Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Movie Review

Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge” is a movie that presents a conflict of interest between its moral and religious beliefs and the violence it showcases on-screen. The movie, which tells the story of Desmond T. Doss, a U.S Army corporal and conscientious collaborator during World War II, offers a narrative of two halves. The first half, which focuses on Doss’s upbringing and his decision to join the army, is shot in a creamy, Norman Rockwell style and channels the majestic squareness of a John Ford family drama. The second half is set in the Battle of Okinawa, where Doss rescued 75 fellow infantrymen, and it is a bloody and explosive display of violence that tries to one-up the D-Day sequence in "Saving Private Ryan."

The movie's apparent inability to present the horrors of war in a consistently non-thrilling and non-cool way is made evident in the way it consistently violates Doss's moral code. The combat scenes are violent, rending, burning, and perforating the flesh with as much attention to detail as to Doss's anguish and ingenuity. Soldiers use mortar shells as homemade grenades, and there is a surreal and inappropriately comic sight of Doss towing a paraplegic infantryman on a homemade sled while the man cuts down bushels of Japanese soldiers with a sub-machine gun. These scenes feel like a violation of Doss's moral code, but they also reflect Mel Gibson's direction, which equally draws from his religious beliefs and his thirst for mayhem.

Gibson's signature is all over the movie, with his bottomless thirst for violence and his sincere religious beliefs in the forefront. The movie is a reflection of the contradictions in Gibson's life as an actor and director who rose to international stardom in R-rated action flicks and went on to become the true heir to Sam Peckinpah. The violence in the movie is undeniable, and it's difficult to ignore its depiction of the horrors of war as a form of entertainment. But it's also one of the few original action movies released in the last decade, and one of the only studio releases this year that could sincerely be described as a religious picture.

In conclusion, "Hacksaw Ridge" is a movie that is at war with itself. While it attempts to present a moral code that condemns violence and glorifies compassion, it simultaneously revels in the same blood-lust that it claims to condemn. The film's first half, which portrays Doss' childhood and adolescence, is shot in a creamy, Norman Rockwell style, and is filled with earnest, Old Hollywood-styled exchanges about violence and pacifism. However, even in these scenes, Gibson tries to jazz things up with violence or the threat of violence, which feels like a violation of the spirit of Doss' moral code. The second half of the film, which takes place during the Battle of Okinawa, is an attempt to one-up the D-Day sequence in "Saving Private Ryan," and is filled with nearly as much attention to the rending, burning, and perforating of flesh as it is to the hero's anguish and ingenuity.

Despite its contradictions, "Hacksaw Ridge" does have its merits. It is one of the few original action movies released in the last decade, and one of the only studio releases that could sincerely be described as a religious picture. Additionally, the film's portrayal of Doss and his unwavering commitment to his beliefs is commendable. Doss' refusal to pick up a rifle, even in the face of immense pressure and ridicule from his fellow soldiers, is a testament to his bravery and conviction. And the film's depiction of Doss' relationship with his alcoholic father and his struggle to reconcile his own beliefs with his father's trauma is both poignant and powerful.

Overall, "Hacksaw Ridge" is a flawed film, but one that is still worth watching for its unique perspective on war and its portrayal of a truly remarkable hero.