One of the Greatest War Movies of all time!

Rating: 10/10 (30 January 2017)

Cinema has always been defined by the war films. Whether it'd be World War I, World War II, Vietnam, or even more modern battles, the war film has always ruled the academy awards. Several war films, such as: Patton, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and the Hurt Locker have all won best picture. Hacksaw Ridge is promising to continue that trend with an amazing movie that can absolutely win the best picture award.
Some of the greatest war films are: Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypse Now, Platoon, The Hurt Locker, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Fury. Hacksaw Ridge has easily supplanted itself into that list. Mel Gibson gives us an amazing experience that is almost on par with his previous work, Braveheart.
The story of Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of Desmond T. Doss. Like most young men of the early 1940s, he wants to volunteer to serve his country in the now escalating World War II. However, due to his religious beliefs, Doss cannot touch a gun. Because of this, he is immediately deemed a coward, and is treated with great prejudice. However, thanks to the efforts of his father, Doss is allowed to go into battle without a single weapon to protect himself. Doss is sent to Okinawa, and he is forced to save as many as he can without a weapon. The story of Hacksaw Ridge is basically divided into two halves, with the first half being about his life, dealing with his adversity while also simultaneously finding the love of his life. The second half of the film is Doss on the front lines of the battle, saving lives while his comrades try to achieve victory. The story is very well done and does not seem to be slow.
The performances in this film are some of the best in any war film. Andrew Garfield gives the performance of his life as Desmond T. Doss, and makes us truly want to cheer for him. Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington also give fantastic performances, and both give the audience some very memorable quotes. All the supporting characters are great, giving this film, in my opinion, a perfect cast.
One of the most memorizing aspects of this film is the brutal war scenes that take up the entire second half of the film. This film does not advertise war as great, it truly makes us believe that war is unbearable. The war scenes are brutal, violent, and amazingly shot. These are the most disturbing war scenes since the opening of Saving Private Ryan. Mel Gibson did a very commendable job at making these scenes both realistic and violent.
To sum up this review, Hacksaw Ridge, in my opinion, is the best movie of 2016. With a perfect cast, great story and fantastic cinematography, Hacksaw Ridge has supplanted itself as one of the greatest war movies of all time. In my opinion, on par with Saving Private Ryan and Platoon (which are my two favorite war movies). Hacksaw Ridge, absolutely gets a 10/10!!!