‘Hacksaw Ridge’ film review
By Aaron Guillen, Staff Reporter
The importance of Remembrance Day had never truly been felt on such an enormous scale until I watched Hacksaw Ridge. This biographical war film, set in World War II, centres around Desmond Doss, a man who didn’t fire a single gunshot in battle, but received the Congressional Medal of Honour after saving the lives of 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa.
Andrew Garfield as Doss captures the essence of someone who sees the good in everything. Doss, a Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA), doesn’t believe in taking someone’s life, even if he comes face-to-face with death. Garfield’s ability to show his emotions in only the slightest change in facial expression is something quite refreshing to watch. In addition, his accent is quite convincing. He is able to portray to the audience a man who has a conviction strong enough to face any power that stands before him. At one point in the movie, his wife suggests that he should simply bear arms and prove his skills to complete his gun qualifications, but he refuses.
As Doss finds love, experiences hatred from his comrades, and proves his worth on the battlefield, anyone watching his story develop will want him to prevail. He is the underdog. He is the one who you are rooting for. At many times, it seems quite impossible, but through the conviction he holds as a religious man, his God helps him save wounded men time and time again.
Besides Garfield, the cast includes notable actors such as Teresa Palmer, Sam Worthington, and Vince Vaughn. Palmer’s aura in the role of Doss’ love interest perfectly matches the time period. Worthington’s role as Captain Glover appears lacklustre compared to his other half, Sergeant Howell, played by Vaughn. Vaughn provides the comic relief you never knew you needed in a war film. Notably, his chuckle-worthy moments are shown through his harsh words to his soldiers.
The acting skills of the cast are complimented by the cinematography and soundtrack. In the first 10 minutes of the film the screen pans out to show the grandeur of a valley during an emotional moment between Doss and the love of his life. As the film finds Doss entering the battlefield—the war moment that the audience has been waiting for—it comes with a bang, not a resounding roar. With jump scares, jaw-dropping moments, and heart-tugging scenes, the film keeps the audience engaged throughout.
Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, sets the stage for gore and guts, but in an usual way, with a man who decides not to take lives, but instead to save them. As a Seventh-Day Adventist myself, I truly appreciated watching my faith on the big screen in a manner that didn’t divide watchers. Though the film is war-centric, the faith that Doss had will inspire all, religious or not, to take a look at what they value in life and to live by it. The gruesome reality of war shown on-screen reminds audiences that the sacrifice given by countless men and women should never be forgotten.
