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It’s been a long time since Mel Gibson directed a movie, with the 2006 movie Apocalypto marking his last effort behind the camera. He soon fell into his well-publicized troubles and became persona non grata in Hollywood, only able to take roles in tiny movies like The Beaver or villain roles that allowed the public to hate him. Now he’s behind the director's chair once more with the war film Hacksaw Ridge about a conscientious objector in World War II. Is the director of Braveheart back, or has he lost his touch while in the box? Let’s find out.
Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a young man from Virginia who signed up to fight in World War II. He earns the scorn of his commanding officer and his fellow soldiers when he reveals that he is a conscientious objector, unable to fire a gun due to his strong anti-violence beliefs as a Seventh-Day Adventist. The film explores a variety of aspects of Doss’ life, from his relationship to his trouble World War I veteran father (Hugo Weaving) to his marriage to Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer) to his involvement as a medic in the Battle of Okinawa against the Japanese that puts his faith and endurance to the test. It’s a lot of ground to cover, but the good news is that it all works well and has a big impact.
One of the most impressive things about this film is that Mel Gibson doesn’t smack the audience over the head with the theme of faith. Doss’ religious beliefs are discussed a lot, particularly in the first half, but you never feel like Gibson is trying to convert the audience to them. They’re simply a part of this incredible story, and they make Doss’ character engaging and relatable. When he’s not fighting for his constitutional rights in front of a military tribunal he’s having his views tested on the battlefield, where he finally confronts the horrors of a war and an enemy that will kill him and his fellow soldiers without hesitation. Despite focusing primarily on Desmond, the film also wisely gives the other soldiers and military officials the chance to explain their views, making things balanced and giving their actions towards Desmond much more weight. After all, these are men literally rushing into hell, so you can see how they might not want to have someone unwilling to fight by their side. However, I won't deny that there is a certain pleasure to seeing these characters all realizing how wrong they were about him, and coming to respect him.
The performances are great across the board, with even the smallest supporting players adding a lot of power to their characters. Each of the named soldiers (there are quite a few of them, so I won't name them all) are all given just enough that when the war scenes begin and they bite the dust, you really care about them and feel their loss. Hugo Weaving is great as Doss’ father, with his drunken rages blunted by the fear and regret so clearly evident in his eyes, making the few scenes he has carry a lot of weight. Teresa Palmer also gives Dorothy a lot of charm and humor during the early scenes where Desmond courts her, and then she is given a powerful moment where she tries to convince him to simply give up and leave the military. Surprisingly, Vince Vaughn also gives a great dramatic turn as Sergeant Howell, perfectly giving him a layer of anger and contempt for Doss while also showing that deep down he does care for his men. However, the person who deserves the most praise here is Andrew Garfield, who takes what should be a cheesily sanctimonious, holier-than-thou character and turns him into a fully-realized young man who is a hero in every sense of the word. We see Doss grow from the nerdy, awkward kid in the beginning to a man who literally runs into a hail of fire to save lives, and it all sells thanks to his performance. It’s easily the best performance he’s ever given, and I’d love to see him get some awards recognition for it.
The real star of this movie, though, is Mel Gibson, who once again proves that he is a truly great talent behind the camera. Not only is his work with the actors great, but Gibson’s direction (primarily his work with cinematographer Simon Duggan) was truly breathtaking at points. Starting out in the bright, colorful Blue Ridge Mountains, the film takes a dramatic shift in color and tone through boot camp and then to the dark and oppressive grays of Okinawa, which is heralded by a shot that starts at the bottom of the desaturated but beautiful hill and rises up to show the nightmare of a battlefield they're walking into. However, once the war scenes begin the true mastery reveals itself, as Gibson creates a battle sequence that easily rivals Saving Private Ryan’s D-Day landing. The sheer brutality of the war smacks you in the face every chance it gets, but it never feels gratuitous because this is what it’s been building to the whole time. The horrors of war are alluded to during the boot camp sequences, so when they come up we know what we’re in for, even if the blood and gore do make one cringe more than a few times. Gibson shows that despite all the time away he hasn’t lost his strength as a director and makes me excited for his next project, whatever that may be. Plus, he manages to wrangle good performances out of notoriously sub-par actors Sam Worthington and Luke Bracey, which is no small feat!
I don’t have many complaints about this movie, but there are some structural issues I have. As much as I like Teresa Palmer and the rest of Doss’ family, they aren’t really given much to do in the film, with only Hugo Weaving’s Thomas having any real impact on Desmond. There was a potentially powerful storyline with Desmond’s brother Hal (Nathaniel Buzolic), who is the first of the Doss’ to enlist, but he disappears after little more than a few minutes of screen time. Another issue I had comes after Doss’ night of heroism, where the remaining battle is resolved in a relatively quick montage, which slightly robs it of all the energy and power it could’ve had. These issues aren’t enough to break the film or even rob it of major points, they are just issues that stick out amongst the truly great parts.
In the YMMV category, if you are at all squeamish about blood do not watch this movie. There is a hospital scene early on that's bloody as all get out and made me squirm, but that was the least of the gore scenes in this film. Also, those that might be hoping for a good, thorough analysis and fair treatment of the Japanese will be disappointed. This is not Letters From Iwo Jima, folks, it is a straightforward war movie that doesn't waver from its focus on the Americans. In fact, I feel like Gibson was inspired by Lord of the Rings in certain scenes with the Japanese involved because there is one shot where hundreds of them storm the entrenched Americans at Hacksaw Ridge and it looks just like an orc charge from one of those films (orcs replaced by the Japanese, of course). I don't necessarily have an issue with that because the film already firmly establishes its focus by then, but I feel like some might.
Desmond Doss’ story is a fascinating one that everyone should know, the tale of a young man with a huge heart and deep faith that went on to save dozens of lives without regard to his own safety. It also provides a welcome return to form for Mel Gibson, offering him a redemption of sorts in the same way Doss is redeemed by his own faith. The conflict between serene peace and brutal rage can easily be seen as a representation of the struggle within Gibson himself, but even on the surface it’s just a great war film that will be remembered as one of the best of the year. Seriously, you haven’t seen a film this intense since Spielberg put his own spin on World War II, and you owe it to yourself to see it ASAP.
My Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Hacksaw Ridge is in theaters now.
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