Hot take. Hacksaw Ridge > Saving Private Ryan.
That was my claim after my theater viewing of Mel Gibson’s (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ) newest film. I’ve since slept on this, but I should have watched it again. Nonetheless, it doesn’t take away from Gibson’s movie. Hacksaw Ridge was based on a true story, whereas Saving Private Ryan was not. For me, when all else is equal, it nods to the more factual-based one. Saving Private Ryan was a fantastic movie. The Invasion of Normandy Omaha Beach to open the movie was one of the most captivating and memorable action sequences in film history. When I claimed that Hacksaw Ridge was a better movie, I almost inserted the caveat that “outside of the opening 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge is a better movie.” But that seemed like a copout. I couldn’t spoil it with some condition that limited my case.
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 has yet to truly 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 could never accomplish. He showed some promise when he worked opposite Michael Shannon as an ethically challenged real estate broker whose job is to tell homeowners who can no longer pay the banks that their homes have been foreclosed on. As good as this movie is, 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 is his chance to shine, and he does just that. 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, 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 is how it works, and it’s been shown repeatedly. A few of the five nominees are already locked. 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 many others vying for that final spot. Without seeing any of these movies besides Sully, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Garfield get recognized, and this performance would be good enough to get a nom in some years.
There is so much great about Hacksaw Ridge. I’ll go back one more time to the Saving Private Ryan comparison. For as great as Saving Private Ryan was (and it was great), all the pieces were in place to make this a much stronger story than it was. The director was perfect. The cast was perfect. The cinematography was perfect. The sound was perfect. Everything was set up perfectly after the first scene, and you could have taken the movie in so many different directions. Yet, the idea of sending eight men on a mission to rescue the only remaining son of a mother who had already lost her other three boys earlier in World War II. So when you compare this movie with a movie like Hacksaw Ridge, which has all the same elements and is based on a true story, it becomes easier to give the edge to the one based on a true story. Unlike many movies that are inspired by actual events or based loosely on a true story, Hacksaw Ridge mainly stays true when you discover many discrepancies. If you’re curious about the fact versus fiction of the movie, please visit Hacksaw Ridge vs. the True Story of Desmond Doss, Medal of Honor
I remember hearing that this movie was “bloody.” While this is true, it is not this way for more than the film’s first half. The first half of this film could have been PG-13 if they had toned down the language. There were no action scenes for the first half of the film, but the film works very well. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, which lets you know from the opening minutes you are in for a gut-wrenching couple of hours, Hacksaw Ridge builds to its battle scenes. The film’s first half describes Desmond Doss (Garfield) as a young boy living in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The year is 1928, and Desmond’s life revolves around his family. This includes his brother Hal, who he loves but is constantly fighting with, and his alcoholic and abusive father Tom (Hugo Weaving – The Matrix, Transformers), who was never able to overcome the loss of so many of his friends in the first World War, and his kind-hearted mother Bertha (Rachel Griffiths – The Rookie, Blow). Desmond’s household is extremely religious, but there is always a hint of violence that hangs overhead. One scene in particular shapes him for the rest of his life. Desmond also has an internal knack or desire for wanting to help people. This, too, helps to define his character. On top of that, he’s an extremely personable and honest man who adheres to his core values.
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 could not pass the physical. 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. Others fail to mention 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. Much like Doss’s commander (Sam Worthington – Avatar, Everest), Sergeant Howell 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 as an airbase to attack Japanese forces. With its caves, tunnels, booby troops, and camouflaged combatants, Okinawa is nearly impenetrable. Couple that with the fact that a jagged 350-foot escarpment had to be climbed with cargo nets before any hand-to-hand combat could occur, and you had a nearly impossible task. But, while other divisions had failed, Sergeant Howell and his men dared to try at least to get closer than any previous divisions. This is where the movie’s intense battle scenes occur, and you see the true mayhem of war. And this is where the payoff happens. You become so entrenched with these characters that you feel a sense of loss when they lose something. While Garfield shines 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 made. Braveheart was my all-time favorite movie for 10+ years and remains in my overall top 10. The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto are also very ambitious films 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 may 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.
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 saw 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 like I did about it once it was over. Again, much credit goes to Gibson for telling an incredible story without veering away from the truth. I 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 specific genres like war)
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10 (Garfield and Worthington were excellent. Vaughn was also great, but watching a drama with Vaughn is sometimes more difficult because you think of all of the comedies he has been in while 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 knew nothing about)
96%
A
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Saving Private Ryan
- 1917
- American Sniper
- Lone Survivor
- Black Hawk Down