Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man, 99 Homes) is still waiting for his first Academy Award nomination. He’s a fine actor who, at 33, is still very young. He hasn’t really allowed himself to show his range as an actor. He first entered the national consciousness in 2012 in The Amazing Spider-Man reboot, taking the Peter Parker/Spider-Man character to highs and lows that Tobey Maguire was never able to accomplish. He showed some promise when he worked opposite Michael Shannon as an ethically challenged real estate broker whose job it is to tell homeowners who can no longer make payments to the banks that their homes have been foreclosed on. As good as this movie is, and even though Garfield is the lead actor, this is Shannon’s movie from the start. Garfield never had a chance to star in

Things are a little different in Hacksaw Ridge. Gibson (this man can direct a film) puts all his eggs into the basket with Garfield. And Garfield knows that this chance to shine, and he does just that. Now while it’s still early in the Oscar season, you could make a case for Garfield to get his due. Unfortunately, as of the time of this post, I think he might be on the outside looking in. I think the Academy will shut him out because there is enough competition that includes men who have “paid their dues” more than Garfield has. Is that right? Of course not. But that seems to be how it works, and it’s been shown time and time again. Of the five nominees, it looks like a few are already locks. These include Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Denzel Washington (Fences), and Joel Edgerton (Loving). Most have Tom Hanks getting nominated for Sully, leaving Garfield, Ryan Gosling (La La Land), and a host of others vying for that final spot. Without seeing any of these other movies yet other than Sully, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Garfield get recognized, and I think this performance would be good enough to get a nom in some years.

He sees it as his duty to enlist for World War II even though he is against violence. His main reason for doing so is because two of his friends in town tried to enlist but were unable to pass the physical. And so he enlists and sets out to basic training at Fort Jackson, much to the disappointment of his parents and his new girlfriend Dorothy (Teresa Palmer – Triple 9, Lights Out).  At basic training, Doss quickly makes friends with many of the men in his unit, including Smitty (Luke Bracey – The Best of Me, November Man), Vito (Firass Dirani – television’s House Husbands), Ghoul (Goran D. Kleut – I, Frankenstein, Gods of Egypt), and Hollywood (Luke Pegler – television’s Home and Away). This is until they learn that he refuses to carry a gun. Then he is deemed a coward, particularly when his bully sergeant (Vince Vaughn – The Internship, Old School) clouds their minds by telling them Doss wouldn’t be there to have their backs while in the middle of a battle. What others fail to mention is that Doss is there to save lives and not take them. He has studied to be a medic and will be with them every step of the way. He refuses to carry a rifle (or work on the sabbath) because of his religious and personal beliefs. Sergeant Howell, much like Doss’s commander (Sam Worthington – Avatar, Everest), is old school and tries to get him discharged from the army. When that doesn’t work, he is labeled as a conscientious objector. He doesn’t appreciate that term, instead choosing to call himself a conscientious cooperator. Regardless, he’s looked at by others in his unit and others as a black sheep.

Eventually, the 77th Division makes it out of training and finds itself in Okinawa’s allied invasion, an island 340 miles south of mainland Japan that the United States wanted to use an airbase to attack Japanese forces. With its caves, tunnels, booby troops, and camouflaged combatants, Okinawa is nearly impenetrable. Couple that with the fact there was a jagged 350-foot escarpment that had to be climbed with cargo nets before any sort of hand-to-hand combat could ever take place, and you had a nearly impossible task at hand. But, while other divisions had failed, Sergeant Howell and his men had the courage to at least try to get closer than any of the previous divisions. This is where the intense battle scenes of the movie occur and where you get to see the true mayhem of war. And this is where the payoff really occurs. You become so entrenched with these characters that you feel a sense of loss when they lose something. And while Garfield shined throughout this entire movie, this is where his character shows that you don’t need a weapon in your hand to show true courage.

Say what you will about Mel Gibson, but the man can direct a movie. His personal life has crumbled in the last decade or so, and much, if not all of this, has been brought on by his own doing. I used to like him as a director and an actor. I no longer do. But that does not mean I’ll stop watching his films. In this instance, I can separate him from his work. Some of his films are some of the best ever made. Braveheart was my all-time favorite movie for 10+ years and still remains in my overall top 10. The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto are also very ambitious films that he directed. Gibson is a man who can often work his deep religious beliefs with his seemingly, insatiable appetite for anarchy. And it works for him. His movies are hits with critics and hits with audiences. He very well could have been blackballed by Hollywood (much like Woody Allen has been), and maybe he has been to a certain extent. I could see Hacksaw Ridge as the best film not to get a nomination in any category when the nominations are announced.

If you’re not boycotting Mel Gibson’s films, I think Hacksaw Ridge is a must-see. As of this post, it is competing with Sully for my favorite movie of the year. While Sully was one of the most perfectly made films you’ll ever see, Hacksaw Ridge is more ambitious and emotionally invested by its conclusion. While I go to the movies at odd times and thus the auditoriums are often far emptier than they might be, I did see Hacksaw Ridge in a semi-full theater. I honestly can’t remember the last time the audience clapped when the movie had ended. Many people felt the same way I did about it once it was over. And, again, a lot of credit goes to Gibson for telling an incredible story without veering away from the true story. I really, really liked this film.

Plot 10/10
Character Development 9/10 (you learn so much about so many of the different characters…this is hard to do…especially in certain genres like war)
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10 (Garfield and Worthington were wonderful…Vaughn was great as well, but it’s becoming harder and harder to watch a drama with Vaughn because you think of all of the comedies he has been in while you’re watching the film…still, it shouldn’t take away from this performance.
Screenplay 9/10
Directing 10/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 10/10 (Garfield’s character intrigues you from the very beginning and makes him someone you will root for until the very end)
Universal Relevance 10/10 (a story that I never knew about…how did I not know about this story?)
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