Unique WWII Story

Rating: 8/10 (18 May 2017)

(Flash Review)
I've seen many a war movie and the core of this story is original. This is about a man who enlists in the army yet refuses to fire or touch a firearm. He nobly just wants to be a medic. For a movie with a main character who is anti-violence, this movie is awfully bloody and highly graphic. I had to avert my eyes multiple times. As a comparison, I didn't bat an eye during Apocalypse Now nor Private Ryan. Hacksaw Ridge is, as you guessed it, a tall ridge. A mammoth cliff ridge on the edge of water. US troops approaching below and the Japanese hold the high ground. There is a cargo net the soldiers must scale to get up there. Whether this is a flaw in the movie, it is a true story, or a true flaw by the Japanese, why didn't the Japanese just cut the cargo net down.? Without giving too much away, a long battle ensues. The gun-less main character, dubbed the "conscientious objector", performs many heroics during the battle. Overestimated everyone that mocked his integrity during basic training. Overall, it is a high quality production with much more bloody gore than really needed. Vince Vaughn as a drill instructor initially took me out of the movie flow but he actually settled in nicely but he was still Vince Vaughn. The movie also had its share of ubiquitous war movie and romance scenes but it was fairly unique for the genre and highlighted American patriotism.