Dots connected competently

Rating: 7/10 (14 November 2016)

Don't kid yourself, Hacksaw Ridge is nothing more than a paint-by- numbers Hollywood war drama — complete with wholly unnecessary romantic subplot and flashbacks to childhood traumas. There is nothing courageous about making a film like this, it's as safe a bet on box office success that a studio exec could ever make.
But it's well made damnit and having a competent director at the helm working with a script that never strays too far from what is at its core a simple story about a man's convictions and the ordeals he goes through really is a treat to behold.
My only major complaint is that none of the actors at any point reloads their firearm. Vince Vaughn is also out of place as a drill sergeant and his lines early on often feel as if they'd be more at home in one of the myriad comedies for which he is better known. I suspect his role in this film has more to do with the personal politics of the major players involved than it does his established body of work.