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Hacksaw Ridge: Movie Review

Hacksaw Ridge is a biographical film that tells a story of one soldier by the name Desmond Doss who was a Christian and specifically a seventh day Adventist whose religion does not permit him to kill and for the said reason refuse to carry a gun. He enrolls in the army because he wants to help people in the war as a medical doctor. After a few disagreements with the commanders of his platoon for defying the order to carry a firearm, Desmond is allowed to serve in the Second World War. Hs is tossed in the fearsome battle of Okinawa where hundreds of people die and get enjoyed. Despite being a “conscientious objector” among his peers, Desmond emerges from the battle of Okinawa as a hero having saved the lives of 75 soldiers that night. This paper is a short but detailed review of the biographical war drama Hacksaw Ridge and the evaluation of its effectiveness as a genre of this kind.

The cinematography presented by Simon Duggan in this movie is beyond dazzling. The movie is able to capture wonderful battle sequences with balanced shadow and color. The hand held shots are also outstanding with very little reliance on CGI (Brody). A good illustration of how good the movie’s quality is, is the beauty and simplicity of the light and precision of Desmond’s home and the woods. The shots that show the sky on numerous occasions can is metaphorical and takes the audience to heaven. The visuals carry through the believes of Desmond on every level. The camera angles are also exceptional.

The Hacksaw Ridge is a biographical war drama that dramatizes the life of a soldier that participated in the second world war on an exceptional capacity. As a biographical film, Hacksaw Ridge uses the real name of the historical character the film is depicted on. What makes it so suitable for its genre is the comprehensive attempt to narrate the life of Desmond Doss and especially the years that are historically significant in his life. The dramatization of Desmond’s life by actor Andrew Garfield in a scenario that is so demanding of actors is spot on. Why this is important is that, biographical movies are based on the actions and characteristics of a person that are already known to people. Without such dramatization that take notice of detail, the movie can lose its authenticity as a biography and rendered obnoxious. Since male biopics are considered a different genre from female biopics because of the characteristic content in each case, Hacksaw Ridge fulfills the demands of a male biopic by dealing with the accomplishments of the individual portrayed in character.

As a biopic, the movie Hacksaw Ridge is judged based on its ability to dramatize the life of Desmond Dos while still maintaining the authentic and important elements of his heroic life. It should just be a dramatization and not an exaggeration or an understatement. The audience receives an account of Desmond’s life that is an example of how humanity raises above evil despite the movie being about war. The depth and authenticity that each character brings makes the development and portrayal of this story very successful. The movie is able to define even the smallest character in Desmond’s unit distinctively and as a person through the short interactions between the men. The movie is also judged for its stretching of the truth for the purpose of dramatization. incorporates the story of Desmond Doss and the surreal aspects of a war for the purpose of stretching the film without losing authenticity. People who know the true account of the Hacksaw Ridge should not be put off the excesses of the film and should be able to enjoy the additional content for dramatic effect.

Hacksaw Ridge perfectly uses cultural stereotypes to introduce and shape the character of Desmond Doss. This movie especially challenges what it means to be at war. In the real sense war is a place where people inflict pain on one another but in this case Doss is an element of healing. In his own words Doss says “With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it don’t seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together.” At one point as a viewer who has grown with movies that reinforce idea the historical enemies of America in wars as evil I found myself strongly disagreeing with the sentiments of Doss. If he is not carrying a gun and fighting, then he is not a soldier and should then not be allowed on the force. There is nothing special about him is what society has taught many people who watched the movie to initially respond to Desmond’s approach to contributing to combat.

Works Cited

Brody, Richard. “Mel Gibson’s ‘Hacksaw Ridge ?: Religious Pomp Laced with Pornographic Violence.” The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2016, www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/mel-gibsons-hacksaw-ridge-religious-pomp-laced-with-pornographic-violence.