Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) enlists in the war because he feels has no choice but to serve his country. He wasn't just some ordinary soldier that's willing to kill the Japanese. Desmond was a Christian conscientious objector who refused to bear arms and work on the Seventh Day since he was a Seventh-Day Adventist. After a lot of trouble, he was granted his request to head on to the Battle of Okinawa as a medic without a gun.
The film opens up to present Desmond's backstory before enlisting to the war. Within the backstory, we see how became the person he was. By that, we understand why Desmond strictly doesn't wish to kill, even in the war. We also get to witness his awful attempt at dating. By awful, I mean Desmond's attempt rather than the script's. I debate to myself whether the awkwardness of Desmond asking Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer) on a date should be the film's flaw or not. That specific, yet cliched, scene also happened to be quite charming, thanks to the wonderful acting. It's a shame that there wasn't much development behind the relationship. I felt like Mr. Gibson didn't want to waste any time with that and decided to proceed with the main focus of Desmond Doss' story. You almost want to buy into the relationship because Andrew Garfield and Teresa Palmer worked so well.
Speaking of the cast, all of the performances were exceptional. I don't know how Mel Gibson did it, but he somehow got good performances from Luke Bracey and Sam Worthington who most often familiarize as mediocre actors. The Sam Worthington from Avatar is not the same guy I saw from Hacksaw Ridge. He has come a long way. I also bought Vince Vaughn as a drill sergeant. It may not ring a bell at the moment, but you'll believe him when you see. Of course, he has his funny moments, but they also work. I hope Vince does more serious roles in the future.
Gibson's portrayal of the Battle of Okinawa is brutal. I almost want to consider HACKSAW RIDGE being a horror film. The way he portrayed the agony and violence are terrifying. One might say Gibson overdid it with the gore and violence. I disagree. It's not like Gibson borrowed fake blood from Quentin Tarantino for his war film. He used the violence and gore as a symbol of what the Battle of Okinawa. War isn't pretty nor censored for children. His use of violence never seemed unrealistic at any moment.
During the war, you will feel tense, even during the smallest moments. Mel uses excellent camerawork to depict that. The cinematography certainly adds to the horrific realism Gibson brought to this film. The score also added heart to this film. It helped pull my heartstrings during emotional scenes. However, there was some wonky CGI. I was wondering how Mel Gibson looked at it and said those particular effects looked okay. Thankfully, there was barely any CGI in the film. I'm not criticizing the use of the cgi, just the detail I saw.
HACKSAW RIDGE is a well-executed film and a must see. If there was a little more development in the first act, I would have called this a fantastic film. I'm glad Mr. Gibson is directing again.
