Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Review

139min

Genre:       Fact-based, Drama, War

Director:    Mel Gibson

Cast:         Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Teresa Palmer…more

Writers:     Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight

-Synopsis-

Mel Gibson returns to the director’s chair after a 10 year absence for a biographical drama about Desmond Doss; a World War II hero, Seventh-day Adventist and combat medic who refused to carry a weapon or kill, only to become the first conscientious objector in U.S. Army history to be awarded the ‘Medal of Honor’.

After a spectacular fall-from-grace thanks to controversial personal ‘indiscretions’ and an unforgiving modern mass media, which virtually made him persona non grata in tinseltown, director Mel Gibson completes his return to the mainstream Hollywood fray with a powerful and intense dramatisation of an extraordinary true story, a unique take on the ubiquitous World War II drama and a meditation on faith and conviction which clearly reflects those of its singular director.

Having almost concurrently showcased his talents for historically-grounded religious drama, albeit of the more subtle variety in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’, Andrew Garfield throws himself into the hellfire of war and stars as Desmond Doss; a humble and devout young Christian from Virginia who enlisted in the US Army as a conscientious objector, with the goal of serving as a medic but refusing to even touch a weapon, only to be marginalised by his commanding officers and branded a coward by fellow soldiers. But the true character of the man is revealed and a hero born in the horrific trials of combat, as Doss leaned on his convictions to perform near miraculous acts of bravery while saving multiple lives on the blood-soaked ground of 1945 Okinawa.

‘Hacksaw Ridge’ is essentially a fairly traditional biopic but combines elements of a character drama and love story with a gritty and unforgiving war picture, packaged in an American true story that’s shot in Australia and brought to life by an Aussie-American production with a multinational cast & crew. Gibson reverts to his cinematic roots down under and employs a supporting cast of almost entirely Australian actors, from Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths as Doss‘ parents to Teresa Palmer as his true love, plus Sam Worthington as the unit’s commanding officer and Luke Bracey as the antagonistic fellow soldier. In fact Vince Vaughn is the only recognisable American actor of the piece as the obligatory tough drill sergeant, but they’re all more than convincing enough as good ole’ all-Americans.

It’s easy to see why the devout Gibson would be attracted to this story of deep faith in the most extraordinary of circumstances, the tale of a maverick with strong beliefs who turned the other cheek in the face of violence, relying on deeply held convictions to see him through suffering for the sake of others. Not only does the story of Desmond Doss have fitting parallels with that of Christ himself, but something tells us that the film’s director would find parallels with his own.

This is also a prime opportunity for Gibson to display his comfort with the brutality of life and showcase the talents he has for expertly framing gripping, visceral and dynamic action sequences while dropping the audience straight into them, as we’ve seen in the past with 2006’s ‘Apocalypto’ and the game-changing battle scenes in ‘Braveheart’. True to form, the action in ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ is more brutal and graphic than we’ve seen in a World War II film to date, but appropriate for its context and the culture in which we now live.

No doubt ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ is a fascinating true story told with real flair, and like he did with historical accuracy in ‘Braveheart’ Gibson takes plenty of dramatic license here and sprinkles some Hollywood fairy dust throughout, particularly in the battle scenes and when framing the ‘hero’ sequences. At times it takes the film dangerously close the line of historical-drama good taste, particularly with the overdramatic score, but the director’s experience just about keeps things balanced as he displays his mastery of extracting emotion from the audience while helping us forge a deep connection with our hero… before putting him through the wringer.

The film’s narrative moves between the early life hometown experiences which formed Doss’ unique character, to a slightly unconvincing romance with his intended and a familiar rough military ‘boot camp’ experience. The screenwriters do their best at this point to flesh out a whole host of Desmond’s ‘brothers in arms’, with limited success, but this isn’t an ensemble piece like ‘Saving Private Ryan’, nor does it have the time or luxury of building multiple character dynamics and relations like ‘Band of Brothers’, not to mention the lack of balance with which it depicts the Japanese. But ultimately the gruelling war scenes are the meat & potatoes of ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ and this is the story of the singular Desmond Doss… and what a story it is.

Mel Gibson’s first directorial effort in a decade is no doubt a tale told from a deeply religious perspective, but the spectre of Christianity is never overbearing or too preachy, with ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ amounting to a meditation on the power of faith and the near miraculous inner strength which deeply held conviction can bring… with a real world application. We marvel at this positive example but can’t forget its flipside, of the many horrors committed by people with absolute belief and conviction throughout history. The only real question for us is whether  Desmond Doss’s faith really made him the man he was, or was just a catalyst to unlocking an extraordinary character already within him.

The Bottom Line…

Although it’s told from a distinct and narrow perspective, and is perhaps sprinkled with a little too much Hollywood magic dust at times, ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ benefits from a true story so extraordinary and a director so adept at evoking emotion and depicting conflict that it makes this an engrossing and entertaining experience throughout. Andrew Garfield’s accomplished performance manages to dramatically bring to life the character of a remarkable individual, while Mel Gibson’s directorial ‘resurrection’ amounts to his unique way of expressing a non-violence message and a gripping study on the power of faith and conviction… which doesn’t hammer us over the head with religion too much.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

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