A war film smothered between thick coatings of religious rhetoric....

Rating: 4/10 (5 February 2017)

I came to Hacksaw Ridge hoping for an interesting and realistic portrayal of the life of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector, who saved the lives of countless battlefield wounded, as a medic.
What you get instead is saccharine, hero stick, smothered beneath thick coatings of religious rhetoric. Its painful stuff, that had me squirming in my seat within the first five minutes of the film's opening scenes.
Just as bothersome is the assumption its "OK" to be a behave like a nihilistic, cruel drunk (the father character) because "hey, he served in the war". This is such a common excuse, in US made war films and television that really does not hold up to close scrutiny.
The war scenes in this film are well shot (it does come with a huge budget) and the acting is of a good caliber. That said, there's little of substance on offer here, aside from romanticizing brutal and awful events, that, in my mind, deserve a more somber, down to earth treatment.
Four out of ten from me.