Based on the true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), director Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge is something of an anomaly – a war movie featuring a protagonist who refuses to touch a gun. While the premise sounds so far-fetched that it should be fictional, Doss existed and this film brings his life to the screen in vivid detail.
Gibson has never shied away from violence as an actor (Lethal Weapon, Mad Max) or as a director (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ), and here he walks a fine line between the enduring message of the film – a pacifist can be a war hero – and the reality of the gruesome battle in which that pacifist saves 75 lives while putting himself at risk.
Many of us fondly remember the film and sitcom M*A*S*H taking place in a war zone and being resoundingly anti-war. The doctors of the 4077th do not carry weapons, but their job is to save people who do. The premise is basically the same in Hacksaw Ridge, except medic Doss is right in the middle of the battle and not back at a field hospital.
The film opens with scenes of when Doss (Darcy Bross) was a boy and rough housing with his brother Hal (Roman Guerriero). Their father Tom (a terrific Hugo Weaving) is depicted as an alcoholic veteran of World War I, unable to cope with the loss of all his friends in battle. As Tom returns from the paying his respects to his buddies at the local cemetery, Desmond and Hal get into such a brutal fight that Desmond takes a rock and slams Hal in the head.
Having almost killed his brother, Desmond is distraught and inconsolable. Touching scenes between Desmond and his mother (Rachel Griffiths) show her love and tenderness for the boy, while the father prepares to beat him with a belt. After Desmond learns that Hal will live, a change comes over him and he decides to live a non-violent life.
As a young man we see Desmond working in a church – he is now a devout Seventh Day Adventist – and his being in the right place at the right time during a car accident allows him to save a man’s life by tying a tourniquet. He accompanies the man to the hospital where he sees many other people needing help, getting his inspiration to become a medic.
The hospital is also the place where he meets nurse Dorothy Schutte (Theresa Palmer) and falls in love with her. Their courtship is an opportunity to witness Desmond’s inner goodness and faith, and these qualities win Dorothy over. They enjoy dating and going to the movies, but newsreels about the war remind Desmond that many other men are not so fortunate because they are in harm’s way.
When his brother Hal (Nathaniel Buzolic) comes home dressed in a uniform and tells his parents that he has enlisted, Tom is enraged because he does not want to see his son experience the horrors he had witnessed. Later on Desmond is inspired by his brother and he too enlists, but is determined to do so as a conscientious objector, unwilling to carry a gun but wishing to do his duty and become a medic to help others.
Gibson weaves these story threads together into a fabric that runs through the movie, helping to make sense of everything to come. Having this background is crucial when we eventually see Doss in boot camp up against the men in his barracks, Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn, in the best performance of his career), and Captain Glover (Sam Worthington). When they learn of Doss's refusal to touch a gun and need to carry his Bible everywhere he goes, the resistance to Doss is staggering and, despite everything done to undermine him, his resiliency is amazing.
Even after some of the soldiers led by Smitty (Luke Bracey) beat him up during the night, Doss refuses to yield or to give up his attackers. That foreshadowing of bravery and loyalty earns him some grudging respect, and after fighting the battle in military court to stay in uniform, we flash forward to Okinawa where the real battle begins – one to take the seemingly impregnable Hacksaw Ridge.
Even knowing that Doss saves 75 men is not a spoiler, because the way he does this and who lives and dies most definitely is. The horrific battle scenes are some of the most bloody and gruesome I have ever seen on film, but this should come as no surprise to fans of Gibson’s previous work. We witness the indiscriminate fortunes of war – how one man is torn to shreds while the one crouching next to him is not.
The graphic nature of the combat scenes is an overstatement to highlight the senseless bloodiness of battle, the wasteful loss of young lives to appease the blood-swollen god of war who only craves more. The decimation of bodies is graphic and may be difficult for some viewers to observe, but this authenticity enhances the stature of Doss, who does nothing to contribute to the carnage all around him and everything in his power to stop its effects.
Gibson’s guiding hand is subtle here, and yet he elicits powerful performances from his cast. Worthington, Vaughn, Bracey, Weaving, Griffiths, Palmer, and even minor characters are noteworthy, but this is Garfield’s moment to shine and indeed he does. When he is poised at the edge of a cliff trying to save men by lowering them over it, Garfield’s face is illuminated with the faith we know Doss believes and the conviction that he can overcome all the odds against him. As Doss prays, “Let me save one more” you almost feel compelled to join him.
Cinematographer Simon Duggan captures the rugged stark landscape of Okinawa as well as the lush beauty of the small West Virginia town where Doss and his family live. On the battlefield the play of vivid colors of explosions alternating with the almost black and white nature of residual smoke and fog create a memorable portrait of the ugly beauty of war, and Rupert Gregson-Williams’s vibrant musical score supports these scenes of horror as well as ones of personal triumph.
It is good to see Gibson behind the camera again. We have always known that he has a knack for getting the battlefield scenes right, but his gentle hand is also apparent during scenes of intimacy between Desmond and Dorothy and those of camaraderie with Doss and the men who come to admire him. Hacksaw Ridge is Gibson’s most honest and compelling work as a director, not because he is condoning violence but instead highlighting its repugnance.
