Bill C’s Review – 3.5 out of 5
Hacksaw Ridge is based on the true story of Desmond Doss. During WWII, serving in the Pacific, he became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor while serving as a medic.
I almost felt I was getting two movies for the price of one. The first hour is Doss growing up, family turmoil, falling in love, enlisting and standing up for his desire to serve in a capacity that does not require him to kill. The second half is the story of his participation in the battle for Okinawa, his incredible bravery while sticking to his principles. The war scenes are extremely well made but also incredibly violent (so if you don’t like disturbing war images skip this film).
This is Mel Gibson’s first directorial effort in 10 years (time flies), It’s a well made film and it does it good job in telling the story of Desmond Doss (stay for the closing credits to see pictures/interviews with Doss and others). My biggest knock was there are parts (in both halfs) that felt formulaic and all the expected caricatures of characters in an army barracks were provided.
