It is easy to get lost in a film. Even though we’re usually sitting in a dark room with half a dozen or so people we’ve probably have never met, the images being flashed in front of our faces often have the ability to transcend what we know and what we’ve felt in order to create something that is truly unique.
“Hacksaw Ridge,” the new film from Mel Gibson, is able to do just that... and it's one of the best of the year. The movie starring Andrew Garfield, follows Desmond Doss (of Lynchburg, Va.), as he enlists in the military to fight in Japan during World War II. Doss, as a devout Christian, objects to the use of weapons and only wishes to act as a field medic, which creates the primary conflict present in the film’s first half.
The movie, drawing inspiration from genre defining war films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Full Metal Jacket,” definitely feels like two different movies. The first half finds Desmond in basic training, struggling to be accepted by the other cadets who constantly torment him for his conscientious objection to violence. A drill sergeant, an excellently out-of-character Vince Vaughn, attempts to break Desmond , which doesnt' seem to faze him.
It seems that the entire system is working against him, but it's truly inspiring to see such powerful strength of will, and Desmond’s determination to complete his training is only matched by his determination to survive and save others in the film’s titular battle.
The second half is total chaos. From the moment Doss’ battalion climbs Hacksaw Ridge, your eyes will be glued to the screen. The sights and sounds on display in front of you are chilling in their brutality, but also exciting and engulfing as they have executed by Gibson in such a way that feels like nothing you’ve ever seen before. For the last hour or so of the film, you aren’t in a theater; you are on Hacksaw Ridge with Desmond, and you’re afraid for everyone you see.
While it may at first seem contradictory to display the carnage of war in such a fashion when the central conflict of the film is one of pacifism vs. violent human nature, seeing these awful things actually makes Desmond’s character that much more sympathetic. Where everyone else is so focused on taking life, Desmond is a source of light in such grim circumstances as he valiantly rescues the men that once put him down.
“Hacksaw Ridge” acts as proof that violence is not inherent in our human nature. Even when everyone around you is transfixed with causing others pain, it is people like Desmond, who hold life in such a high regard and have really made a difference
Adam: 4.5/5 Robert: 4/5 Average: 4.25/5
