Hacksaw Ridge movie review

Hacksaw Ridge is a war movie based on a true story. It is set during the Pacific Campaign of World War II when U.S.A. already joined the Allied Forces against the Japanese Imperial Forces. Unlike any war movie, it made a hero of a conscientious objector who refuses to carry a firearm.

Photo credit: Columbia Pictures

I find it peculiar because the objector Desmond Doss(played by Andrew Garfield) is a Seventh Day Adventist but he wanted to serve the country but he still wanted to enlist and serve his country as a medic. You may also find it weird because he also has an obligation to defend himself and there are lot of soldiers who are depending on a medic so it’s a symbiotic arrangement.

But despite the persecutions, Doss still is guilty of disobeying an order. But he was able to do what no person, armed or unarmed, was able to do in enemy lines. After Braveheart and The Passion of The Christ, director Mel Gibson was able to tell another epic that can inspire many people whether you are religious or not.

Mel Gibson was able to show what was it like in the warfront especially what the soldiers look like when Doss was helping out the soldiers. If you have a weak stomach, I advise not to eat much before watching because it is grossly visual but essential for the story.

This movie is also a mind opener because besides the Seventh Day Adventists and the Quakers, we don’t know which religious denomination is also a pacifist because there are some religious sects that is more citizen to their religion or church than their own country.

The reason why I wanted to watch Hacksaw Ridge because it also got many nominations for the Academy Awards and the movie didn’t disappoint me because I also share Doss’ sentiments but unlike him, if I were enlisted, I will carry a gun but hope I may not able to fire it unless necessary.

Don’t leave during the credits because it will also show footages from the surviving characters portrayed in the movie.

The movie is also an all-star cast including Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn which I never expected in a non-comedy movie and more. What do you think of Desmond Doss' convictions? Do you share his sentiments or not? Feel free to share it in the comments below. For more movie reviews or commentaries, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

LUKE BRACEY IN “HACKSAW RIDGE”

Press release

LUKE BRACEY, FROM “POINT BREAK” TO “HACKSAW RIDGE”

Rapidly ascending Australian actor Luke Bracey, recently seen in the hit action-thriller Point Break, now stars opposite Andrew Garfield in the critically acclaimed war film, Hacksaw Ridge.

Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Vying for eight Oscar Awards including Best Picture, Hacksaw Ridge centers on the story of Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a Seventh-day Adventist who became an army medic while adhering to his religious convictions of not carrying a weapon. He saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

Bracey plays Smitty Ryker, the natural leader of Doss’s company and his greatest rival. Ryker is a fictional character created to be emblematic of the many men who challenged Doss with their skepticism.

Bracey was strongly drawn to playing Smitty. “I’m a history buff and World War II has always fascinated me,” Ryker explains. “That’s what drew me in initially, and then it was the unique story of Desmond Doss, and on top of that having Mel Gibson direct it.”

The most intriguing part for Bracey was exploring how Smitty’s deep suspicion of Desmond turns, over time, into the deepest kind of respect. “Smitty’s mistrust of Desmond evolves,” says Bracey. “Smitty initially doesn’t understand Desmond. He’s a guy who prides himself on being able to read people immediately, but Desmond keeps making these strange decisions that contradict who Smitty perceives this man to be. But when he sees who Desmond is in battle, all these bricks Smitty has built between the two of them get knocked away. He sees so much strength of character in Desmond and he realizes they’re actually similar kinds of guys. They have a strong brotherly connection by the end of the film.”

Bracey viewed dozens of World War II films and documentaries, especially those based in the Pacific, to get a real sense of what it was like for the soldiers. He also engaged in intense physical preparation. “I wanted to really get my blood pumping and make sure I was fit to the point I almost felt like a kind of predator,” he says of his training.

Director Mel Gibson was impressed with what Bracey brought to the character, inside and out. “Luke is a really great up and comer with all the action hero attributes – but here he takes on a role where he does things perhaps you don’t expect him to do,” Gibson summarizes.

Hacksaw Ridge will open in Philippine cinemas on February 22, 2017.