Reasons to watch (or not) Hacksaw Ridge

Synopsys: Desmond Doss is a conscientious objector that decides to enlist in the army to fight the Second World War. For religious reasons he can't touch a gun, so you immediately imagine the problem. However, it is a free country and the army allows him to go to the Pacific theater without a single weapon protecting him. He then starts to serve as a medic on the battlefield, as he wanted in the first place. In a gruesome battle with the Japanese, he stays behind during the retreat to save as many lives as possible, becoming a hero and the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

2016 has been a year full of true stories and Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, is entering pretty high on that list. It is a long movie that flows smoothly thanks to a solid structure: introduction of the character in his normal days, army training, battle with heroism acts. 

The character of Desmond (Andrew Garfield) is well presented, both by a good screenplay and a good actor's performance. Therefore the goal is easily achieved: the viewer is naturally brought to care about him. Thus the intensity of the movie and the emotional impact come out enhanced, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Mel Gibson plays with our emotions by showing us a battle sequence that I'm not worried to define at the level of Saving Private Ryan, with the addition of the modern graphical technology. In short, you perceive the hell of the war, you hear the bombs falling around you, you see the body parts, you feel the danger of an enemy able to appear from nowhere and not afraid to die. 

The immersion in what private Doss has experienced that day when he stayed behind and saved over 75 soldiers on the battlefield is complete and therefore emotional. Such feature alone makes the movie worth seeing.

The downside of telling a story about a conscientious objection for a religious belief is that the rhetoric on religion is particularly heavy in the movie. The faith of the main character and the importance that the 10th commandments have for him is constantly reminded during the entire film. I said heavy because the religious aspect is irrelevant for the story. It characterizes Desmond and gives us his legitimate motivations. However, the constant reminder of this aspect stops to be functional to the story and becomes more like a fanatic propaganda of how good are the things written in the bible. I really don't care, but I do know that in the same book is also written (to remain in theme) [and Jesus said] "But those my enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring here, and slay them before me." (Luke, 19:27). So, it is not about the book, it is always about the readers and we can be lighter on the rhetoric.         

Looking at the actor performances, it is difficult to not appreciate the job of Hugo Weaving, in the role of Desmond father. His representation of the horror of WW1, where he lost all his friends and part of his humanity, places him several steps above all the other actors. On the other side, the performance of Vince Vaughn, although convincing when he is speaking, looks quite off every time he as to move. In particular, you can tell he is not a soldier when he runs with a gun in his hands.

All that being said, I had a good time in the theater, the movie tells a fascinating story, it is visually very good, and these aspects help to overcome the heavy religious rhetoric. It is probably the best movie based on a true story of the year.