Review – Hacksaw Ridge

While watching Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson’s latest war epic, their was a quote that stood out to me the whole time;

“Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but the son of a bitch knows story structure.”

This, of course, is from the great South Park episode, Imaginationland, who notoriously imagined Gibson as an insane, Daffy Duck-like figure who runs around in his underwear grabbing his nipples.  Now, I’m sure Gibson doesn’t run around in his underwear grabbing his nipples, but he damn sure knows story structure, and that is one of the many reasons why Hacksaw Ridge is as good as it is.

Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of World War II solider Desmond Doss, who refuses to kill people while serving during the Battle of Okinawa.

Andrew Garfield has been putting in great work for quite awhile now.  From the indie drama debut, Boy A (2007), to his brilliant breakout in The Social Network (2010), to his portrayal of the famed web-slinger in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012, 2014) movies, Garfield has put together an impressive, diverse filmography.  Hacksaw Ridge is his best performance to date.  Doss is a sweet, good ‘ol Southern boy who will die and get his ass kicked to keep his morals and beliefs in tact and Garfield conveys his struggle and emotional angst brilliantly.  This is an awards-worthy performance that I hope gets recognition at the end of the year.

We also get a surprising turn from Vince Vaughn as the tough Sergeant Howell.  This a performance that caters to Vaughn’s comedic styling, as he has a Full Metal Jacket (1987)-style roast of his platoon that brings a few chuckles to an overall moody film.  But, he also brings an intensity unseen from Vaughn ever.  It is an impressive performance for a man who really needs a career reset.  I also loved Hugo Weaving as Desmond’s alcoholic father.  He has some emotionally powerful scenes that allow Weaving to make a full character out of someone who is in the movie for less than half of it.

Even with these great performances, the true star of the film is Gibson.  A lot of people will say this film is a “return to form” for Gibson, which is wrong.  Even though I’m not a big fan of his film’s as a whole, Gibson has always been a good director and his movies have a really good visual style, along with great stories.  This is the case with Hacksaw Ridge.  Gibson has never been better.  He does a great job of establishing who Doss is and why he is the way that he is.  The first hour of the film is all character development and it is exactly what we need to fully sympathize and understand the character.  When the war officially starts, it is a breathtaking spectacle.  Gibson shows us the horror’s of war, never shying from the violence and horrific injuries that took place, along with keeping the tension up as Doss is in this battlefield without a weapon to defend himself.

The first battle at Hacksaw Ridge reminded me of the opening Normandy scene in Saving Private Ryan (1998).  It is shocking, realistic, and set the tone for the entire second half of the film, which, as a whole, is some of the most emotional cinema I have seen all year.

Hacksaw Ridge is one of the best movies of 2016.  With a spectacular lead performance by Andrew Garfield and masterful direction by Mel Gibson, this incredible true story is brought to life in the best way possible.  This is a great film about a great American hero.

MY RATING – 4/4

Did you see Hacksaw Ridge?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter or Instagram, @kevflix, or find Kevflix on Facebook or YouTube by searching Kevflix.