Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge

Starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Teresa Palmer

Directed by Mel Gibson

The Story:
In the Norman Rockwell-infused Virginia hill country, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a Seventh Day Adventist, grew up among a drunken former World War I soldier (Hugo Weaving) beating on him, his brother and his mother, and struggling to maintain his strong Christian beliefs.  When World War II began, he decided to enlist, but not to kill anyone, but rather save them as a medic.

In basic training, Doss is ridiculed and beaten by his fellow soldiers and Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) and Captain Glover (Sam Worthington), who want him to quit because he refuses to carry a weapon.  Still, despite facing a Court Marshall and prison time for insubordination, Doss held to his religious beliefs and was finally granted the ability to serve as a medic on the front lines - all without carrying a weapon.

When his platoon landed on Hacksaw Ridge, they come under heavy fire from the Japanese, and to everyone's surprise, he rescues over 75 fallen soldiers alone without a weapon by rappelling them down the cliff during the cover of night.  He became the first Conscientious Objector (to never carry a weapon) in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Synopsis:
Mel Gibson is as looney as they come, and often regarded as being anti-Semitic and a drunkard.  He hasn't had much success in front of the cameras for awhile, but when he's directing, it becomes a whole new thing.  With hits such as "Apocalypto" and "The Passion of the Christ," he shows his true prowess is behind the camera, rather than in front of it.

With his new film "Hacksaw Ridge," Gibson takes us to three totally different worlds.  In the first half of the film, we're greeted to picturesque Virginia in the 20s and 30s, a beautiful land filled with lush vegetation, homely citizens and a true sense of community.  However, not all is as beautiful as it seems, as we see the world through the eyes of naive Desmond Doss, who witnessed his drunken father beating on him, his brother and his mother.  Hugo Weaving excels here as a World War I vet suffering from PTSD the only way he knows how - and in a lot of parallels, the way Mel Gibson knows how - by the bottle.  His performance is somewhat different than most alcoholics in film, as he's not just seen as the ultimate bad guy, but a good guy who makes bad choices.  It's an interesting take, and more than likely due to Gibson's own public battle with booze.  Still, his actions shape Doss into the religious man he becomes, because after nearly killing his brother in an accident, he decides to never kill.

As Desmond grows up, he falls in love with nurse Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer, who doesn't have a lot to work with here other than appearing all doe-y eyed and sad most of the time), and decides to enlist to protect lives.  He doesn't want to be a coward and sit at home while others fight the battle for him, and even though his strong religious beliefs prohibit him from killing, he feels he can do good on the battlefield as a medic.  Thus ends the first world we see, and things descend gradually into the mouth of madness from here.

The next world is in the army barracks, where Doss is ridiculed for his religious beliefs.  Well, ridiculed, beaten, criticized, humiliated, nearly forced to quit and charged with insubordination.  While tempted to abandon his beliefs, he remains headstrong in his convictions and still refuses to carry a weapon.  It's during this time that the Biblical passage of Job 23:10 comes to life - "But he knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold."  He kept to his Christian beliefs and his God, and through those tests he came forth all the stronger in his resolve. 

It's during this half of the film we're introduced to Doss's fellow soldiers, who get just enough backstory that we'll care when they bite the dust.  This is where the film becomes a typical war movie, but it's still entertaining to get to know these men.  We also meet Sergeant Howell, which was brilliantly performed by Vince Vaughn.  Yes, "Wedding Crashers" Vince Vaughn.  I was surprised to see him in the trailer and wondered how he would tackle a serious role, but he did so with brilliance and a perfect blend of sarcastic humor and heart, as well as the traditional Sergeant gruff reminiscent of the classic R. Lee Ermey in "Full Metal Jacket."  I wouldn't be surprised if he's gifted come awards season with several Supporting Actor nominations, because he absolutely killed it.

So we're introduced to the peaceful world of Virginia and the strength-training world of army training, and now it's time to travel into the third world: hell on earth.  The film takes a complete 180 as the men are about to climb a huge cliff to Hacksaw Ridge, but before they do so a naval unit unleashes fire on the surface, turning the land into a fiery, smokey wasteland.  Then they climb the net and enter the lion's den, as all of a sudden bullets ring out, brains gets blown out, intestines litter the ground, and rats feast on the carcasses of fallen soldiers.  The most apt comparison is the opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan," and Mel Gibson really relishes in showing war in all its bloody violence.  It serves as a very stark contrast between Doss's religious beliefs and the real life hell he's facing, and it's totally unrelenting.  As his friends and fellow soldiers fall around him, Doss valiantly tries to rescue as many as he can.

When the soldiers become overrun, they escape, but Doss remains on the battlefield alone, searching for wounded soldiers under cover of night and bomb smoke.  He finds soldiers pleading for his help, and constructs a makeshift rappel system to carry them down the cliff to safety, all the while praying, "Lord, please help me get one more...Help me get one more."  This is the heart of the film, and showcases the heart of Doss himself - a man who was once beaten and ridiculed, now rescuing those who had beaten and ridiculed him.  He didn't care about his own life - since he had no gun, he had no protection - but rather he cared for the lives of others over his own.  Once again this exemplifies the Bible, as in John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."  

While religious films tend to shove God down our throats and make caricatures of their characters, Gibson more so subtly introduces religion to the film through the beliefs of Desmond Doss, and even though its the biggest impact of the story, it's not done in a way to force religion on the viewers or create Doss as a holier-than-thou coward.  Instead, it shows the world what a real Christian can be - loving, forgiving, putting others before themselves, serving others, and turning the other cheek.  This is something Christians today should model, and maybe the whole religion wouldn't be seen as a contradiction of itself.  

I've talked about the acting of Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer and Vince Vaughn, but I would be greatly remissed if I didn't focus on Andrew Garfield's impeccable turn to leading dramatic actor.  Best known for his role as Spider-Man in the "Amazing Spider-Man" reboot series, here he is given his meatiest role yet, and absolutely crushes it.  We buy into his "aw shucks" southern charm and we root for him because he is just an all around nice guy, a total embodiment of the real Desmond Doss.  He delivers a powerhouse performance worthy of recognition and praise, as he runs the entire gambit of emotions from start to finish, and does so in a truly humanistic way.  I've never been a huge fan of Garfield, but now I am thanks to his performance here.

Finally, the film ends with real-life interviews with Doss and some of his fellow soldiers and family, and it's as emotional as the end of "American Sniper," another excellent war film.  It's the bow on the gift audiences were greeted to with this harrowing true-life tale.

The Summary:
From start to finish, "Hacksaw Ridge" serves as a way to showcase the best in humanity in the most dire of situations, thanks to a top-notch cast, a very capable director and the real-life example of Desmond Doss. 

The Score: A+