Film: "Hacksaw Ridge"
Mel Gibson’s brutal, bloody and true-life tale of the Okinawa battlefield heroism of a WWII soldier (and conscientious objector).
After a decade-long absence, Mel Gibson returns to directing with a brutally effective, bristlingly idiosyncratic combat saga—the true story of a man of peace caught up in the inferno of WWII. It roots its drama in the impeccable valor of a man who, by his own grace, refuses to have anything to do with war. Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) was an army medic and decorated soldier who was also a conscientious objector.
Refusing to even touch a gun, Doss survives basic training, a court martial and finds himself defending Hacksaw Ridge, a strategic—but deadly battleground in Okinawa. Here the film immerses you in the violent madness of war—and, at the same time, exalts not just Doss’ courage but his whole withdrawal from violence. It’s the depth of Desmond’s fearlessness, and his love for his soldier brothers, which we believe in, thanks to Garfield’s reverent performance. D: Mel Gibson, US, 2016, 131m
