Hacksaw Ridge

Plot synopsis:
The film starts with very VERY graphic, visceral images of warfare. Soldiers are blown apart, burnt alive, and getting shot to pieces. The voice of Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield) speaks about how God will not grow tired or weary of his children, no matter how bad things are. We see Desmond being carried away on a stretcher as another soldier tells him everything will be fine.16 years earlier, Desmond (here played by Darcy Bryce) and his brother Hal (Roman Guerreiro) are running through the woods playfully. They live with their mother Bertha (Rachel Griffiths) and their father Tom (Hugo Weaving), a former soldier and veteran of World War I who is haunted by his past in the war who now drinks heavily and often beats his sons. The whole family are Seventh-Day Adventists. One afternoon, the boys are fighting in front of the house. Desmond picks up a large brick and whacks Hal over the face, knocking him unconscious. As their parents frantically try to aid Hal, Desmond feels nothing but utter remorse. He looks at an illustration of the Ten Commandments with guilt as Tom goes to whip him with his belt, until Bertha stops him because it won't teach Desmond anything. She reassures her son that Hal will be okay.15 years later, Desmond is working in the church as his mother is singing with her group. They near a loud noise from outside and see a young man who had a car part fall on his leg as he was working on it. The part severed an artery, causing blood to gush out of his leg. Desmond uses his belt as a tourniquet. When they take the boy to the hospital, Desmond first sees a nurse named Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer). She is there to take blood from donors, and Desmond offers to donate so he can continue talking to her.Desmond and Dorothy later go on a date to the movies. After the show, the two are walking when Dorothy almost walks into the path of a car. Desmond pulls her aside and stuns her with a kiss. She slaps him because she wasn't expecting it. She walks away, leaving Desmond in disbelief. Dorothy then asks if he will join her. He starts walking and almost gets hit by a car too.Tom and Bertha become displeased when Hal (now played by Nathaniel Buzolic) has signed up to fight in World War II. He stands his ground and insists he's doing it for the right reasons.Desmond takes Dorothy out for a hike. This time, she lets him kiss her, and they quickly fall in love. Desmond even learns a few things about medicine from Dorothy. However, when Desmond informs her that he has enlisted in the Army, Dorothy becomes upset. She asks if he will ask her to marry her. He asks her on the spot, and she accepts.Desmond finds his father at a cemetery standing by the graves of his friends that he lost fighting in war. Tom worries that the same fate will befall his sons.Desmond says his farewell to Dorothy as he heads off for training. When he gets to the camp, he encounters several noteworthy characters, including Hollywood Zane (Luke Pegler), who is doing pull-ups in the nude, plus Smitty Riker (Luke Bracey), who is throwing knives at another soldier's foot. Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) shows up. Smitty ends up with a knife in his foot as they run to line up. Howell goes around berating the other soldiers as he meets them before they proceed to training.The men begin their training through the obstacle course. When it comes time to handle rifles, Desmond states that he does not wish to use weapons as he is simply trying to be a medic, and he also chooses not to train on Saturdays as that is his Sabbath. Howell brings Desmond to Captain Jack Glover (Sam Worthington), who orders Desmond to do what they say as long as he is on the field.Howell and several other soldiers make Desmond's time there a living hell. When Desmond cannot get discharged, Howell turns the soldiers on him as they make Desmond to look like a coward for being a conscientious objector. Smitty tries to provoke Desmond by taking his bible and a picture of Dorothy, but Desmond never budges. Some of the soldiers beat Desmond in his bed at night. When Howell asks him to point out his attackers, Desmond refuses and he carries on with training.When the squad is to be released from training, Desmond is detained and incarcerated for insubordination. To make matters worse, it is his wedding day to Dorothy. He is put in a cell and is forced to miss his wedding. Dorothy visits him and questions whether he is mistaking his own will with the will of God.Desmond is put on trial. Tom puts on his old uniform and speaks to his former captain about his son's predicament. He shows up to the courthouse with a paper from the captain that states that Desmond's right to follow his beliefs and refusal to carry a weapon is protected by the Constitution. Desmond is thus let go, allowed to continue his work in the field, and immediately marries Dorothy. They later consummate.Desmond joins the squad as they head on to