Hacksaw Ridge

War movies based on true stories can typically leave a great impact through factors such as a compelling background of the event taking place, well developed characters to get attached to, and intense warfare action to feel nervous about the lives involved. When I think of those type of war movies that follow this example, my mind goes straight to Saving Private Ryan. I have seen other war movies alongside that but most of those have been of the fictional kind such as Lord of the Rings. When I saw the trailer to Hacksaw Ridge, it offered a unique look at war from a different point of view. In addition to that, Mel Gibson is the director of this biographical war movie. Even though I haven't seen any of his old war movies in the past, what I did know was how ultra violent it would get. It captured my interest not only through that but also that Andrew Garfield was in the lead role, which I was excited about from the movies I have seen him perform well in such as The Social Network and The Amazing Spiderman 1 and 2. So I entered the theater with an open mind to see how this rated R biographical war movie would impact me and after I came out of the theater from watching it, I was reminded of two things: I enjoy watching great meaningful war movies and that I can feel emotions.

Plot: Hacksaw Ridge is based on the true story of Desmond Doss, a American pacifist combat medic who saved 75 lives in World War II without firing a single bullet. It follows Doss's journey by exploring aspects of his life from his childhood upbringings to enlisting in the Army to help out against the enemy. The story explores his pacifist nature coming into conflict with the views of his fellow soldiers as he tries to earn their respect despite his insistence on him not using any weapons based on his religious views. The plot does a great job a balance of Doss's struggle with the Army's policy's on weapons and showcasing the horrors that are enveloped in WWII warfare. It shows the strength of character he possessed in doing his duty despite the doubt his fellow soldiers expressed on him. I can't go into anymore much detail without spoiling more of the story but overall the balance of development of Desmond Doss and his demonstrated acts of courage throughout the story make this worth the watch.

Characters: The key characters to focus on Hacksaw Ridge are Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), Sergeant Howell (Vincent Vaughn), Tom Doss (Hugo Weaving), and Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer). Desmond Doss is the main focus of this biographical movie and Andrew Garfield proved why he was a perfect fit for this role. Garfield provided a balancing act for who Doss is through the charming well-meaning guy he is to the people in his life who matter such as his family and loved ones. Doss is determined to prove himself to the Army, despite the gun requirements involved. Garfield becomes that role every time he's on screen, a pacifist willing to prove he's not a coward in both the facing dangers of the battlefield and the lives of his fellow soldiers depending on his support. Tom Doss, Desmond's father, is a veteran from WWI and suffers from alcoholism leading to a troubled childhood for Desmond. Weaving works wonders as a troubled father who fears for his sons lives as they enlist in the army since he has already lost his own fellow soldiers to the terrors of war. The screen time he's given allows Hugo Weaving to utilize his performance to his best as portraying an alcoholic veteran living his family life while the deaths of his soldiers haunt him. Sergeant Howell, whose command Desmond is placed under, has a balance of humor and seriousness Vince Vaughn demonstrates throughout the movie. Vaughn gave a surprisingly powerful showing of what he can be capable given such a role. He takes every opportunity of his scenes in showcasing his talents in this sergeant who wants to bring out the courage of soldiers who want to fight for their country while taking longer to trust Desmond due to his pacifist beliefs and his somewhat light-hearted nature on the first day. Dorothy Schutte is a nurse Demond meets and builds a relationship with. Teresa Palmer gives an engaging performance as a nurse and love interest in supporting him. Don't expect a big portion of the movie on their relationship. There's an appropriate amount of screen time on it and the chemistry between Palmer and Garfield is reminiscent of that between Garfield and Emma Stone from The Amazing Spider-Man. It brings a compelling emotional side to building up the life Desmond Doss strives to return to after his service as an army medic. Overall the casting to Hacksaw Ridge couldn't have been any better without the actors chosen for these roles as their presence deserves to be seen.

Action: Once the build up with Desmond Doss and the stakes at hand have settled through, it's time for the warfare to settle in. Witnessing it in its entirety is like watching a horror movie play out. The realism portrayed on the battlefield almost matches that of Saving Private Ryan. The environment is used brilliantly in terms of the corpses spread throughout as the battles rages on as well as the smoke to bring the audience guessing as to what is happening next. It doesn't hold back on the brutality of the situation at hand as Doss and the other medics sweeps throughout the bullets firing as well as the explosions to rescue as many wounded soldiers as they can. There's nothing more to say as this is a sequence to witness, assuming you have no issue with blood and guts. Overall Hacksaw Ridge brings brutal realism to its warfare, enticing fear for the US soldiers engaged in the battle.

Overall Consensus: Hacksaw Ridge is a war movie that impacts the audience through great development of the main character, his courage, and the gritty scary realism of war. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2 🍿

Reasons to go watch it: You enjoy watching compelling biographical war movies. You enjoy watching the performances of Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Vince Vaughn, and/or Hugo Weaving.  You want a balance of humor and seriousness in a war movie. You don't mind brutal warfare action resulting in blood loss and guts. You want to watch a movie with an anti-war theme. You want to see action with intense scary moments involved. You like watching movies that take place in WWII. You want to watch a movie that can remind you that you can feel emotions.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't in the mood for biographical war movies. You aren't interested in or are turned off by the actors involved. You are very sensitive to blood and guts. You don't like movies that take place in WWII.