Richie’s Review: Hacksaw Ridge

Mel Gibson’s new war film, Hacksaw Ridge, centers around a man who goes by the name of Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield). Desmond Doss joins the fight to win WWII, even though he is against violence. As many try to convince him to leave the force, Doss never gives up in what he believes in-saving many lives and staying true to his faith.

I have always been a fan of Mel Gibson’s movies including “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto”, which are historic yet bloody films that show much precision around their time periods. Hacksaw Ridge is not an exception. One thing I loved about the film was the attention to detail: the war scenes are exceedingly accurate, the characters feel like real people and the settings are reminiscent of that time.

Another key point of the movie was how violent it was. This movie is extremely graphic and does not hold back on showing anything. The battle scenes are beautifully choreographed and leaves you stunned with what you are watching. Sometimes the intensity becomes too much, but I didn’t mind the overwhelming images as much as the other viewers. The relentless grit that Mel Gibson delivers is astonishing and tough to look at, but it still feels necessary.

On the other hand, I was bothered by the actor choices for some of the characters. After “The Social Network”, I was never a fan of Andrew Garfield. In this film, his acting was satisfactory but I thought his emotions could’ve been more powerful. Another actor in the film was Vince Vaughn playing Sergeant Howell. This was maybe one of the weirdest casting decisions I have seen on screen in a while. The role he was supposed to play didn’t feel right for him considering that  he usually acts as a smart-ass man in romantic comedies.

All in all, I must say I was truly impressed with this new war classic. The action is gritty and graphic, while the message is equally important and virtuous. The story is one that needs to be seen for how moving it is. I would re-watch and recommend seeing this movie for those who are fans of the genre or people in need of a good story.