Combined Rating 4.5/5
Frank’s Review:
When I experienced Saving Private Ryan in 1998, I remember thinking I’d never witness a more accurate and harrowing recreation of the hell of war, and the internal agonies endured by it’s patriotic, yet hesitant participants. You would expect nothing less from Spielberg, the master. However, what we get from Mel Gibson in arguably his second masterpiece (see Braveheart) is not only a true story that is Ryan’s equal in terms of emotional impact, but a work that delves even further into the dichotomy between answering the call of “duty” and being true to values that preserve the core of our humanity. Our eager protagonist is convinced reconciliation is possible even as our role as children of God, reflected through His word, seems to confound. The film viscerally poses the central questions: to what extent is the sacrifice of some part of our humanity necessary to preserve the ideals of western civilization and protect those we love? How certain do we have to be of what we believe in order to stick to our guns (no pun intended)? Indeed, is there any alternative to killing in the context of war? Private Doss is determined to prove to the hardest of men that there is.
Hacksaw Ridge is at once a simple and a complex film. It is in some ways less a religious film than a practical one, as we see through flashbacks the origins of Private Doss’s unwavering commitment to “never touching another gun.” This is not as much a faith based pacifism as a simple cause and effect connection. Doss suffers the tragic effects of war by proxy through his disturbed father who did his duty in the Great War, yet returned home scarred by death, manifesting violent and alcoholic tendencies that threatened his family. A climactic event sears this singular conviction into young Desmond’s heart, ultimately preventing the self-victimization to which his father has succumbed. This is the man he must now be in spite of all external agents and pressures, be they the enemy, his fellow soldiers, or even his well-meaning wife. The essential religious component of Doss’s choice serves to embolden him on the battlefield, as we witness Psalm 91 personified in heart of the maelstrom. What can only be the Lord’s protection of the unarmed “cornstalk” as he single-handedly rescues 75 wounded comrades inspires the remnant of his unit in the completion of their mission, which ultimately succeeds. In recreating Okinawa, Gibson unleashes a gory inferno so surreal and nightmarish it almost defies the imagination, and yet we know human beings can and have done these things to each other. The complexity of the film emerges in its exploration of how men can achieve peace not just for their country, but in their souls, despite images and acts that can never quite purge from memory.
What Mel Gibson has achieved here is a rare spiritual film that succeeds precisely because it is not preachy. The rationales cannot always be explained by believers who employ them, let alone by those who are seeking to understand without belief. This does not necessarily negate the argument, but can in fact strengthen it. Gibson’s conveyance of the ramifications of conviction, as illustrated in this work, is as nuanced as it is brutal, without overly evoking sentimentality. Inevitably prodding thoughts of “what would I do and how would I cope in this situation,” I am reminded that in a world of “safe spaces” and “sympathetic voices,” there still periodic evil that demands confrontation and an urging of spirit that demands action, even though we may not know from where such urges derive. But we must address them, nonetheless.
****
Lauren’s Review:
I’m not generally one for war movies. I don’t like gore, and I don’t like depressing… I can do bittersweet if there’s powerful redemption at the end, but sad for sad’s sake isn’t my thing. I saw “Hacksaw Ridge” mostly out of curiosity, because it was a true story, and also supposed to be an uplifting film about faith. I wasn’t sure I’d like it because I’m not a pacifist, and I knew the hero of the story was one. Yet even the Hollywood reviews were hailing it as “the best war movie in 20 years”, despite the fact that pariah Mel Gibson was the director. So I figured, what the heck. I could close my eyes during the really graphic scenes.
I was more than pleasantly surprised by this one—I was blown away. Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) grows up with an alcoholic father, turned bitter by his experiences in World War I. Tom Doss (Hugo Weaving) pleads with his sons not to follow in his footsteps—but despite his conviction that it is wrong to take a human life, Desmond enlists with the idea of becoming a medic. Just before he’s sent to war, Desmond wins the heart of his sweetheart Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) and also of the audience with his guileless frankness. He seems wholly unprepared to face the trials of boot camp, let alone war—and indeed, the men are merciless, first ridiculing and finally beating him to try to convince him to go home. They can’t understand, much less respect, a soldier who refuses to bear arms. But Desmond’s simple faith that he is doing what God wants him to do, even though he can’t fully explain it, eventually gives way to a full-on miracle. At the last possible second, before he is formally courtmartialed, Doss’s father procures a letter from the Brigadier General establishing Doss’s constitutional right to go to war without a weapon.
When the soldiers arrive at Hacksaw Ridge, the 400-foot sheer cliff protecting Okinawa and the rest of Japan from American forces, it’s the bloodiest battle in the Pacific and the second bloodiest in World War II. The 77th Infantry Division faces heavy casualties, and the Japanese roam the battlefield at night to kill any soldiers who are merely wounded. But Doss, childlike, believes that God allowed him to be there for a reason. Semi-spoiler alert (though it is history after all): Doss stays long after the other soldiers have retreated, singlehandedly pulling 75 wounded soldiers off the battlefield and lowering them to safety in a makeshift pulley. After each rescue, Doss prays, “Just one more. Lord, just let me save one more.” It was like watching a dramatization of Psalm 91, as Doss evades bullets and discovery all through the night. The film would be over-the-top absurd, except that it *happened.* This isn’t a story about pacifism, not really—the underlying message I walked away with was the incredible power in the simple faith of a child.
*****
Meal Pairing: Something that sits light on the stomach due to intense grizzly images. We recommend a grilled chicken salad with spinach, zucchini, tomato, onion, and strawberries, with a classic Goddess dressing.
He Said/She Said Presents: DINNER AND A MOVIE! 