Mel Gibson makes his triumphant return after a decade long hiatus!

Rating: 9/10 (7 November 2016)

With Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson tells us the untold story of Desmond Doss, a "conscientious collaborator" who fought as a soldier at the battle of Okinawa during WWII without ever touching a rifle. Functioning as a medic and motivated by his strong belief in Christianity, he saved the lives of over 75 people during the battle for Hacksaw Ridge.
The whole movie is carried by Andrew Garfield's performance and he doesn't disappoint, as he gives the best performance of his career in Hacksaw Ridge. He brings us a soft spoken, earnest and strong willed Desmond and the actor gives his all throughout the movie, both emotionally and physically. Theresa Palmer has delightful chemistry with Garfield as his love interest and gives the courtship scenes a charming old-fashioned feel. We also get excellent performances from surprising supporting actors, such as Vince Vaughn. The usually comedic actor gives an effective dramatic performance as a drill instructor and infuses his witty humor during the boot camp scenes. Sam Worthington also gives a surprisingly good performance as Doss' cynical superior officer. Both these actors aren't specifically known for their acting prowess, but both do their characters justice in this movie. The standout supporting actor was Hugo Weaving, as Desmond's father who is a veteran-turned-angry drunk. Weaving gives the man an intense and vicious persona, and with little small tics, makes you believe the man has been through immense pain and loss.
However, the real star of the movie is Mel Gibson. He may have been under extreme scrutiny for the past decade for his personal behavior, but the man knows how to direct a film. He truly wants to do Desmond's story justice and gives us a look into his upbringing, which led to his strong beliefs and principles. Eventually, this makes his determined moral decision-making more convincing, which is the result of great storytelling from the director. The whole movie is competently written and paced, but its flow does halt a bit during the courtroom scene. Here, Desmond has to appear in front of a military court to defend his actions during boot camp, and I found it to be rather clunky and abruptly slow compared to the rest of the film. Yet, when Garfield's monologue starts afterwards, I'm right back into the movie and completely invested into this character. This builds up to the eventual battle scenes in Okinawa and where the movie really separates itself from any movie I've seen before.
The incredible sound editing and production design really make you feel like you're in a war zone! Loud explosions, combined with gory images, makes it feel like hell. Gibson films these battle scenes exquisitely, with quick and crisp editing, making you feel anxious and chaotic, without ever being confused about what's happening. The camera-work by Simon Duggon is equally impressive, giving us horrifying, as well as, awe-inspiring imagery on the battlefield. Some reviewers have been highly critical of the excessive use of gore, but I'm inclined to say that it was effectively used to convey the terrors of war. Eventually, this makes Desmond's acts even more heroic and remarkable during such distressing times.
The score by Rupert Gregson-Williams is terrific, varying between nerve-wracking tones during the quiet pauses between battles, then turning to a beautiful heroic melody for our main character. As for any qualms, I'd have loved to see a bit more of Theresa Palmer's character near the end of the film. Also, one particular scene shows Doss being lowered down from a stretcher with a Bible in his hand, which Gibson decides to shoot in such a Messiah-like way, that it felt like rather overkill in pushing a religious theme onto his audience.
All in all, Hacksaw Ridge is a sublime war film and shows that Gibson has not lost his touch in filmmaking. He delivers us excellent storytelling and terrific acting performances from his cast, making Hacksaw Ridge a must-see this year. Afterwards, when you see the real-life footage and realize that this was a real man's story, it will leave you speechless.