Hacksaw Ridge: A Philosophical Review

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2016)

The following is somewhat of a convoluted mix of review and philosophical examination of the movie and its themes.
Though the movie is about the brutality and ugliness of what humans can and did do to another, it is also a testament to the good they can also do. This movie and I think most "war" movies is not a celebration of war and doesn't seek to trivialize it (although a mere microcosm of the full scope of it, specifically WWII). At it's most basic level Hacksaw Ridge is a presentation of our base emotions (e.g. love, fear, pain, and hope). Everything that Desmond experiences in his life and especially during his service time comprises those emotions and much more.
I didn't see the movie glorifying war or pride or showing any particular point of view other than those held by Americans at that time. Some have said the explosions from the ships were exaggerated but that is kind of expected and didn't detract from the movie in my mind. The real strength of this movie was the presentation of Desmond and the life Andrew Garfield brought to the character. Desmond was human and maybe held to his convictions more than most at such a point in history. Would people have felt the same way about him had he saved fewer people or no people? Perhaps his family would have but doubtful for the rest of people. This is not to say that courage is always visible or evident without proof but it makes one wonder about how one becomes courageous. Was Desmond brave because of his upbringing and religion or in spite of it? I think it made him who he was but I don't believe religion is required for one to be brave because I believe it comes instead from empathy, compassion, and optimism. This review is not meant to answer his motives but that is the dialogue such a movie should create.
Hacksaw Ridge was itself the personification of hell and no movie can truly capture the hell it was but we can be inspired by it and Desmond. He was seen as a hero but not because of what he didn't do. His actions were a testament to his bravery but that seems to have been because of his heart and the type of person he was as a result of his father's treatment and vowing to not hold a gun again with the chance to kill.
Hacksaw Ridge shows us what it means to be human. The joy, pain, grief, hatred and all those things that go with growing up and going to war. That humanity can be stripped away and revealed at the same time. Whether there will be any less suffering from future conflict remains to be seen but the hope lies in there being more heroes like Desmond (as much as we should hope the need becomes unnecessary or not because of war).