War movies always tend to be gravitate audiences and fans, no matter the familiarity or quality. Whether it's Oscar darlings such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "1917" or below-average money grabs such as "Pearl Harbour" and "Midway", war movies are one of the most safest films that a studio can make in regards to financial gain and praise. For me, my favourite war movie also happens to be my favourite film made by Mel Gibson. The WWII biopic follows Desmond Doss, a combat medic who refused to wield a firearm due to his religious upbringing. Although he was targeted by his superiors and was nearly thrown out of the army due to his conditions, he persists to finally be deported to the Battle of Okinawa, where his beliefs and medical training is put to the test as he experiences the bloody battle firsthand. What I love about the story is not that it's about a single person based on reality, compared to war films that follow original characters in the non-fictional backdrops, but the film doesn't jump into the war until the second half of the film. While that sounds like the first half can be boring, it instead focuses on the character of Desmond, the romance between him and Dorothy, the relationship between him and his father, and the combat training where he seems alienated due to his religious beliefs. The first half is extremely effective at making the viewer feel attached to the character, compared to just having a group of random soldiers with no personalities that the viewer is forced to like due to it being WWII. The tone of the film also changes between the first and second halves of the film. The first half is more on the lighthearted romance and drama with some satisfying character moments and comedy. The second half is the complete opposite as it becomes the war film that people expect, as you got suspense, grisly imagery, and an almost horror-esque nature to the battle. It still however carries a sense of hope and accomplishment as Desmond continues to save life after life.
Andrew Garfield is just fantastic as Desmond. I wasn't the biggest fan of Garfield due to his performance as Spider-Man in the "Amazing Spider-Man" films, but his performance as the awkward yet good-hearted combat medic really shows that he's an exceptional actor when he can fit into the role. What's weird is that Garfield's performance as Desmond manages to be a much better version of Peter Parker compared to what we got in those garbage movies. I feel that he was snubbed that year for the Oscar for Best Actor, despite getting a nomination. Garfield is joined by a large supporting cast, which I will only name a few prominent characters. There's Sam Worthington's Captain Glover, Desmond's superior who learns to respect his underling's bravery and heroism, Hugo Weaving as Tom, Desmond's alcoholic father who served in the first World War, and Teresa Palmer as Dorothy, Desmond's girlfriend who works as a nurse and tries to make Desmond quit his ludicrous mission out of his own safety. Aside from these characters, you do have the typical roles you'd expect from these movies. These include the arrogant higher-ups, the squad members with their own quirks and personalities, and the Japanese being just the enemy force that appear to have no humanity in combat aside from Desmond's nature to help injured soldiers from both sides. Sure, they are somewhat generic, but the archetypes are enjoyable in these particular movies and somewhat expected. The last thing to note is of course the historical accuracy of the story and characters. While it's not as made-up compared to "Braveheart", there are still some fictional elements such as Tom being a WWI veteran and some events added or removed from Desmond's life. Despite these inaccuracies, the film still stays true to the story of the heroic figure and Garfield portraying said hero is what truly sets the film apart from the usual war flicks.
Gibson makes perhaps the best film of his career after a brief hiatus from directing. I think that he's a far better director than an actor, considering just how grand his vision for a particular project just unfolds onscreen. I love the use of colour as it changes much like the first and second halves. The first half involving the romance and Desmond's army training is mainly coated by this warm sunshine that represents how homey and safe America is during the war. As the film transitions to the Pacific Theatre, the warm colours vanish as greys and darks take over. The ash, mud-filled landscape and dark nighttime scenes reflect the gritty atmosphere and tone that the film represents in that section of the film. The cinematography by Simon Duggan is some great stuff. I feel that it didn't receive a nomination due to the first half of the film having some safe, standard set-ups compared to the second half. Duggan clearly showed more ambition and effort during the war sequences from the long takes, wide landscape shots, extreme close-ups, and holding on to a shot just long enough to see the carnage that doesn't overstay its welcome to appear flashy. The first half of the film has good cinematography for sure, but it's by no means stylistic or unique compared to his work in the later half of the film. The score by Rupert Gregson-Williams is decent, but not going really anything special. It's your typical war movie track with a romantic and homey track here and there. It tends to be on the more emotional side, but it's just kind of generic. To be fair though, the track does fit the film and the subject of Desmond, so there's probably no room for experimentation in this particular soundtrack. Gibson's directing, much like "Braveheart", truly shines during the battle sequences. The Battle of Okinawa is tied with the Omaha Beach landing from "Saving Private Ryan" in terms of being the best WWII battle depicted onscreen. It has the chaos, carnage, gore, victories, losses, and even touches of black comedy that is all edited together to be this memorizing, entertaining piece of cinema.
"Hacksaw Ridge" is, for me, the best WWII film to date with its biopic structure on Desmond Doss, the handling of the tone and pace for both the first and second halves of the film, Garfield's endearing performance as Desmond, a strong supporting cast of likeable, albeit, cliched roles, Duggan's camerawork being almost on John Toll's level, the Battle of Okinawa both entertains gore fanatics and film-lovers for its craftsmanship, and Gibson's directing shows that, despite his use of inaccuracies along with controversies, he's still a fantastic director no matter the project and subject matter. The only thing that's truly holding back the film from being a masterpiece is the score by Gregson-Williams and the occasional inaccuracies. Aside from those tiny issues, this is such a great movie and one that appears to be quite underrated. Despite its nominations and wins in the editing department, it seems that audiences have overlooked it in favour of films such as "Dunkirk" and "1917". While it might not have taken the world by storm, it come in and offered something unorthodox yet special with its approach and depiction of the heroic actions of Desmond Doss.
Verdict: 9.5/10. If the score was more memorable, it would have been practically perfect. Still a fantastic film regardless and a must watch for war film lovers, Andrew Garfield supporters, and gory battle fanatics.
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