A Great War Movie That Weaves Fact, Faith, & Fiction

Rating: 9/10 (12 November 2016)

It's been a while since a good old fashion war movie came out but if it was all building up to Hacksaw then it was totally worth it. Let's be honest: almost every "based on a true story" film has some made up parts. If it were completely true then the movie would be pretty boring. But for Hacksaw Ridge, most of it did actually happen and I am a bit shocked it wasn't made into a film earlier. Desmond Dos is a naive southerner who decides to join World War 2 despite the fact that he despises violence. He simply wants to help a unit as a medic but he finds opposition along the way as many believe he is simply a coward. By the end of the film though, he proves himself worthy of the title "hero". Andrew Garfield does a wonderful job of playing Desmond as he brings a simple charm to the character. He is very likable and I experienced some of the same emotions he was going through in the film. When he was frustrated, I was frustrated. When he was happy, I was happy for him. It felt like I was actually watching this man's life and not just a movie based on it. The other actors do a great job as well especially Vincent Vaughn who manages to be both funny and dramatic at the same time. The one thing about this film that might hurt it is the violence. The first third of the film is shot very beautifully and looks like an ideal vision of that time period. But the last third is all on top of Hacksaw Ridge which is piled with dead bodies, intestines, rats, blood, decapitated heads, you name it they got it. It works in a story sense because they never portray war as a pretty or fun thing but the film is also filled with Christian themes. Box office wise those Christian messages might have helped the film but because of it's R rating I doubt any youth groups are going to be piling into vans to see it. Which is a shame since the film is honestly a great representation of holding onto your beliefs no matter how others maybe feel about them. Over all, Hacksaw Ridge is a great film with a well structured story, likable characters, beautiful direction and tons of events to keep you entertained.