Cheesy, Unquestionably Works

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2016)

You must give the movie a rating. No choice. Those little stars are the first thing everyone sees and for many the last. Today, that's not what I am worried about. My concern is I will look back, see all those pretty stars, and feel like a complete sucker.
Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of "conscientious cooperator" Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield). Doss felt compelled to follow his brother and countless others by serving in WWII, but his religious beliefs not only prevent him from killing, but even carrying arms. This causes friction within the 307th Infantry, where many believe his convictions violate the code that binds the unit. Doss remains indomitable despite persecution from all sides and is able to participate as a medic at the Battle of Okinawa.
This story breaks a popular war movie paradigm. Hacksaw Ridge defies the natural pro/con label, even refuting the classic argument that all war films glorify violence by making it exciting. Doss is a hero because he refuses to let the war happen to him. This transcendence inspires his comrades. Many people like to reject war heroes, but Doss aspires to a higher notion: that one must always remain truth to oneself. On a more mechanical note, Hacksaw Ridge is beautifully shot. The combat scenes feel like half the film, but they are always vivid, intense, and uncompromisingly graphic. It is a spectacular break from recent superhero action. I have grown tired of your Wolverines and ilk eviscerating countless nameless without an ounce of blood or consequence. Combat in Hacksaw Ridge might over utilize slow motion and overly dramatic scenarios, but it was never unexciting.
Hacksaw Ridge is going to earn some comparisons to classics like Apocalypse Now and Saving Private Ryan. This will be complete madness. Hacksaw Ridge, for all its qualities, is about as sophisticated and nuanced as American cheese on Ritz crackers. Desmond Doss is the Simple Man. A touch slow and awkward with women, but otherwise immaculate. Doss drops the smile once, when the army denies him a pass to attend his own wedding as an act of intimidation. Oh yeah, there is a female lead. She is blond, blue-eyed, and perfect. Their courtship is also perfect. The only grey character in the entire film is Doss' father (Hugo Weaving), but grey in a Hollywood way. He is a veteran of WWI who lost all his comrades and turned to drinking. Highly original. The unit itself is never really developed. There is one humorous scene when the crew first meet, but for the rest of the movie they are collective plot points. First they haze Doss, then they are won over, and finally they become the men he must save. The enemy are also surprisingly dehumanized in this increasingly politically correct world. The Japanese are evil, psychopathically violent, and exotic. Most notable is an act of Seppuku intercut with combat. Certainly dramatic, but equally derivative and exploitive. And despite all of my whining, Hacksaw Ridge unquestionably works. The story is not forced, as if it needs to be told. Desmond Doss is a hero. The war is beautiful and terrible. Each image of Doss scaling a ridge with his brother, his wife, his comrades, and the final shot, all work. Despite the cheesiness, Hacksaw is in a better class of war movies.