Too artificial

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2019)

Hacksaw Ridge tells the "true" story of Desmond Doss, who as a pacifist saved more lives than most people during WW2, which by itself is an amazing feat. Andrew Garfield does an interesting portrayal of Doss, an awkward but charming fellow who after his own experiences and beliefs does not believe in violence, but still wants to serve his country in the war.
My biggest gripe with this one is the fact that the setting, costumes, sets are too artificial. It really doesn't sell me on the idea that they are really in Japan, in boot-camp, on the town. It looks like a set, and it completely dragged me out of the experience.
I wanted to watch this because it won oscar for best editing, but I really don't understand why. The movie is cut very generic, nothing about the making of the movie sticks out in my mind, and there were other movies that year which were more deserving of the award.
Vince Vaughn tries his best at playing an angry army sergeant akin to R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket, but it really doesn't come across as intimidating or convincing, it feels more like a parody. Whether it's because of Vaughns acting or something else I don't know, but I found his scenes more laughable than anything.
What I did like about this movie is that even though the japanese soldiers are portrayed as ruthless soldiers with no fear for their own lives, they still show some humanity in them when showing their side. They truly believe in what they are doing, and it's easy to see the story from their side as well.
It's an O.K. movie, but not one I would want to watch again.