HACKSAW RIDGE

Title : Hacksaw Ridge

Director : Mel Gibson
House Production : Lionsgate
Cast : Andrew Garfield, Luke Bracey, Vince Vaughn
Genre : War, Biographical, History
Duration : 139 minutes
Release Date : November 4, 2016

Mel Gibson is a director from the USA. He is also the director of one of the greatest
Christian Movies called The Passion of The Christ. He won some achievements from The
Passion of The Christ and Hacksaw Ridge. Those achievements are Satellite Award for Best
Director in 2005, AACTA International Award for Best Direction in 2017, and AACTA
Award for Best Director in 2016.
Furthermore, Andrew Garfield is a famous American actor who was born in 1983. He
is also famous for his role as Spiderman in the many Spiderman Movies such as The
Amazing Spiderman 1, The Amazing Spiderman 2, and Spiderman No Way Home. He also
won some achievements such as AACTA Award for Best Actor in 2016, Satellite Award for
Best Actor in a Motion Picture in 2017, and Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor in
Action Movie in 2016.
The Bible once said “don’t kill”, Exodus 20:13. This movie tells us about a soldier
named Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who has strong and unique determination. He is a
soldier but he doesn't want to touch a weapon or any other firearm because he obeyed the Ten
Commandments of the Lord in the Bible. At first, he was being bullied by other soldiers. But
after that, he was decided by his commander to be a medical soldier. When it comes to the
war in Okinawa against Japan, Desmond Doss did something beyond everyone's expectation.
Because of him, he saved 75 soldiers who were injured because of war. Without fear, Doss
had put others first and was prepared to sacrifice himself to protect the lives of others. He
always prayed to God to save one more soldier whenever he saved a soldier. One of my
favorite lines from him is "please Lord, help me to get one more". He even saved a soldier
from his own opponent, a soldier from Japan. Because of his action, he achieved the Medal of
Honor.
Undoubtedly, one half of Hacksaw Ridge is excellent, but one has to slog through
about an hour of very bland and clunky storytelling before it comes to pass. Major weakness
lies in the visual effects, which cause the film to lose any real credibility, making it look more
like a cartoon than perhaps it should. However, one of the strengths of Hacksaw Ridge is its
coherent story. We will be taken to watch how Desmond defends his decision not to own a
gun because of his beliefs. In the middle of the battle scene, there is a flashback of what
actually happened so that as viewers we will understand more about what Desmond believes.
Hacksaw Ridge expands our knowledge because it shows the dark side of war.
Starting from the time before the war, when military members had to be forged in physically
and psychologically draining training. During war, they have to be far from their loved ones
and have to risk their lives with the possibility that their lives may not be saved. The tense
atmosphere of war is depicted very thoroughly in Hacksaw Ridge. How they should start to
attack, hide, take turns to rest, share food and drink. One of the touching scenes was when
Desmond secretly saved his dead colleagues from being taken down from the hill. The
climax was when one by one they were shot and Desmond had to struggle to treat his injured
colleagues.
Andrew Garfield succeeded in playing the character of Desmond Doss very well.
Desmond is an innocent and religious figure, played by Garfield almost perfectly. The way he
talks, walks, even his body language is truly amazing. Especially when he had to act out a
scene where Desmond was in a difficult situation, it looked very real. Many people say that
Hacksaw Ridge is Andrew Garfield's best film. The Hacksaw Ridge movie teaches us to be
brave enough to stand up for what we believe in without having to force it on other people
and focus on our goals. This movie is suitable for audiences with age above 18. I give this
movie a 9/10 because this movie is inspirational, the acting is great, and the cinematography
of this movie are amazing.