There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Hollywood movies about soldiers and war. Of those, an high percentage are about World War II. However, Hacksaw Ridge looks to be a very different kind of movie from others in the genre. The new film by Mel Gibson isn't about a great soldier who killed a bunch of Nazis. It's about a doctor who never touched a gun, and still saved dozens of his fellow countrymen. Check out the first trailer for Hacksaw Ridge below:
In Hacksaw Ridge, Andrew Garfield plays Desmond Doss, who was a medic on the front lines of World War II in Okinawa, Japan. He fought in what's considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts saving lives. All of this notably happened while Doss was recognized as a conscientious objector who refused to carry a weapon of any kind.
Were it not for the main character, the trailer for Hacksaw Ridge would look like any other war movie we've seen. However, Andrew Garfield's role puts an interesting spin on the entire thing. He has the same urge to serve his country that every other soldier has, yet he can't bring himself to take a life either. Most people go to the trouble of getting registered as a conscientious objector because they do not believe in war at all; this character appears to understand its necessity and believe that the war is justified, but does not believe in taking life himself. This dichotomy, unsurprisingly, causes problems with the soldiers with whom he serves.
Obviously, the conflict doesn't only take place on the battlefield. We see Desmond Doss apparently being court-martialed for his lack of willingness to fight. Eventually his bravery is no longer in question, as the guy is apparently willing to take swings at live grenades with his bare hands.
Hacksaw Ridge is part of an attempted return to form for Mel Gibson as a director. The filmmaker has been keeping a low profile since some serious personal issues led Hollywood to sour on him a few years back. Even this trailer doesn't use his name, simply referring to "the director of Braveheart" - the film for which he won Academy Awards for Best Director as well as Best Picture. He'll also be returning to the front of the camera in August in the action film Blood Father.
What do you think of Hacksaw Ridge so far? Will this be the movie that reminds everybody of the talent Mel Gibson possesses as a director? Hacksaw Ridge also co-stars Vince Vaughn and Hugo Weaving and will be in theaters November 4th.
