HACKSAW RIDGE,

Australia/US, 2016, 140 minutes, Colour.
Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Vince Vaughan, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Luke Bracey, Matt Nable, Richard Roxburgh, Ryan Corr, Bill Young, Robert Morgan.
Directed by Mel Gibson.

A very impressive war film, World War II, on the island of Okinawa in 1945. It is not an easy watch.

Headlines have noted that this is Mel Gibson’s comeback. The last film that he directed was Apocalypto in 2007 and, since the crises in his life, he has appeared in very few films as an actor. Hacksaw Ridge reminds us how well Mel Gibson can make films.

The opening immerses the audience immediately in the experience of war, close-up. rifles, mortars, grenades, flamethrowers and the camera in amongst the soldiers capturing instant death, capturing harrowing wounds, the horror of flames and fire.

But, then the film goes back 15 years and takes us to the blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia to the Doss family. It should be added that the film will return to the close-ups and immersion in the war sequences at the end of the film. While the Americans do defeat the Japanese, this is not quite a gung ho patriotic story but a sometimes horrifying portrayal of the physical and psychological damage done to all soldiers.

Hacksaw Ridge was filmed at the Fox Studios in Sydney and in New South Wales the strong Australian supporting cast all impersonating, quite effectively, Americans. Hugo Weaving is a sometimes brutal, alcoholic father of two young sons, prepared to give them beatings, but then turning on his wife, played by Rachel Griffiths. The film establishes the relationship between the two young brothers, rivalry in climbing the mountains, getting into fistfights and one hitting the other with the brick, suddenly shocked at the potential to kill.

It emerges that their father served in World War I, all his young friends being killed in action.

Then it is World War II, one son signing up to the anger of his father, the other, Desmond (Andrew Garfield in a fine performance), the brother who struck with the brick, has no wish to take up arms, even to touch a rifle, but feels compelled to enlist, wanting to serve as a medic, emerging as a conscientious objector, powerfully motivated by his faith and his Seventh Day Adventist religious practice. (It is interesting to be aware that Mel Gibson is still interested in religious themes, a focus on the Bible and texts and prayer.)

While there are some standard scenes of harsh military training and a surprising non-comic performance from Vince Vaughn as the harsh Sergeant, they serve as a context for Desmond’s commitment to the Army, willing to put up with the taunts of authorities and fellow-soldiers, some brutality on their part, the demands of his commanders to take up arms and the possibilities of a court-martial for his refusal.

There is an engaging romantic background to Desmond’s story, his encounter with the nurse, Dorothy (played with great charm by Teresa Palmer), portrayed with a pleasing blend of romance and humour.

Then it is off to the war, to Okinawa and the need for the Americans to scale a cliff-face, Hacksaw Ridge, and take it from the Japanese, with troop after troop of Americans climbing, facing the heavy artillery, and a wave of Japanese. Once again, and for a greater length of time, the audience is immersed in the close-up of action. The significant difference is the work of Desmond, present with the troops, helping with the wounded, and, eventually, carrying over 70 wounded to the top of the cliff and lowering them with a rope for medical care.

His overwhelmed fellow soldiers and officers admit that they were wrong in their initial judgment and condemnation of him. He was the first conscientious objector to receive the American Medal of Honor, with a final credits image of the actual Desmond’s receiving his medal from President Truman. After the audience’s sharing Desmond’s life and ordeal on screen, it is satisfying to see glimpses of him in real life, and his reflections even in his old age.

In 1999, Terence Malick directed The Thin Red line, about the conflict with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, vivid fighting with a background of meditative reflection. Hacksaw Ridge serves as an effective companion film.


1. The impact of this film? War in the Pacific? Military action? Soldiers and medics?

2. The film is a humane drama, the Doss family, the two brothers, mother and father? Desmond and his relationship with Dorothy?

3. The Australian locations? The Virginia mountains, the military training base, Okinawa? The impact of the locations? The mountains, the town, home, the camp and the details of training? The musical score and the moves?

4. The impact of the action, the stunt work, the close-up camera work, vivid, fighting, hand-to-hand, the squad, guns, grenades, explosions, fire? The wounds and the skills of the prosthetics? Editing and pace? The audience immersed in the battle?