Even though it may be tempting to get the Blu-ray now that it has been released, do try to see this film first in a theater the way it was meant to be seen. I finally got to go see it on the big screen and was happy that I did.
The film is contending for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. If I were a member of the academy I would have no problem checking those three boxes for Hacksaw Ridge. It is the best anti-war war film I have ever seen.
Based on the true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), director Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge is something of an anomaly – a war movie featuring a protagonist who refuses to touch a gun. While the premise sounds so far-fetched that it should be fictional, Doss existed and this film brings his life to the screen in vivid detail.
Gibson has never shied away from violence as an actor (Lethal Weapon, Mad Max) or as a director (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ), and here he walks a fine line between the enduring message of the film – a pacifist can be a war hero – and the reality of the gruesome battle in which that pacifist saves 75 lives while putting himself at risk.
Many of us fondly remember the film and sitcom M*A*S*H taking place in a war zone and being resoundingly anti-war. The doctors of the 4077th do not carry weapons, but their job is to save people who do. The premise is basically the same in Hacksaw Ridge, except medic Doss is right in the middle of the battle and not back at a field hospital.
The film opens with scenes of when Doss (Darcy Bross) was a boy and rough housing with his brother Hal (Roman Guerriero). Their father Tom (a terrific Hugo Weaving) is depicted as an alcoholic veteran of World War I, unable to cope with the loss of all his friends in battle. As Tom returns from the paying his respects to his buddies at the local cemetery, Desmond and Hal get into such a brutal fight that Desmond takes a rock and slams Hal in the head.
Having almost killed his brother, Desmond is distraught and inconsolable. Touching scenes between Desmond and his mother (Rachel Griffiths) show her love and tenderness for the boy, while the father prepares to beat him with a belt. After Desmond learns that Hal will live, a change comes over him and he decides to live a non-violent life.
As a young man we see Desmond working in a church – he is now a devout Seventh Day Adventist – and his being in the right place at the right time during a car accident allows him to save a man’s life by tying a tourniquet. He accompanies the man to the hospital where he sees many other people needing help, getting his inspiration to become a medic.
The hospital is also the place where he meets nurse Dorothy Schutte (Theresa Palmer) and falls in love with her. Their courtship is an opportunity to witness Desmond’s inner goodness and faith, and this wins Dorothy over. They enjoy dating and going to the movies, but newsreels about the war remind Desmond that many other men are not so fortunate because they are in harm’s way.
When his brother Hal (Nathaniel Buzolic) comes home dressed in a uniform and tells his parents that he has enlisted, Tom is enraged because he does not want to see his son experience the horrors he had witnessed. Later on Desmond is inspired by his brother and he too enlists, but is determined to do so as a conscientious objector, unwilling to carry a gun but wishing to do his duty and become a medic to help others.
Gibson weaves these story threads together into a fabric that runs through the movie, helping to make sense of everything to come. Having this background is crucial when we eventually see Doss in boot camp up against the men in his barracks, Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn in the best performance of his career), and Captain Glover (Sam Worthington). When they learn of Doss's refusal to touch a gun and carry his Bible everywhere he goes, the resistance to Doss is staggering and, despite everything done to undermine him, his resiliency is amazing.
Even after some of the soldiers led by Smitty (Luke Bracey) beat him up during the night, Doss refuses to yield or to give up his attackers. That foreshadowing of bravery and loyalty earns him some grudging respect, and after fighting the battle in military court to stay in uniform, we flash forward to Okinawa where the real battle begins – one to take the seemingly impregnable Hacksaw Ridge.
Even knowing that Doss saves 75 men is not a spoiler, because the way he does this and who lives and dies most definitely is. The horrific battle scenes are some of the most bloody and gruesome I have ever seen on film, but should come no surprise to fans of Gibson’s previous work. We witness the indiscriminate fortunes of war – how one man is torn to shreds while the one crouching next to him is not.
The graphic nature of the battle scenes is an overstatement to highlight the senseless bloodiness of battle, the wasteful loss of young lives to appease the blood-swollen god of war who only craves more. The decimation of bodies is graphic and may be difficult for some viewers to observe, but this authenticity enhances the stature of Doss, who does nothing to contribute to the carnage all around him and everything in his power to stop its effects.
Gibson’s guiding hand is subtle here, and yet he elicits powerful performances from his cast. Worthington, Vaughn, Bracey, Weaving, Griffiths, Palmer, and even minor characters are noteworthy, but this is Garfield’s moment to shine and indeed he does. When he is poised at the edge of a cliff trying to save men by lowering them over it, Garfield’s face is illuminated with the faith we know Doss believes and the conviction that he can overcome all the odds against him. As Doss prays, “Let me save one more” you almost feel compelled to join him.
