Hacksaw Ridge

UK Release Date. 26 January 2017

Certification. 15

Running Time. 2 hours 19 mins

Director. Mel Gibson

Cast. Luke Bracey, Andrew Garfield, Rachel Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington.
Rating. 74%

Review.

Hacksaw Ridge recounts the true story of Desmond T. Doss, a US Army medic who served at the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. Doss was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor, and as a result, was the first soldier in American history to receive the award without ever firing a shot.

Andrew Garfield excels as the pacifist Desmond T. Doss, portraying a sensitive, yet steadfast young man. 

Hacksaw Ridge, whilst an enjoyable watch, is littered with missed opportunities.

For example, Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths - cast as Doss' parents - are woefully underused.

Doss' basic training at Fort Jackson is too scant. What elements of basic training cursorily shown are formulaic and derivative. In many ways, it feels like the director, Mel Gibson was keen to show the audience the battlefield as quickly as possible.

And rightly so, the Battle of Okinawa scenes are impressive. Mel Gibson demonstrated in Braveheart and Apocalypto an ability to handle epic set pieces, but equally appears to have an insatiable appetite for violence. In the assault on the ridge, Mel Gibson would appear to want to trump the reenactment of the Omaha Beach landing in Saving Private Ryan. The relentless maiming, dismembering and setting ablaze of bodies would be more suited to a Sam Peckinpah film. As a result, Hacksaw Ridge struggles within itself, fighting to suppress an intoxicating urge to glorify violence, a position at odds with the morals of the main character, Desmond T. Doss. 

It is Doss' remarkable story that is ultimately the strongest element of Hacksaw Ridge.