the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. They climb up the Maeda Escarpment, which is better known as Hacksaw Ridge. Once at the top, the soldiers quietly move forward across a field of dead soldiers. The Japanese soldiers begin firing, leading to a brutal and bloody battle. In the midst of the chaos, countless men are blown to smithereens. Desmond tends to his fellow soldiers on the field, administering morphine to the wounded while trying to get them down the cliff to safety.At night, the squad sets up camp. Desmond and Smitty are in a foxhole, getting to know each other better. Smitty acknowledges that he's been an asshole to Desmond. Desmond recounts to him how his father would abuse him and his brother, but when he went after their mother, Desmond held Tom back as he held a gun. He took the gun away from Tom and pointed it at him, ready to shoot until Bertha stopped them. Desmond talks about how he came close to killing his father. Smitty apologizes to Desmond for how he was before.The next day, the Japanese strike back with heavy force, delivering grenades and bullets everywhere. The American squad is forced to make their way down the cliff. Desmond tries to save those who he can, but while he tries to save Smitty, he is mortally wounded and dies. Desmond continues to aid the soldiers and keep them secured as the Japanese soldiers go killing any surviving members of the squad. At one point, he must run through a tunnel and avoid the Japanese, but he even tends to a lone wounded soldier. Desmond eventually rescues Howell and brings him to the base. The other men are stunned to know that Desmond has saved a large number of soldiers.Captain Glover apologizes to Desmond for having doubts in him. He informs him that the next attack falls on the Sabbath day, but they will not proceed without him. Desmond joins them anyway after praying for his men.The squad runs into a group of men that have falsely surrendered, bringing them under fire. One member of the Japanese squad commits seppuku to avoid capture. Desmond helps Glover by kicking away grenades and continuing to bring men to safety. Desmond gets injured in the fight. He is carried away and told he is going home. He asks for his bible, and another soldier runs to get it to him. Desmond is then flown away for treatment.We are shown footage of the real Desmond Doss, Hal Doss, and Jack Glover, recounting Desmond's heroics and experiences in the battle. The text states that Desmond was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. He rescued over 75 men in the battlefield. He and Dorothy Schutte were married until her death in 1991. Desmond passed away at the age of 87 in 2006.

Tags: anti war, violence, romantic, flashback

Review:
You have to make something very special to be mentioned in the same sentence as films like those and in Hacksaw Ridge, I think Mel Gibson has made one of the all time great war films.Some war films use a particular war from history to tell a fictional story, all three of the above for example however, a war film for me becomes something else entirely when it tells a true story, especially one as remarkable as the story that Hacksaw Ridge is based on.Desmond T.
Doss (Andrew Garfield) became the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honour even though he refused to kill or even carry a rifle while serving as a medic during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.
Doss' phenomenal story of courage saw him single-handedly save the lives of over 75 of his comrades while under constant enemy fire.Hacksaw Ridge is very much a film of two halves; the first introducing us to Doss, exploring both his personal life and his motivations for choosing to become a Conscientious Objector and serve as a medic, the second depicting the Battle of Okinawa at Hacksaw Ridge, the site of one of the bravest human feats in history.
Both tell the story of the determined individual that Doss was and Mel Gibson does a wonderful job in directing the film.Gibson has attracted a lot of bad press over the years but there is no denying that he is a good director, and in Hacksaw Ridge, he may just have made his best film yet.
It's the emotional power of the story that Gibson taps into so successfully that makes Hacksaw Ridge such compelling viewing, whether it be Doss' arduous journey through combat training or the visceral war sequences.
The relentlessness of the sequences is admirable from Gibson and they're wonderfully shot by Simon Duggan.Coming to the performances, Hacksaw Ridge features an amazing lead performance from Andrew Garfield, who wanted to move away from his days as Spider-Man with a chance to play such an inspiring real life hero.
His performance as Doss is one of the best of the year and I would love to see him get some form of recognition come awards season.The supporting cast threw me a little but they all play their part in excelling the film, expected from the likes of Hugo Weaving and Teresa Palmer but the film surprised me with how good some of the cast were.
