The Brutal Mel Gibson Is Back

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2016)

If you are reading this review you have probably seen The Passion of the Christ (2004) or at least heard of it and the controversy it stirred over the gruesome brutality Mel Gibson unabashedly portrays on screen. For obvious reasons, the film could not wear the "true story" badge that, 12 years later, Hacksaw Ridge (2016) proudly does. This time, Gibson takes his Christ to World War II to tell the modern-day miracle of American corporal Desmond Doss, a religious and peaceful young man who despite his refusal to bear arms or commit any act of violence, saves the lives of 75 soldiers in his division during the Battle of Okinawa.
The film features an incredibly diverse cast; Andrew Garfield, Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington, Rachel Griffiths, Luke Bracey and Vince Vaughn, all pushed to limits I never thought they would reach. Who would have thought that the sweet boy-next-door Peter Parker has been carrying so much unnoticed potential? He may not look like the real Desmond Doss at all, but his innocently childish face renders the purity of Doss's character, and his emotionally fierce performance conveys the vigor of his faith. However, the person whose presence is felt the most during the 140-minute-long movie is Mr. Gibson himself; his brutal and raw energy becomes the moving force behind every single shot. While watching the film, I caught myself unconsciously clenching my body in a fetus position as a way to fend off the violence on the screen. Gibson's violence is not the gory slaughterhouse kind that invests in feelings of disgust (that never gets me anyway); it is violence that brings our physical and human vulnerability to unprecedented proximity – he brutally invades the bubble of our reality to bring our insides out for everyone to see meaningless, absurd, and vicious as they are.
Although it has been described as a "religious bomb," the way I see it, Hacksaw Ridge preaches faith not religion. I am well aware that Mel Gibson is an extremely religious individual, and I mean it dogmatically and aesthetically. Like it or not, you've got to respect him for his discipline as a director and his courageous indifference to Hollywood standards. In a time where miracles are ridiculed and our sole idea of heroes is sexy bodies in spandex suits whose superpowers are measured by how much damage they can inflict, Gibson shows us a real hero whose only superpower was his faith – a real hero who only wanted to save lives all lives!
For those who could not understand his message the first time, Gibson is saying it again, louder and in a much more mature voice: we need to jump into the very heart of violence to really understand the powerful nature of love.