Andrew Garfield in “Hacksaw Ridge”; Mark Rogers/Lionsgate(NEW YORK) — While some may never forgive Mel Gibson for his past indiscretions, it’s undeniable he’s a terrific filmmaker. But he hasn’t directed a film in 10 years — perhaps licking his wounds, but we should be glad he hasn’t stopped creating.
Hacksaw Ridge is inspired by the incredible true story of Desmond T. Doss, one of only three U.S. soldiers to win the Medal of Honor for military combat service as a conscientious objector, and Gibson thrusts that story into the zeitgeist with an admirable and unforgettable effort.
Andrew Garfield plays Doss, a young man raised by a violent World War I veteran, played by Hugo Weaving. Doss’s upbringing and his father’s savage, alcohol-infused outbursts inform his decision to be a devout Seventh-day Adventist and pacifist. Despite his beliefs, the boy who grew up in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains wants to serve his country as a an Army medic.
Before going off the war, Desmond falls in love with local hospital nurse Dorothy (Teresa Palmer). It’s an interesting courtship, as Desmond spends a lot of time just staring at Dorothy. By today’s standards, it’s creepy, but by mid-1940s standards…charming? It comes off as a bit inauthentic, but Garfield and Palmer’s chemistry overcomes the awkwardness.
Doss is great at basic training but the wheels (training wheels?) fall off when he refuses to touch a gun. We eventually get past all of that and, sure enough, Doss gets his wish and becomes a medic who doesn’t have carry a gun. What ensues will, and should, leave a lump in your throat.
There are a few things that keep Hacksaw Ridge from attaining true greatness. One is boot camp. The scene in which we’re introduced Doss’s platoon mates, in his bunk, plays more like a Broadway comedy — arch, over-the-top and full of cheesy exposition that significantly dumbs-down an otherwise solid script. Still, it’s fun to see Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell. Sam Worthington, a fine actor in other films, comes off here as an Australian dude trying to play a tough, 1940s platoon leader.
Another reason Hacksaw Ridge isn’t quite great: Gibson comes dangerously close to turning some of the battles into gratuitous violence — perhaps a little over-the-top with the blood and and a bit cavalier with the Rambo-esque heroics of some of the soldiers. Still, Gibson presents a bleak and graphic rendering of war and battle, and in an effort to take a place known as Hacksaw Ridge, Doss and company experience Hell — and so do we. Doss and his heroics actually happened, so some of what may seem unbelievable as it’s presented here may be that way because what Doss did is, in itself, simply unbelievable.
Andrew Garfield’s performance as Doss is terrific, maybe bested only by Weaving. Garfield becomes Doss and Gibson is terrific at finding the truth in his eyes. As Weaving’s Tom Doss points out in a particularly poignant scene, Desmond is always thinking and always praying, about every decision he makes. But Garfield doesn’t overact Desmond’s penchant for pensive decision-making and prayer. Rather, it’s an organic manifestation of the character.
Again, Hacksaw Ridge isn’t a great film but it is a very good film, and I can see both Garfield and Weaving getting Oscar nods for their work in it. And no matter how you may personally feel about Mel Gibson, he knows how to stir our emotions and make us think.
Four out of five stars.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