Sam Worthington and Luke Bracey were two that come to mind but the real surprise was Vince Vaughn, who I never thought I'd see play a part in a war film, particularly that of an Army Sergeant.Few films this year have hit me emotionally as Hacksaw Ridge did and that's why I have to say it's a most welcome return to filmmaking from Mel Gibson.
I thought 10.30AM on a Sunday was too early for a Mel Gibson movie, that I might be in for something along the lines of the heavy-handedness of THE PASSION OF THE Christ, and the adrenaline pumped brilliance of APOCALYPTO.I was proved wrong because after the first thirty minutes I wasn't sure if this was a Mel Gibson film when I was placed into a comfort zone, with its melodrama set in a small Virginia town during the Forties, a schmaltzy romance, and the cliché violent drunken father who survived a brutal war.
The performances were maybe a little let down by the clumsy dialogue, but all directed safely with a natural sense of storytelling.By the 2nd act, I was put on high alert in the military training with our protagonist, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield who I at first felt was wrongly cast, but he really came through in the end).
One of the great feats of storytelling from Mel Gibson (director) and Andrew Garfield (leading role, Desmond Doss) is to lead the audience along Doss' journey with a feeling of having experienced the journey as Doss, and experiencing the wide range of emotions endured by this heroic character along his journey.Neither war itself nor violence are glorified in the film, yet they also not derided.
Vince Vaughn's excellent turn as Doss' training sergeant provides both humour and pathos to bring laughs and pause- for-thought at well scripted points of the tale, allowing the audience to gather their breath.By the end of the film, audience members will leave the cinema feeling tired, worn out by having experienced Doss' journey of hope, innocence, love, confusion, anger, faith, and courage.
Starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington and Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge is a beautifully acted and viciously portrayed war film that will stick with you from the minute the film starts until the second the end credits start.
That, coupled with the amazing true-life story of Desmond Doss being portrayed on screen, makes Hacksaw Ridge a wild and brutal trip down the path to Christianity and the power that faith can give a man.
Overall, I felt Hacksaw Ridge was an extremely brutal and visceral war film that brings up questions of warfare, humanity and religion while displaying Gibson's excellent eye for technical accuracy and assaulting imagery.
If it were not a true story that celebrates an unusual hero the film could have been accused of a gratuitous display of unrelenting carnage and military triumphalism.The film plays in two halves: the early life and romance of Army Medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) and the actual Battle of Hacksaw Ridge.
Not long after meeting the one love of his life, nurse Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer), he enlisted with the belief that he could serve his God unarmed and without killing enemy soldiers.Branded a coward and bullied to leave, he was eventually granted conscientious objector status and became one of the troops sent to capture Hacksaw Ridge in the Battle of Okinawa of May 1945.
The Ridge was eventually captured and Doss became one of the most decorated heroes of World War II.The heroism depicted in this story is of such an extraordinary magnitude that it can easily overwhelm any consideration of the film's merits.
War films can be a bit hard to sit through, with its graphic depictions of key battles in history, strong themes of power, brotherhood and the effect it has among the world but with Mel Gibson's latest war drama 'Hacksaw Ridge' it manages to be something more that we can grasp it.The true life story of Desmond Doss is finally brought to the big screen, Doss was a US Army medic who served during WWII, but coming from a family with a strong religious beliefs and a father that struggled with the aftermath of WWI (a veteran himself) it lead him to be a Seventh-day Adventist, refusing to bare a firearm and the use of violence against another.
It is here in this key battle that Doss was recognised as a true hero for his country, as he managed to rescue the lives of 75 soldiers wounded in battle.Gibson returns to the director's chair to helm this true story, giving his touch of humanistic quality, anti-war themes and brutality to the horrors of war to much great detail.
The 2nd half of the film is much darker than the first half and people will need a strong stomach to handle the graphic depictions of violence and deaths we see throughout, but it does get emotional at times and in the last few minutes of the film, though overall the film is emotional with Doss's back-story, his personal lifestyle and the brotherhood that Doss and his army experience and share on the battlefield.In terms of acting, the cast as a whole is incredible with Andrew Garfield, Hugo Weaving, Vince Vaughn, Luke Bracey and Teresa Palmer giving the best key performances of the film.
