Hacksaw Ridge is the extraordinary true story of a war hero, Desmond Doss, who saved 75 men in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, Okinawa. Hacksaw Ridge is extremely graphic, and this film captures every fight, shot, and bomb dropped in vivid detail. Considered one of the most realistic war thrillers in recent history, Hacksaw Ridge is brilliantly directed, produced, and comes to life with inspiring acting by not only Andrew Garfield, but his fellow soldiers Vince Vaughn, Luke Bracey, and Sam Worthington.

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Andrew Garfield stole the show portraying protagonist Desmond Doss. Garfield truly embraces the role of a soldier who’s willing to lay his life down for his country while not leaving any bodies behind. Desmond Doss was a conscientious objector who received hatred and disgust from his fellow soldiers. However, later in the movie, Doss expresses his bond and respect for his combatants, even though he stands against war and killing. Luke Bracey also did a fantastic job playing Smitty Ryker. This character showed intense hatred and distaste toward Desmond and his beliefs. This makes their bond near the end of the movie notable demonstrating how soldiers overcome differences on the battlefield.

Mel Gibson directed this powerful and emotional World War II drama that celebrates the indefatigable human spirit and was nominated for Best Director for the Oscars. Gibson used spectacular editing and shots to capture the emotion, intensity, and fear on the face of every soldier in the movie. While Gibson didn’t win, the film brought home two Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Along with the extraordinary acting, directing, writing, and overall premise of the movie, there are the visuals. The opticals in Hacksaw Ridge are incomparable to any other movie. Gibson orchestrates the imagery so that it’s extremely clear and isn’t grueling on the eyes. This helped characterize the true gore of battle. The eye-line camera work helped personally attach the audience to the characters as the American soldiers bravely charged into battle. Creative long shots and overhead camera work showed an impressive amount of action, all within a single shot.

Andrew Garfield deserved a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars, because he was that strong of an actor. This movie is more than deserving of its awards, as it should go down as the top war drama of the year.