Review of Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by Michael M — 23 Oct 2017

Like a lot of war movies strangely seem to do, Hacksaw Ridge is sort of split into two parts. The first half is getting to know this guy, who he is, and why he is the way he is. It plays off a little cheesy, and the romance comes off with him seeming like a bit of a creeper, but these almost seem like stylistic choices. It gives it sort of a romanticized old-school Hollywood feeling. It also creates a more dramatic contrast to the war scenes, and that's where this movie goes from pretty good to godamn genius.

Right from the start of the war scenes, you feel the tension. The way the tension works, building up a feeling of uneasiness that climaxes in moments of outrageous brutality, it's unlike any other war movie I've seen. It doesn't even feel like a war movie, it feels more like a horror movie in it's style, pacing, and directing. The scenes of them in the fog of climbing up the ridge to the battlefield are probably the films strongest moments. The music and the directing just make the suspense of these people willingly going to a place where they are probably going to die downright unbearable. And then there's the violence, oh the violence. First of all, yes it's gory and horrible, but based on what I've heard from real vets about our war movies it probably still doesn't reach the whole thing. Second, a lot of people say the violence is romanticized and takes away from the movies message of peace. Maybe they were watching a different movie, because I don't see that at all. The violence isn't glorified, it's horrified. It doesn't show the glory in taking lives, but rather the glory in saving lives, which was the what our lead characters whole deal was, a pacifist in war who just wanted to save lives in a time when people were purely focused on taking them. It works really well, and it's point is made clear. It doesn't demonize the effects of war and the soldiers who are actually fighting either though, it just shows that the reality that exists. It's powerfully effective and for a war film manages to get by without any real villain, aside from the very concept of conflict I guess.

In my first viewing of this movie, I had my problems with the earlier scenes. They were a little too whimsical and exaggerated for my liking. Now having seen the whole film, I understand their purpose to put you in a head-space where the films point can truly come across. It's a damn powerful movie, one of the best war movies I've ever seen. Extremely effective and highly engaging, it's a near-masterpiece.