Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge is a powerful, albeit emotionally forceful drama recounting the true story of WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who became the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Detailing his life from an early age through the Battle of Okinawa, Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge has an emotional through-line that is hard to deny, being a film that taps into the fundamental preciousness of life itself, detailing even in scenes of brutal chaos and extreme wartime violence the true value of human life. Hacksaw Ridge is a film about how courage, bravery, and toughness are defined, deconstructing how physical aesthetic is merely a facade of such traits, with Desmond T. Doss's convictions for what he believes in being what makes him stronger, more courageous, and braver than many of the men he served with during the Battle of Okinawa. Doss is a man who doesn't believe in killing, no matter what, and while his perspective is fundamentally singular, he still wishes to serve his country and what it stands for the best way he knows how, being a medic. Beneath this story of courage, bravery, and the horrors of War, Mel Gibson taps into the fundamental nature of America's most important attribute, individual rights above that of the collective or the majority, detailing a man in Desmond T. Doss who is harassed and abused by his own fellow soldiers early on for being different, with his individual freedom's and convictions in what he believes not being shared by nearly anyone around him. His path isn't an easy one, far from it, but it's through his actions, not his words, that he gains the respect of the men around him, becoming a hero to many, and a man who the members of his unit know they can count on in times of extreme brutality and war. Gibson further illustrates the importance of what America stands for, as well as the precious nature of life itself through clever juxtaposition towards the end of the film, contrasting Doss with that of the remaining Japanese soldiers who have been defeated, even detailing a Japanese commander perform harakari on himself after the defeat of Okinawa, a ritual in Japan that involves disembowelment as an honorable alternative to surrender. While Doss' personal convictions lead him to reject the populace opinion of killing in wartime, he is still able to serve and perform his duties in the end, with his individual personal and religious freedom's being held at a higher regard than that of countries's will, something that can't be said for the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese soldiers sacrifice their lives for their country, a novel concept sure, but one that is steeped in honor for country not individual freedoms, taking their own life over surrendering to another country. While about half the film details Doss' fight for his right to serve his country in a way that doesn't go against his personal and religious beliefs, when the Battle of Okinawa takes center stage it doesn't disappoint, with Gibson instilling the film with a heavy dose of brooding, ominous atmosphere, with the scorched landscape and dust-filled, hazy air evoking a sense of hell on earth. The war sequences are incredibly visceral, extremely violent, chaotic, and seemingly genuine in capturing the horror of battle, with Gibson never shying away from detailing a realistic portrait of the extreme violence which took place during the battlefront. With Doss being a medic, much of the film takes place in the quietness between confrontation, giving Gibson's lens adequate time to survey the landscape, with the stench of death, pain, and misery being Doss' bedside companions as he surveys the landscape, looking for wounded men who need his help to survive. Many war films are borderline juvenile in their anti-war message, but Mel Gibson's Heartbreak Ridge is honest about war itself, understanding the true horror of it while simultaneously recognizing that, at least during World War II, it was fundamentally necessary for the sake of maintaining the individual freedoms that America and Western culture itself were founded on. While some of the dramatic beats of Hacksaw Ridge can certainly feel forceful at times, it's hard to deny Mel Gibson's talents as a filmmaker, being a director who demonstrates a strong fundamental understanding of story structure while simultaneously showing a visual eye that is very effective in creating a visceral experience.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|