The Angel

Rating: 10/10 (30 January 2017)

First of all, I love Mel Gibson as a director. Not as a celebrity or as a wife-beater, but as an artist. Two of his films, Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, have both become instant favorites of mine. It's been 10 years since his last film, Apocalypto (which I haven't seen yet). When I heard he made a new film, I was hooked immediately. I suppose the main reason I love Gibson's directing style is because he gets really intimate with the content and characters of his films, close-ups and all. When I saw Hacksaw Ridge in a nearly-empty theater, my expectations were exceeded. The intensity of the battle scenes, and I cannot believe I'm saying this, rival those of Saving Private Ryan. During those scenes, the whole theater rumbled like an earthquake with the sounds of gunshots, flying bullets, mortars, grenades, and earth- shattering explosions. The gore was not in the least bit hidden or sugar coated. There was blood, bones, and limbless bodies galore! Because that's the way the Battle of Okinawa really was. Surprisingly, I wouldn't call the violence gratuitous but I know that other people would. Even casted B-movie actors Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington couldn't bring this film down. The only thing that I genuinely condemn about the movie was the portrayal of the Japanese soldiers, who were portrayed as a mix of savages and zombies. It's definitely an American propaganda film, but even so, I'm giving it a 10/10 RATING.