REVIEW OF HACKSAW RIDGE:
Good war-films can be very disturbing to watch. The dramatic realism of modern digital effects spares little and many audiences will find Hacksaw Ridge one of the most violent sensory assaults that can be experienced in a cinema. If it were not a true story that celebrates an unusual hero the film could have been accused of a glamourous display of unrelenting carnage.
The film plays in two halves: the early life and romance of Army Medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) and the actual Battle of Hacksaw Ridge. Raised in bible best Virginia, Doss had a troubled upbringing under an abusive father. A devout Seventh-day Adventist, he swore never to commit violence or even carry a weapon but felt duty-bound to enlist in the …show more content…
While the assault was forced to retreat under overwhelming enemy fire, Doss remained behind and single-handedly evacuated 75 casualties, lowering them by rope from an escarpment over a hundred metres high. The Ridge was eventually captured and Doss became one of the most decorated heroes of World War II.
The heroism depicted in this story is of such an extraordinary magnitude that it can easily overwhelm any consideration of the film's merits. With an uncomplicated and factual narrative arc, the story rests on two pillars: acting and filming. On both scores, this film deserves high praise. While the early life and romance chapter drift towards melodrama, Garfield is cast to perfection as the wide-eyed and straight talking man of unshakeable belief and principle while Palmer plays her role as his emotional anchor convincingly.
The most outstanding element of this film, however, is the hyper-realistic cinematography and spectacular set constructions that relentlessly convey the brutality of war. One or maybe a few helmeted heads shredded or bodies bayonetted can convey much, but twenty deadens the senses. If ever there was a case where less could have been more, this is it. Otherwise, it is a gripping film about a remarkable war
Good war-films can be very disturbing to watch. The dramatic realism of modern digital effects spares little and many audiences will find Hacksaw Ridge one of the most violent sensory assaults that can be experienced in a cinema. If it were not a true story that celebrates an unusual hero the film could have been accused of a glamourous display of unrelenting carnage.
The film plays in two halves: the early life and romance of Army Medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) and the actual Battle of Hacksaw Ridge. Raised in bible best Virginia, Doss had a troubled upbringing under an abusive father. A devout Seventh-day Adventist, he swore never to commit violence or even carry a weapon but felt duty-bound to enlist in the …show more content…
While the assault was forced to retreat under overwhelming enemy fire, Doss remained behind and single-handedly evacuated 75 casualties, lowering them by rope from an escarpment over a hundred metres high. The Ridge was eventually captured and Doss became one of the most decorated heroes of World War II.
The heroism depicted in this story is of such an extraordinary magnitude that it can easily overwhelm any consideration of the film's merits. With an uncomplicated and factual narrative arc, the story rests on two pillars: acting and filming. On both scores, this film deserves high praise. While the early life and romance chapter drift towards melodrama, Garfield is cast to perfection as the wide-eyed and straight talking man of unshakeable belief and principle while Palmer plays her role as his emotional anchor convincingly.
The most outstanding element of this film, however, is the hyper-realistic cinematography and spectacular set constructions that relentlessly convey the brutality of war. One or maybe a few helmeted heads shredded or bodies bayonetted can convey much, but twenty deadens the senses. If ever there was a case where less could have been more, this is it. Otherwise, it is a gripping film about a remarkable war