Hacksaw Ridge is, I guess, the film that has brought director Mel Gibson back into mainstream Hollywood acceptance after his series of indiscretions a few years ago. Just like the other films he has directed, none of which I have enjoyed, this is technically proficient and demonstrates that Gibson is particularly adept at handling action scenes.
It is also, though, a film of a man with a confused mind. The hero, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) has strong religious beliefs that include him refusing to take arms. Thinking he needs to make a contribution to defending his country in the Second World War, he joins the army as a medic, and struggles to gain acceptance from his superiors that he can go onto the battlefield without a gun. Much is made of Doss’ unshakeable beliefs in the face of intimidation and the legal process.
He is seen as a resolutely good man with ideals to be admired. At the same time, once we reach the conflict in Japan, the film seems to revel in the violence of war, with lingering camera shots of mutilated bodies and dying men. You could argue that Gibson is showing the true horrors of war, much as a film like All Quiet on the Western Front did 80 years ago. But as the battle at Hacksaw Ridge reaches its climax and the US troops take ascendancy, the slow motion shots of the slaughter of the Japanese troops, whilst the stirring soundtrack swells, truly seems to glorify the violence and is meant to rouse the passions of American viewers, at least.
Putting that aside, the first assault on the Japanese stronghold is brilliantly depicted. The action is suitably chaotic but not so much that you can’t follow what is going on. It also has to be said that Doss’ actions were truly extraordinary. So, it is a pity that hour leading up to that point is so incredibly ordinary. Despite a drunken, abusive father – Hugo Weaving better than he has been in some time – the early part of the film showing Doss growing up in Hicksville are saccharine sweet and very dull. His romance with Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) is utterly predictable and his training camp experiences are completely clichéd.
The scene introducing his comrades borders on a parody – there’s the Pole, the Italian, the tough guy who takes a dislike to him (but you know will bond with him when the chips are down). Here’s Tex, he’s from Texas and is showing off his prowess with a rope and there’s Hollywood, he wants to be an actor. I felt like a scene from Top Secret had been slipped into the story! Obviously you have the bullying Sergeant, though I thought Vince Vaughn, on a bit of a career resurgence with this and the last series of True Detective, after years of walking disinterestedly through a series of dire comedies, makes the most of the part.
I preferred Garfield in this film than in The Silence a few weeks ago. His goofy charm just about makes what is an outlandish real life character believable. But his best actor Oscar nomination and the one for the best film and director are baffling in a year when there was so much competition. If Hacksaw Ridge does pick up an award at the end of February, it will probably be where it is most deserving, for sound mixing and / or editing. It brings the battle scenes to another level and make it feel like the bullets are flying past you.
Rating: 6 out of 10