I didn’t see Hacksaw Ridge until this past Sunday and all I can say is “Wow.” Hacksaw Ridge is an incredible movie. It tells an incredible story – that of Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss and the Battle of Okinawa – in an emotionally moving and visually gripping way. The movie absolutely overpowered me in every way. I found it to be nothing short of amazing.
I won’t lie. One of the reasons I waited to see Hacksaw Ridge is because I didn’t think there was anything new a World War II movie could offer. The peak of such movies for me came with Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Flags of Our Fathers. What more could be done in a WWII movie that hadn’t already been done? Plenty it turns out.
Hacksaw Ridge both is and isn’t your typical World War II movie. Nor is it your typical war movie of any kind.
The hero of the picture is Desmond Doss. He’s the only conscientious objector to ever receive the Medal of Honor for actions above and beyond the call of duty in warfare. That is definitely a story worth telling, and it’s told perfectly in this movie.
The movie asks a significant question: Can someone serve their country in war – in actual combat – without picking up a weapon and refusing to kill the enemy? Most people would say “No, it can’t happen.” I’d count myself among them.
That was until I saw Hacksaw Ridge and learned the story of it’s protagonist, Desmond Doss.
Desmond Doss was a giant contradiction: a conscientious objector who enlisted in the Army to serve America in the war. However, his faith propels him to refuse to fight, while a personal vow prevents him from picking up a weapon, even though he wants to go into combat.
Ironically, it was his country itself that was fighting to keep to maintain its freedom that initially did everything it could wash Doss out or force him to pick up a rifle. That too is a major contradiction. One of the things the United States was fighting for was an individuals right of religious freedom. Yet, it did all it could to coerce him to violate his faith.
That story alone is worth telling, however the complete story isn’t told until the Battle of Okinawa. That battle as depicted in Hacksaw Ridge is violent, brutal and inhumane. Is there any other way to describe what we so casually refer to as the “horror of war?”
This movie makes that horror become real and heartbreaking. It’s probably as close as a movie could come visualizing such warfare without turning off an audience. I couldn’t help thinking of my grandfathers who served in the Pacific Theater. Was this what they faced when they went up against the Japanese?
Hacksaw Ridge is an incredible story, one that becomes even more powerful because it’s true. After the movie ends and before the credits roll, interviews with the Desmond Doss and other veterans who served with him are shown. That really brought it all home for me.
Have you seen Hacksaw Ridge? If so, what did you think?