Cinematographer Simon Duggan captures the rugged stark landscape of Okinawa as well as the lush beauty of the small West Virginia town where Doss and his family live. On the battlefield the play of vivid colors of explosions alternating with the almost black and white nature of residual smoke and fog create a memorable portrait of the ugly beauty of war, and Rupert Gregson-Williams’s vibrant musical score supports these scenes of horror as well as ones of personal triumph.
It is good to see Gibson behind the camera again. We have always known that he has a knack for getting the battlefield scenes right, but his gentle hand is also apparent during scenes of intimacy between Desmond and Dorothy and those of camaraderie with Doss and the men who come to admire him. Hacksaw Ridge is Gibson’s most honest and compelling work as a director, not because he is condoning violence but instead highlighting its repugnance.
Even though it may be tempting to get the Blu-ray now that it has been released, do try to see this film first in a theater the way it was meant to be seen. I finally got to go see it on the big screen and was happy that I did.
The film is contending for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. If I were a member of the academy I would have no problem checking those three boxes for Hacksaw Ridge. It is the best anti-war war film I have ever seen.
Manfred is like the Little Dutch boy and the speed of the game is like the leaking dyke. Now he is sitting there grinning with one finger in the hole thinking he’s got this thing, while new holes are popping out all over the place.
A final thought on these automatic intentional walks – what about pitch counts? In these days of counting each pitch and limiting pitchers to roughly 100 pitches per game, doesn’t this seem like they are trying to save a few pitches here? I am not sure if this was a factor in the decision, but it still is something to consider.
The premise is refreshing and offers different perspectives about the characters from those people being interviewed by the police; this allows the viewers to know information that the characters do not know yet, providing dramatic irony. Knowing the script is by David E. Kelley and the director is Jean-Marc Vallee (who previously directed the film Wild starring Reese Witherspoon), it is obvious that we are in more than capable hands.
All of them as well as Laura Dern’s Renata have children who are first graders in the local elementary school that is more like a private academy. On the first day of school there is an incident that has Renata’s daughter Annabella (Ivy George) accusing Jane’s son Ziggy (Ian Armitage) of trying to choke her, which the boy denies doing. Madeline’s readiness to defend Jane and her son sets in motion what promises to be an extended conflict with Renata that may or may not have something to do with the murder we know has occurred.
While there is an ensemble clearly in place here, Madeline is the obvious center to all events and conflicts. Much to Witherspoon’s credit, she manages to take the character from cool, calculating, and annoying to moments of vulnerability. Her scene with second husband Ed (Adam Scott) on the beach and one sitting at the piano with her daughters Chloe (Darby Camp) and Abigail (Kathryn Newton) tempers our first impressions and allows us to see Madeline as more maternal and less the monster we thought her to be.
From a slam-bang cold open featuring Batman (impeccably voiced by Will Arnett) taking on seemingly ever super villain under the bleak Gotham City sky led by the Joker (the hilarious Zach Galifianakas), the action throughout the rest of the 104 minutes is almost non-stop. While parents may initially be put off by that long run time, amazingly McKay uses almost every second of it to not only keep the kids happy but also to actually go into character development that many live action films sorely lack.
Without spoiling much more, the rest of the film is an attempt by the Joker to prove Batman wrong, but it also gives us a deeper look at Batman/Bruce Wayne’s darkness at its core. While it is easy to dismiss this film as an extended toy commercial – and a very successful one at that – there are moments where the nuances rival Christopher Nolan’s exploration of the Bat’s proclivities to be a loner, his relationship with his inadvertent stepson Dick Grayson/Robin (a terrific Michael Cera), and his feelings about butler/lifelong surrogate parent Alfred (an even more terrific Ralph Fiennes).
Also thrown into the mix is Barbara Gordon/Bat Girl (a game Rosario Dawson) who wants to prove to Batman that he no longer has to go it alone. Batman, initially drawn to Barbara’s beauty (it’s funny every time he calls her “Babs”), resists her attempt to pull him out of the dark side and draw him to the light, even if we get the feeling that he knows she is right.
Of course, 24 would not be 24 without its resident tech geek/genius. Replacing Chloe (the amazing Mary Lynn Rajskub) is not an easy task, but Andy Shalowitz (Dan Bucantinsky) seems like he is at least as computer savvy and is trusted by Rebecca to get the job done.
The key to success in 24 has always been its hero and, judging from the first two episodes, Carter is quickly rising to the challenge thanks to Hawkins’s ability to handle the role deftly and exhibit emotions to indicate the toll this day is taking on him. Under all of Jack Bauer’s sometimes ruthless and many times vicious actions to get the job done, we always knew there beat the heart of a good man in a bad situation; that is what made 24 a success. It seems that we are finding the same true beating heart in Carter, a good man who will have to do many terrible things to get the job done as well.
Reality and history indicate that people are not going to stop throwing these game parties and eating and drinking too much. Since human nature is what it is, the pattern will continue and people will call in sick the day after the game. Super Bowl Saturday is the easiest way to solve the problem – no national holiday, no kids missing school, and no rampant absenteeism at work.