By Nadia Ranaputri
Director:
Mel Gibson
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Luke Bracey, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer.
From Braveheart, to Apocalypto, Mel Gibson has proven himself a great director as he is an actor. It’s not often that an actor nails at being a director, but Mel Gibson is one of the exceptions.
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| Source: Screen Rant |
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Luke Bracey, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer.
From Braveheart, to Apocalypto, Mel Gibson has proven himself a great director as he is an actor. It’s not often that an actor nails at being a director, but Mel Gibson is one of the exceptions.
Hacksaw
Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a young man
with religious morals; who enlists in the army and
served during the Battle of Okinawa. As he excels in his training physically,
his reluctance to carry a weapon ranks him among the outcasts. Despite orders
from his superiors for him to resign due to his reluctance of using a weapon,
Desmond refuses to back down. When Desmond is put in the middle of battle, he braves his way
through as he becomes the first man in history to fight in a battle without
firing a single weapon.
Andrew Garfield plays Desmond Doss himself, and I’d
say that this is the best performance that Garfield has ever given. Garfield
portrayed Doss with such charm and gravitas. From the most charming moments to
his most dire ones, Garfield makes a powerful performance that really hits you through the screen.
Vince Vaughn’s performance was also very good. His
character provided much needed humor without having too much, so it wasn’t
saturated and forced. But his character had emotional moments, too, and though
Vaughn is known for his comedic performances, his serious side doesn’t drag him
down. In fact, it elevated his character as well as Vaughn as a dramatic actor.
Under the ranks of Vaughn’s character, Sam Worthington and Luke Bracey give
strong and solid performances, giving their characters depth as they never seem
too overshadowed by the lead character.
Teresa Palmer and Hugo Weaving completes the
spectacular cast, and though they’re not in much, their characters and their relationship with our protagonist leave a
lasting effect on not only the protagonist, but also us as the audience.
As far as storytelling goes, Hacksaw Ridge takes its time to set its characters before it throws
them to the hell that is war itself. At times, the setup can feel a little too
long, as the film opens with a bang, but settles itself to the flashback and
the buildup of Desmond’s story. Yet for a film that takes its time setting up
the characters and their story, Hacksaw
Ridge never really gives a dull moment that makes audiences beg to get the
story going and get to the war already. As characters are introduced and given
time to present themselves to the audience, the film gives us enough to warm up
to them.
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| Source: moviesharkdeblore |
And because Hacksaw
Ridge is a war film, there is violence, and a lot of it. Once our
protagonist and his comrades are thrown into the depths of war, Hacksaw Ridge becomes a spectacle that
is not afraid to show blood and guts. It doesn’t glorify the epic scale of war;
it glorifies the horror and realism of it. The violence in Hacksaw Ridge is explicitly brutal, yet it begs you to keep your
eyes on the screen as these comrades fight for their lives and plunge to
uncertain tragedy.
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| Source: Screen Rant |
Despite the film’s unashamed glorification of horror
and goriness of the war, it hits you right in the core. Hacksaw Ridge excels incredibly in its emotional aspect. The setup
during the first and second act may take its time, but that was what made the
third act ever more powerful to witness. Take away the violence for a second,
and we have our hero running through the battlefield as guns and explosions set
ablaze among the field with only his courage to protect him. It might sound cliché,
but this is a real person who actually did brave against the ever terrifying
war, deprived of a single weapon in hand; and the film did such a great job in
depicting this without making it seem like a cliché.
In all, Hacksaw
Ridge manages to truly leave an impact on its viewers. Though the first and
second act feels a little slow, they have a purpose, as it sets up the
characters well before throwing them to the war pit. Its explicit gore and
horror doesn’t carry the film down, rather it elevates the impact. As war stories go, Hacksaw Ridge excels and deserves the
highest ranks among one of the best films of the year, if not the best.
Stars: 4.4/5
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