Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge is the reminder everyone needed of just how good Mel Gibson is at putting a picture together. It is the harrowing and extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor for the feats of incredible heroism he performed all without ever firing a rifle. Apart from an opening flash forward, the film starts slowly, giving us plenty of meaty background on Doss, his family, and his eventual wife. Much of it unfolds as you'd expect, as do the inevitable problems Doss faces in boot camp, due to his unwillingness to carry a weapon on religious grounds. However once the battles begin, and the horror of war is on display, Hacksaw Ridge is brutal, brilliant and masterful. The most gripping, upsetting and technically proficient War scenes since Saving Private Ryan. Be warned, they are graphic. Yet despite that, what shines through the most is courage not carnage. The courage of men asked to do the unthinkable, the courage to stand by your convictions, and the courage to reach into hell and drag 75 souls out alive. Andrew Garfield is excellent as Doss, even if his Southern accent doesn't always hold and his tendency toward preening in the first half is a little much. But he captures the spirit and empathy of the man quite well. The supporting performances are also top notch, especially Hugo Weaving as Doss' WW1 veteran father and a terrific Vince Vaughn, doing his best film work to date as Sgt. Howell. An absolute triumph for Gibson and one of the best films of the year.