A remarkable person and this film did him and his incredible story justice!

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2017)

I put off watching this film for so long!
I ignored friends and reviews when they were all raving about it, telling me to give it a chance but me being me, thought I knew better.
I predicted another generic WWII film, with tired battle sequences and little focus on story or character development, and when I saw Mel Gibson was directing it? Well that was the icing on the cake!
Guys I was so wrong, this film is completely inspiring and moved me in a way that I hadn't been moved in a long time. (Bearing in mind I saw this before I saw Logan)
The film itself is based on true events involving the life of Desmond Doss – a name I was unfamiliar with before I saw this.
Our hero enlists into the army during WW2, but his own religious beliefs restrict him from committing murder, which kinda sucks if you're strolling out onto the battlefield.
You can imagine that this isn't the greatest news the US army want to hear, but try as they might, Doss sticks around and off he trots to fight for his country.
As I always strive to steer clear of spoilers, I'm going to leave out all the juicy details, but Desmond really is an unlikely hero who proves his peers wrong throughout the film and teaches us all a thing or two about sticking to your guns (pun intended) and not turning your back on what you believe, even if 'the man' tells you to.
I really loved the way the film builds a back story for our main character and makes us really understand why he feels how he feels.
My only criticism is the rushed love story at the beginning of the film. It shows us how he met his future baby mama and their budding romance pre-war.
Although it did pay a role in how the following events unfolded, I didn't really feeeel it – it felt a little lacklustre and a whole lotta cringe.
Those few scenes aside, this is an exceptional film that depicts perfectly the fear and bravery that those army folk displayed.
It also was a nice reminder that we may only be one but we have the ability to effect the lives of many – yay humans!
Something else worth mentioning is this isn't for the light hearted, if you're not into blood, gore and a whole lot of limb dismemberment then beware!
I am not easily squeamish but boy oh boy this had me 'eeeking' a fair few times.
Moving swiftly onto the rating, it's a strong 8/10 from me, VERY nearly a 9/10.
When I finished the movie I immediately went home and read up a little more about Desmond doss himself and he was a remarkable person and this film did him and his incredible story justice!