Garfield must have given much study and preparation for the role, as his character's journey from a wise simple man to a hero of his army is given so much heart, emotion and bravery to make the journey of Doss so believable.Overall, Hacksaw Ridge is a film that will leave audiences in state of emotion that describes the horrors of war, the bravery of Doss and his army and a sense of thankfulness to our past ancestors who had lived in a time to fight for freedom and peace when the world was divided.
Through the intervention at a court martial of his improbably brave and conflicted father (Hugo Weaving), Doss is allowed to serve as a medic under those conditions, proving to all that he could be braver saving men at Okinawa's Hacksaw Ridge than anyone else (75 men as a medic with a flair for ingenious rescuing).Although Director Gibson is best known for his graphic depictions of violence in Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ, he can also be accused, along with writers Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, of clichéd story telling.
The film's two parts, at home and at war, follow some pretty trite set-ups such as the mountain boy smitten by the nurse, the call to righteous service, the tough drill sergeant ( a terrific Vince Vaughn, see opening quote), and the sentimental trench dialogue.Yet these flaws work when the story needs them to establish Doss's kind heart, courage, and the essential goodness of fellow combatants as they confess they misread him and his conscientious objection.
If you can forgive the almost unreal, lush setting for his youth in Lynchburg, Virginia, and his mooning for his future wife, Dorothy (Teresa Palmer), then you will enjoy seeing a real hero in a real war.Yes, Gibson knows how to depict action, not just pain, and it helps make Hacksaw Ridge a welcome addition to war films that tell true stories.
I don't know if that was supposed to be a historically accurate movie, since they had the actual veterans that they interviewed at the end of the movie But it was more like a Mel Gibson snuff film glorifying the act of killing people and some weird Christian stuff too.
What affects the viewer more than the brutal violence of war on display, more than the performances of the cast, more than Gibson's direction, is the unflinching determination, unselfish bravery, compassion and faith the real Desmond Doss showed throughout his life.
He has proved himself to be one of the most consistent directors working today and Hacksaw Ridge is some of the best work he's done in his entire career The core story of this film is simply fascinating, a man who went into one of the worst engagements of the Second World War without any kind of weapon to defend himself with and this story is one that the viewer can easily get behind because it is so well established why Doss feels the need to do this while not shining him in a truly heroic light.
Hugo Weaving blew me away in this movie, I've never seen this kind of work from him, he was so believable as this torn up man who has had some much taken away from him by war.He first half of this film mainly focuses of Doss' romance with his future wife and his motivations for his pacifism and while it's defiantly a bit slow and cheesy at times it worked very well.
Hacksaw Ridge chronicles the true story of Desmond Doss, a World War II US Army enlistee who refuses to touch a gun.
The character of private doss was itself a fascinating trait that contributed to the critical acclamation this picture had received, he is as Andrew Garfield perfectly fits a man of a poor physique yet of great courage and altruism, his a medic that dived head first into the hordes of dead in the battlefield without hesitation, he is a loving husband, a great son and a true patriot who stood willingly in the face of the dreadful war in japan in order to save his fellow brothers in arms.
Will he be helpful in the battle field?"Hacksaw Ridge" is a magnificent war movie directed by Mel Gibson that deserves not only the nomination, but the Oscar.
Hugo Weaving gives maybe the best performance of his since The Matrix and is a possible candidate for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Doss' abusive, drunk father after serving in WWI.Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Teresa Palmer and really all others involved give great supporting Performances.I can safely say Hacksaw Ridge is the best war film since Saving Private Ryan with brutal, terrifying battle sequences, beautiful cinematography, and incredible performances.
