Hacksaw Ridge is the new movie by the director of Braveheart and Passion of the Christ. Shhhh… that means Mel Gibson who is still, in some respects, in Hollywood Jail (though just getting this movie released theatrically means maybe not for too long). This movie is the true (apparently) story of a conscientious objector / 7th Day Adventist who will not pick up a gun much less shoot anyone who volunteers during WW2 because he can’t sit back and let other brave men volunteer in his place. His goal is to be a medic and, after a bunch of problems with that during basic training, earns the right to charge into hellfire without a weapon. He then proceeds to rescue around 75 soldiers (which may or may not include some Japanese soldiers he pulled off the battlefield but managed to die).
All of this you get from the trailers and, honestly, the whole darn movie is in the trailer except for some of his childhood and the level of gore. Because, wow, this movie has battlefield violence on lock. Do not go see this movie if you don’t want extensive and extended sequences of WW2 blood and guts. This came as a bit of a surprise for a movie that’s about pacifism… though maybe it shouldn’t since Mel Gibson loves him some carnage in his flicks.
But there you have it – a movie that doesn’t just honor but worships the courage and convictions of the main character while also ruthlessly showing people getting their heads shot through, legs blown off, bloody wounds, guts, and the like. I was surprised by this choice because the battle scenes went on and on and on – but the longer it went, the more I analyzed it and decided it wasn’t trying to glorify the gore but reminds us that war is hell. But, as a movie, it still felt a little like, “Yeah! WAR! That’s why you came to this movie, right?” Hmmm.
But, yeah, the point is to show the extreme carnage of a WW2 battlefield and what courage the main character had to rush out into that mess unarmed and rescue people. It also wants us to respect and honor, at the same time, the soldiers who did go up the wall (Hacksaw Ridge) with their weapons and fought to the bloody death (maybe less so the Japanese soldiers).
It’s first third or so is this guy’s life, showing an early incident that affirmed his decision to not kill. It’s about his dad, a WW1 vet who lost all his friends and is now an angry, abusive drunk (played curiously by Hugo Weaving). It’s about his romance and marriage to a nurse in the States. it’s about basic training, a section 8 review, and a court martial. Some of this is better than others and Andrew Garfield (as the lead) has a possibly over-the-top gee shucks innocence and amusement about it all. Vince Vaughn plays his drill sergeant and I didn’t buy him at all… he kept on making me wish R. Lee Ermey from Full Metal Jacket was playing the part.
This is a good movie but I personally couldn’t get into it. I’m not sure what didn’t work for me – maybe it was being too manipulative and too schmaltzy in the way it over-sanctifies the lead. Or maybe the discordant battle scenes bugged me too much for too long.. But I suspect most people won’t put that much over-analysis on it and just go with a thrilling action movie with a strong moral message of having the courage of one’s convictions. Certainly the reviews are far more positive than mine.
Score: 82