5. The stances of the screenplay, for or anti-war? The role of the conscientious objector? Principles, not touching weapons, the religious motivation, the Seventh Day Adventists, attitude towards arms, no meat, prayer, Bible reading, Saturday for worship?

6. The prologue and its effect? The latter resumption of the battle sequences? The audience prepared by this prologue for the latter part of the film?

7. Tom Doss, World War I, his experiences, his young friends, in the cemetery, the headstones, his memories, his regrets, their deaths? His subsequent life and marriage, alcoholic, brutal, towards his wife, with a gun, the beatings of his boys? The insertion of flashbacks about his brutality? His personal regrets? The boys fighting and Desmond with the brick? His reaction to Hal signing up? Not wanting Desmond to go to the war? His son as a conscientious objector, his putting on his uniform, going to the authorities, the man whom he served with, getting his letter, allowed into the court-martial, presenting his case, the regulations and his son getting off, doing this for Desmond?

8. His wife, a good woman, the Christian values, her suffering, love? The support of her sons? Support of Dorothy?

9. Two boys, the climbing, rivalry, collaboration, bonding, the vicious fight, Desmond with the brick, the injuries to Hal? Recovery? Their lying in bed, listening to their father?

10. Hal, his decision to go to war? Desmond, Pearl Harbor, going to the cinema and seeing the news, the spirit in the town, the rejected man killing themselves? Desmond feeling he was unable to stay?

11. Desmond, his work, his memories of his brother with the brick, attitude towards killing? The accident in the street, his tourniquet, going to the hospital, the encounter with Dorothy, the attraction, the goofy smile? Giving blood? Going back, telling the family that he wanted to marry Dorothy? The dates, avoiding the cars in the street, the movie, the kiss and the slap, Dorothy’s reaction, the need for an invitation? Climbing the mountain together? Her giving him the book for his medical background? The proposal, her response? The wedding dress, waiting, Desmond’s parents, his absence? Dorothy as a character, her love of Desmond, believing him, the visit to the court-martial, the consequences?

12. The importance of the training, the arrival, the range of young groups, the sergeant and his style, with the men, inspecting, the sardonic humour of the nicknames, like Ghoul, Cornstalk, Hollywood? The fact that Hollywood was naked and out in the exercises? Smitty and his toughness?

13. The details of training, Desmond and his skills, Smitty hitting him, the final running, Desmond winning? Smitty and his reaction, the criticisms, the later bashing – and, in the foxhole together, his final regrets?

14. Glover, the charge, reaction, disbelief about Desmond, application of the rules? Desmond’s being refused leave for his wedding and the aggressive officer? The different Offices and their threats? Leading to the court-martial? His decision to plead not guilty? Court-martial itself, the accusations, the presiding judge? Tom Doss and the letter and the verdict?

15. Desmond and his stances, not touching the weapons, his suffering, the ridicule, his patience?

16. Going to Okinawa, the troops May 1945 the Japanese, the American attack – the enormous casualties, their being transported back to the sick base?

17. The Ridge itself, sheer, the ropes, having to scale it? The terrain, the advance, the Navy backup and the aerial backup? Making progress, the Japanese opposition, the range of weapons, the flamethrowers?

18. Desmond and his role, helping, the men having to retreat, the interactions with the sergeant, the men going back down? The return the next day? Going up again, the clash, the trenches, the tunnels, the shooting, the destruction, the deaths and woundings? The night, with Smitty in the foxhole, the nightmare and the Japanese attack and his having no weapon?

19. Desmond staying on the top, evading the Japanese, going through the tunnels? His rescuing the men, getting the rope, lowering them down, always wanting to find one more, over 70? The amazed men at the bottom of the cliff and not knowing who was sending the wounded men down? Desmond and his being wounded, lowered down?

20. Japanese, the soldiers, relentless, the shooting, their being massacred? The officer and his Hari Kari and being beheaded?

21. Desmond, his achievement, the Medal of Honour? The actual footage with President Truman? His story, family, Dorothy, his brother, the testimonies? Glover and his reminiscing about his wrong assessment of Desmond? Desmond in his old age and his folksy comments on what he had done?

22. The response to this film as a war classic?