Mel Gibson's Directorial Return, after a 10 Year Hiatus, is neither an Anti-War or Pro-War Film, it is both.If it wasn't a Documented True Story of Conscientious Objector Desmond Doss who Refused to Touch a Gun, although Enlisting to Serve in WWII, one might get the Impression that the Film was Allegorical about the Resurrected Jesus Christ.That Impression is Felt once the Movie's Second Half turns to the Battle of Okinawa and the "Hero" of the New Testament finds Himself in a Hell that is the Human Condition and still Maintains the "Love Thy Neighbor" and "Turn the Other Cheek" Demeanor that He, by Example, Maintains throughout the Carnage and Slaughter.The Film is Grounded with Good Performances, not only Andrew Garfield, but also with Hugo Weaving as Doss's Father Riveting and Bristling with Gravitas, and others Contributing the Fleshing Out (literally) needed to make the Movie Mesmerizing.The Battle Sequences get a lot of Ink and they are Visceral with the Violence Sharply Cutting on the Edges of the Frame as Garfield's Doss Centers the Action with a Calm that Defies Normal Human Reaction.
It shows us how he met his future baby mama and their budding romance pre-war.Although it did pay a role in how the following events unfolded, I didn't really feeeel it – it felt a little lacklustre and a whole lotta cringe.Those few scenes aside, this is an exceptional film that depicts perfectly the fear and bravery that those army folk displayed.It also was a nice reminder that we may only be one but we have the ability to effect the lives of many – yay humans!Something else worth mentioning is this isn't for the light hearted, if you're not into blood, gore and a whole lot of limb dismemberment then beware!I am not easily squeamish but boy oh boy this had me 'eeeking' a fair few times.Moving swiftly onto the rating, it's a strong 8/10 from me, VERY nearly a 9/10.When I finished the movie I immediately went home and read up a little more about Desmond doss himself and he was a remarkable person and this film did him and his incredible story justice!.
Perhaps that's because, although it's advertised as a war movie, 'Hacksaw Ridge' is more like a drama set on a battlefield.The film is very well written and directed, and it was a pleasant surprise to see the emphasis placed on the story and dialogue rather than just actions scenes.
Mel Gibson deserves a lot of credit, as does Andrew Garfield who delivers an outstanding performance as Desmond Doss.True stories are always the best stories, and this is one of the most uplifting and inspirational I've come across in a long time.
Beautiful and brutal....Savage and tender.....the best war scenes filmed since "Saving Private Ryan"...Mel Gibson makes an engaging character study...and a stirring anti-war movie....
It's been a while since I've seen saving private Ryan, the movie I could not help but to compare this movie too, but the Spielberg movie is said to have some of the most realistic war scenes put on camera, and I must say Hacksaw Ridge is a huge rival to that.Some of the action in this movie is very over dramatic making it hard to believe that that happen but knowing how crazy war is I'm sure a lot of it did.Especially keeping with the story arch about a man who said I cannot kill another man or hold a gun in combat but had the courage to go to war and be a hero hands down.Andrew Garfield was good in the movie, but Vince Vaughn was a little iffy for me.
Movie: Mel Gibson's MASSIVE comeback to the movie industry by directing Hacksaw Ridge, a movie about Desmond Doss and how he went into World War 2 without any self defense serving as a medic and became the first conscientious objector in American history to be rewarded the medal of honour.
Desmond Doss was a pacifist and devout Seventh Day Adventist, and like most good people of faith, he clearly sees his beliefs as a private and personal thing, even as he enlists in the military and disobeys a direct order to carry a rifle."Hacksaw Ridge" is a film that asks its audience just what lengths we are going to go to stand up for what we feel is right.
Hacksaw Ridge is ultimately a good film made about a great story that squanders much of its potential with wooden dialogue, countless clichés, and telegraphed punches rather than foreshadowing.When I saw the movie, I didn't know much about it and somehow missed in the opening credits that it was directed by Mel Gibson, but as I watched, I remember repeatedly saying to myself, "Man, someone has a persecution complex." Doss' pacifism was a central theme; it was so integral to the plot, that nobody could have missed it if it had not been treated so heavy-handedly.
Telling the story of Desmond Doss, an Army medic that refused to carry a weapon through the hell fire of battle in Okinawa at the height of World War II.
Telling the story of Desmond Doss, an Army medic that refused to carry a weapon through the hell fire of battle in Okinawa at the height of World War II.