Hacksaw Ridge
2016 · Directed by Mel Gibson
Original language: English
- drama
- history
- war
The story
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-washed Virginia farmland gives way to hard, grey-brown Army training grounds and then to the churned mud and smoke of the Pacific, with the camera often sitting close and steady on a faith-driven young man's face. The palette shifts from amber nostalgia to bleached khaki to scorched, desaturated earth, and the battle sequences are handheld and disorienting, full of tracer streaks, shouting and close-quarters chaos. The score swells with orchestral hymn-like warmth during quieter moments and drops into near-silence or ringing gunfire during the carnage. Violence is intense and frequently graphic: bodies are blown apart, wounds are shown in unflinching detail, and there is sustained gore in the second half, along with harrowing scenes of abusive family conflict and wartime cruelty. The pacing is patient through the first hour and then relentless. The emotional core is a stubborn, gentle man holding to his principles while those around him, from drill sergeants to fellow soldiers, struggle to understand him. It suits a long, committed viewing rather than background watching, and it is best for viewers who want a sincere, inspirational war story about faith and conscience and can handle heavy, extended bloodshed.
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