Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

This is a stream of consciousness-inspired short review I wrote after completing Hacksaw Ridge during the spring semester of my sophomore year at college. In preparation for that year's 89th Academy Awards, I saw all 9 Best Picture nominees: Hacksaw Ridge was the second nominee watched. My overall rating for the movie was 3 stars out of a possible 4. On my scale, 3 stars qualifies as "good."

Hacksaw Ridge does a tremendous job of making it feel like you have been transported into battle. Now, some of the effects remind you that you’re not, they are occasionally that bad. However, it is such an inspirational story that it makes you wish you were there, just to see it firsthand. Acting-wise, Andrew Garfield (as Desmond Doss) is decent, Teresa Palmer (as Dorothy) is good, Sam Worthington (as Captain Glover) is good, and Hugo Weaving (Tom, Desmond's father) is good. However, the true standout performances belong to Vince Vaughn (as Sergeant Howell) and Luke Bracey (as Private Ryker), the latter of whom gives a phenomenal performance as a self-described “asshole." This movie did surprise me, as I was not expecting anything as powerful as this. And talk about a terrific score – this is one of the best scores for not just a war movie, but any movie.

Unfortunately, there is some counterbalancing negativity that needs addressed. The film editing is not at the level war movies typically have and the special effects can be, like previously mentioned, straight-up bad. The screenplay is not good and the directing has some serious flaws, especially pertaining to the excessive usage of slow motion and some poorly placed camera angles. Now, the cinematography is good in the sweeping/majestic category, but the camerawork itself is below the expected level of a Best Picture nominee.

This movie certainly does not add much to the war movie genre, which is not necessarily a bad thing, provided that it can work within the established constructs of said genre. Using another genre as an example, what I found to be so great about World War Z (2013) was that, although it did not add anything new to the zombie genre, it worked very well and cohesively throughout the predetermined norms of zombie movies. But here, although Hacksaw Ridge does focus on a medic, which certainly is unique, it does not add anything else substantial in material or essence to the war movie genre, nor does it maneuver itself expertly within the confines of its genre. This unfortunately makes the movie come across as formulaic and inferior in terms of originality, which is truly a shame given the fascinating military service story of Desmond Doss.

I did enjoy parts of the movie, but it couldn't overcome the soap operatic slow start, no matter how gripping its battle scenes were. And it pains me, a fan of Teresa Palmer, to say this, but even she was unable to hold the first half of the movie on her own, which is exactly what its setting, the city of Lynchburg, and the rest of the cast asked of her.