Strongly directed with intense battle scenes

Rating: 9/10 (10 November 2016)

I now have a new leader in the clubhouse for BEST PICTURE OF 2016 - HACKSAW RIDGE.
From the Director of BRAVEHEART (more on that later), HACKSAW RIDGE tells the true story of Desmond Doss, the first Conscientous Objector to win the Medal of Honor when he saved 75 men from certain death on Hacksaw Ridge in Okinawa during WWII
This film is divided into 3 parts. The first focuses on Doss at home before the war, falling in love and dealing with an alcoholic father who is fighting his own demons from his experience in WW1, the second is your typical bootcamp scene where his platoon-mates and drill sargent must come to terms with Doss' Conscientous Objector status, and finally, the last part focuses on the experience on Hacksaw Ridge.
The opening 3rd of the film is fairly pedestrian, it introduces us to the Doss character and the reasons for his stand on never touching a gun. It would not have been successful if it were not for the work of Hugo Weaving as Doss' father. He is absolutely terrific, and almost unrecognizable, as the worn down alchoholic who is still suffering PTSD from his experiences in WW1.
The 2nd part of the film is a typical bootcamp scene and all of Doss' barrack-mates are pretty generic, I wish the director would have attempted to make them a bit more different, for when we get into the battle scene, when they are all wearing the same battle fatigues and are covered with mud, it is hard to determine who is who. Vince Vaughn is an interesting choice as the drill sargent who comes to understand Doss. He is not your typical drill sargent and underplays the role - something I would not have thought that Vaughn is capable of - I credit "the director of Braveheart".
But the showpiece of this film is the last 3rd - the battle of Hacksaw Ridge. This part of the movie "out-Private Ryan's" the D- Day scene of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, the best filming of a WWII battle scene ever. The director does not flinch away from the violence and tension of this scene and when Doss starts saving troops one by one and goes back "for just one more", I was on the edge of my seat. It was truly moving and uplifting - a series of scenes not to be missed - but NOT for the squeamish.
Up to this point, I have not mentioned the performance of the actor playing Doss nor the director, let me do so here. First, Andrew Garfield (THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN) is terrific as Doss, again, underplaying his role and showing a strength of soul throughout the film. I was a bit disturbed by his Sourthern Accent, but - at the end of the film - they show an interview with the real Doss and, darn it, Garfield nails the accent of the real man, so cut him some slack when you see this film, folks.
Also, you will need to cut some slack to the director - Mel Gibson - he is, not surprisingly, omitted from all publicity from this film - and rightfully so - for his off-screen behavior. If folks knew that this was a Mel Gibson film, they would be turned off and not go see it and that is too bad as this is a well directed film that tells an uplifting story that should be viewed by folks. Say what you will about Gibson off-screen, but in this film, he is a heckuva director.
9 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)