Hacksaw Ridge Review

Hollywood is a curious place filled with equally curious people, every now and then one of those people becomes more highlighted than the others, they succumb to a public downfall and everyone tells us that we have to hate this one person, despite the fact that they're probably no worse than 70% of the people around them who share their weird and wonderful choice of career. Mel Gibson went through one of the more frequently publicised of these downfalls, he did say and do some questionable things but as with any of the other freaks and weirdos that dwell in tinseltown, you have to be able to separate the art from the artist.


It would be all too easy to forget that before all that, Mel Gibson was doing some truly exceptional work behind the camera. An Oscar winner for his work on Braveheart few would expect the change in style that came from the double punch hit of The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, both were challenging pieces of cinema that really explored new depths of our capacity as an audience to experience violence of such an intense and visceral nature, more importantly than that was both made money and in the case of his wince inducing Christ tale, it smashed the whole damn box office.

After a 10 year hiatus, Gibson returns behind the camera to bring us a stunning true life story of immense bravery in the face of harrowing circumstances. Hacksaw Ridge is the story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) a charming, deeply religious American man who wants to serve his country in WWII, but refuses to compromise on his beliefs by killing and will not carry a weapon. The film focuses on the conflict he faces with his own military and the eventual conflict he faces overseas with the enemy.

Hacksaw Ridge is almost presented as three distinct acts, and what is very evident is how each part is more impressive than the last. The first part is by far and away the weakest of the three, it follows Desmond around in his home life in his idyllic hometown, as he develops a relationship with nurse and Desmond's future wife Dorothy (Teresa Palmer). None of this is particularly offensive and there is a sense of who Desmond is being offered, but the level of sacren and sugary nonsense that is lumped on the screen runs the risk of inducing a diabetic coma. Fortunately Gibson has the presence of mind to move things on and the film heads on to Desmond in basic training. It's here when we are introduced to a plethora of supporting characters that will feature for the rest of the film, most of them are instantly forgettable, but It's a credit to Vince Vaughan that he does enough with his performance as Sgt. Howell that you can almost begin to forget every sub-par comedy you've had to endure him in for the last 10 years, same too goes for Sam Worthington as Captain Glover, who isn't given much to do but does it well enough. It's in these scenes though where Garfield really comes into his own, all his beliefs are put to the test, and Garfield completely sells this mans unwavering commitment to his faith and courage in the face of those who think he's just a coward. By the end of this section you're completely on board with Desmond's reasoning no matter how mad he might appear to be for doing what he wants to do.

So, then it's off to war, and a chance finally for Gibson to get his teeth stuck in and doing what he does best. The first set piece on top of the titular Hacksaw Ridge is a reminder of everything we've been missing out on from Gibson, his slow tense build leads to a full on frantic and monumentally bewildering battle that is a complete affront to the senses. It really does take you aback and by attacking you in such a manner it can become quite an emotional experience, reminding yourself that in the midst of this chaos is an unarmed combat medic called Desmond. There are moments where it strays from harrowing to borderline absurd, but they are only ever cautionary steps that are followed by hasty retreats.

In the midst of all this though is Andrew Garfield, his performance is a difficult one to tackle, with so much going on he always manages to make you invested in Desmond's experience of war, with little room for dialogue his expressions say so much whilst doing very little, it's definitely not a performance that you would say betters his in Silence, but few could argue that he didn't deserve his Oscar nomination.

It isn't as revolutionary as Gibson's last two features, in terms of its style it definitely feels closer to his earlier work on Braveheart, but it's an effective film with some challenging depictions of violence in wartime. If Hacksaw Ridge confirms anything though its that Gibson is someone who's work we should want more of.


(Low 4 Stars)