After seeing this film, I understand why it was so highly praised by many of its viewers.

    Hacksaw Ridge, directed by well-known actor Mel Gibson, uncovers the true story of WWll soldier Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield). Doss doesn’t want to kill, so he decides to pick up not weapons, but aid kits so that he can save soldiers on the battlefield.

    I became emotionally involved with the film from the very beginning. At the start, we see Desmond Doss a part of a normal life, and we learn how he feels compelled to join the war effort. After enlisting, Doss becomes heavily criticized by his peers because of his unwillingness to kill. Doss endures several hardships throughout the film, not only with others, but with himself. Despite this, he stands by his controversial morals.

    Before seeing the movie, I had watched one trailer and deeply disapproved of Andrew Garfield’s attempt at a southern accent. After watching the film, I had completely changed my mind. I thought that Garfield’s accent worked almost perfectly with the role he needed to fill.

    Along with the accent, I was also initially turned away after reading that Mel Gibson had directed it. Although he was a great actor, Gibson did face some controversy in life. Gibson started drinking at a very young age which later became a big problem for him. After viewing the film I gained a lot of respect towards Mel Gibson due to the way he portrayed Doss and the other characters.

    Gibson also successfully involved all aspects of World War ll. An aspect he most perfectly showed was how quick close relationships develop amongst some soldiers. These quick developing relationships remind me of the relationships in the movie “Saving Private Ryan”.

Although there were many great aspects to this movie, there were some parts I wish had been done differently. One of these small criticisms has to do with the excessive amount of violence. Although the amount of violence throughout the film was accurate, I believed that it could have been toned down. If the violence had not been as strong or appeared as often, kids at a younger age could’ve hopefully enjoyed the movie as much as I did.

    In my opinion this entire movie deserves some Oscars for its well-crafted acting and directing. Andrew Garfield along with the supporting actors and actresses did a great job with their given roles in this movie. Despite the long run time, I was able to pay attention the whole time, and I hope anyone who is going to watch this film will feel the same way.

Movie: Hacksaw Ridge

Director: Mel Gibson

Rated: R

Duration:  131 minutes

Stars: Andrew Garfield, Luke Bracy, Sam Worthington