minimum. Vince Vaughn is
wonderfully cast as Sergeant Howell giving the frat pack actor a chance to get
back into a dramatic role without thoroughly giving up his comic edge. As you
can imagine with a film like this it is not exactly full of laughs but the
scenes of Vaughn dressing down his platoon in their barracks are downright
hilarious. 
The only thing I took issue with in the film was the
romantic storyline. This really pains me to say as Doss’s girlfriend turned
wife is played by Teresa Palmer, an actress who is severely undervalued in
Hollywood. It’s not an issue with chemistry or performance, it really just boils
down to the angle having no real effect on the overall story. They could have
easily shaved 20 minutes on-screen by keeping to the father/son relationship
per-war.
While I don’t feel that Hacksaw
Ridge has that “classic war movie” feel I do think it’s a great film and
easily the best war film we’ve had in the last 5 years. A film that manages to
play equal parts inspiration, action, and emotion I would find it hard to
believe anyone could leave the theater disappointed. The only real caveat is
for those sensitive to violence as the battle scenes do reach Saving Private Ryan levels of brutality,
but if you aren’t a fan of violence I don’t think you’ll be lining up for the
movie anyway.
4 out of 5 Guttenbergs
As a quick side note. I can’t help but to mention how funny
I found it that they wouldn’t even mention Mel Gibson’s name in the marketing
for this film. They used his achievements just not his name by saying “From the
director of Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ” (see the title poster in
this review). Guess he hasn’t been forgiven quite yet!
