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Andrew Garfield embodies true heroism in Mel Gibson's war drama |
Director: Mel Gibson
Cast: Andrew Garfield (Desmond Doss), Vince Vaughn (Sergeant
Howell), Sam Worthington (Captain Glover), Luke Bracey (Smitty Riker), Teresa
Palmer (Dorothy Schutte), Hugo Weaving (Tom Doss), Rachael Griffiths (Bertha
Doss), Ryan Corr (Lieutenant Manville).

Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) is a young Virginian man, deterred
from violence early in his childhood, who volunteers for service in the Second
World War, willing to do everything he can to support the war effort except
hold a rifle and take a life. Instead, inspired by his fiancée (a nurse) he
wants to serve as an army medic – to do his bit for his country, while standing
by his principles. Needless to say his decision is not greeted warmly by his army
comrades – but at the Battle of Okinawa,
as his unit goes into service, he proves his heroism saving lives during the
Battle of Hacksaw Ridge.
Firstly, before going any further into the merits of the
film, Andrew Garfield’s performance in the lead role is extraordinarily good in
its simplicity, straightforwardness and aw-shucks
charm. Never once does his guilelessness and honesty ever become wearing –
instead (and Gibson’s direction helps) he is a man you immediately root for, who
you can respect without him feeling perfect. It’s a terrific performance,
respectful and admiring but also real. Gibson’s camera showcases his heroism in
an unfussy way, avoiding too many directing flourishes – which makes these
scenes of life-saving all the more inspiring. A perfect match of actor and
role.
There are also plenty of fine supporting performances – Hugo
Weaving is very good as Doss’s shell
shocked father, barely able to understand his emotions, with Rachael Griffiths
similarly good as his caring mother. Sam Worthington gives perhaps a career
best performance as Doss’ captain. Even Vince Vaughan, while sometimes trying
too hard as a gruff sergeant, quickly settles into giving one of his finest
performances. Teresa Palmer is very sweet as Doss’ fiancée. In fact, there is not
a bad performance in it.
But what of the film? Perhaps only Mel Gibson could direct a
film that is simultaneously a celebration of pacifism and an endorsement of
righteous war. This is perhaps one of the most visceral war films you are
likely to see, with bullets ripping bodies in half, the camera unflinchingly
recording every injury in gory detail. Say what you like about Gibson, but as
an ‘experience’ film maker he is extraordinarily good – he knows how to immerse
the audience in ways few others do. He also brilliantly shows both the terror of
combat and the courage of soldiers. His staging of the war is tense and
gripping, without being sensationalist. In fact, I don’t hesitate to place its
depiction of war up there with Saving
Private Ryan, combining the savagery of combat with the uplifting courage
of a man who only went there to save lives.
Surprisingly one of the strengths of Gibson’s film-making is
that he is a very simplistic story teller. His films are morality tales of
right and wrong. His heroes, be they William Wallace or Jesus Christ, have
overcome burdens to build peaceful homes before a call of duty shatters their
world. In a way, that makes Desmond Doss a perfect match for him. The structure
of the film, and the familiar beats in the first half of the film, ticking off
influences on Doss’ life with a straightforwardness bordering on cliché, all work
because they are presented with a guileless genuineness. Gibson successfully
establishes a character who feels like an ordinary man who goes on to place
himself in an extraordinary position.
Gibson’s simplicity as a story-teller has its drawbacks in
the presentations of the antagonists in the film. The Japanese are presented as
little better than a faceless horde, a fanatical band of killers, consumed with
ruthlessness and lacking all sense of moral decency. Of course, that is to be
expected from seeing the film solely from the Western side. But it sits slightly
uncomfortably in a film that want to endorse Doss’ values. There are touches of
even-handedness – a moment where Doss treats a terrified Japanese soldier in a
bunker, or references to a few of the enemy that he lowered off the cliff
(although Gibson isn’t afraid to have a soldier bluntly state “They all died”
when asked what happened to them). But in a film that claims pacifism is
something to admire, showing one half of the conflict as almost universally
unfeeling monsters doesn’t always sit right.
This conflict between pacifism and righteous war, is one the
film struggles with throughout. If anything it wants to have its cake and eat
it too. It wants us to acknowledge the principle of pacifism as a good thing.
But it’s also almost scared of being accused of presenting any idea that might
be accused of detracting anything from the heroism of the generation that
fought the Second World War.
How Doss squared his moral beliefs with helping the men
alongside him to carry on killing is none of my business. It’s certain Doss is
a far wiser, braver and kinder man than I could ever hope to be, and his
actions were genuine, decent, honest and in keeping with his personal morality.
I don’t understand his thinking, but that doesn’t matter and the film knows it
doesn’t matter, that we don’t need to
completely understand to respect. The film wisely avoids any hokey scenes where
Doss explains his convictions. It presents what Doss did as a fact, and says to
us “here it is”. The man was involved in a hellish war, but he did what he
believed was the right thing to do, and he saved dozens of lives doing it. If
we can celebrate the actions of the men on the Normandy beaches fighting
Nazism, or the pilots of the Battle of Britain, then we certainly can salute
Gibson for bringing to the world’s attention this honourable, decent, brave and
above all genuine man.
For all his faults, this film proves Gibson is a first rate
filmmaker. Here, he has made a moving
war film that, although it seems to be trying to be many things to many people,
still manages to contain a moral message and highlights a man who deserves to
be remembered. It may have confusion at its heart about its true attitude
towards war – but I believe it does have that heart in the right place, is
trying to send a positive message to the world, and is a highly impressive and
compelling piece of filmmaking.
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