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Hacksaw Ridge starring Andrew Garfield: Poetic, Brutal and Beautiful

Posted on December 5, 2016 Written by Pinar Tarhan

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Hacksaw Ridge starring Andrew Garfield
Hacksaw Ridge starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington and Teresa Palmer. Directed by Mel Gibson.

 

UPDATED: HACKSAW RIDGE Awards, Nominations and Box Office

Hacksaw Ridge is currently (as on January 1st, 2017) is rated at 8.5 on ?MDB voted by over 42,000 people. It’s Metascore is 71, and is currently at number 90 on IMDB’s Top 250 Films list.

The budget is about 40 million, and its current box office (domestic and international) has surpassed 136. The movie was nominated for 3 Golden Globes: Best Motion Picure (Drama), Best Actor (Drama, Andrew Garfield), and Best Director (Mel Gibson). It won AFI for Movie of the Year, and won several Australian Film Institute Awards including Best Actor, Best Direction and Best Screenplay.

Hacksaw Ridge starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn & Sam Worthington

Based on the incredible true story of Desmond Doss, Hacksaw Ridge is a movie about how a young combat medic didn’t bend his pacifist beliefs for anyone, and ended up being a war hero without having fired a gun or used a weapon (with the wonderful exception where he used a rifle to make a makeshift sliding stretcher for his wounded sergeant).

Plot Summary

Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) grows up in a violent home. Even though he has a loving mother (Rachel Griffiths), his father (Hugo Weaving) frequently uses violence on them, including his brother Hal (Nathaniel Buzolic; Kol from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals).

Their father is not necessarily evil; he is just a war veteran dealing with survivor’s guilt and PTSD horribly.

Doss boys seem to have a violent streak themselves. During one fight, Desmond almost injures Hal beyond repair, which triggers Desmond to embrace the peace-loving nature of his religion.

Desmond Doss grows up to be a loving, caring and determined man. He falls in love with beautiful nurse Dorothy (Teresa Palmer), which further ignites his love for medicine. Not having been educated well, being a paramedic seems to be his only option. Fuelled to serve his country and do something while others are also risking lives, he enlists. However, he objects to doing any weapon training and gets treated horribly by most of his fellow soldiers in training and superiors.

However, he eventually manages to get what he wants. And as horrifying violence and mayhem surround them, everyone who ridiculed him gets to see what he is truly made of – again and again and again.

rsz_hacksaw-ridge
Actual scene. Image via The Independent.

 

Hacksaw Ridge was directed by Mel Gibson. Unlike his other directed films, he is not a producer this time. He also doesn’t star in it either, unlike Braveheart, or The Man Without a Face.

I haven’t seen Apocalypto or The Passion of the Christ. However, I have seen Braveheart (and The Man Without a Face, which is not a war film.) – and while Hacksaw Ridge isn’t quite there, it is pretty damn impressive.

Hacksaw Ridge is also understandably more violent. Braveheart had swords and arrows. Hacksaw Ridge doesn’t shy away from any shot that might make you cringe or want to look away. It has more blood, more severed limbs, and people in more pain. It makes you uncomfortable, and not for the sake of show or art. War is hell, and Mel Gibson makes sure you feel that in your veins.

Many people, including the cast argue Hacksaw Ridge is both a love story and a war story; you might consider it one or the other. But I disagree. Hacksaw Ridge is an epic anti-war movie with beautiful romantic scenes and horrifying war scenes. But it is more a respectful, albeit glorious, biography of a humane man of faith than a war film or a romance.

Teresa Palmer and Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge.
Teresa Palmer and Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge.

I’m agnostic. I don’t like religious motives or messages much. But you see, Hacksaw Ridge might show a Bible, but anyone with a heart can’t disagree of how Doss has interpreted the message: “Don’t harm anyone. And absolutely, do not kill.”

And he does exactly that. He doesn’t fight back when people hit him, which might be considered extreme. But he is proving a point. He is proving his principles. And he ends up saving 75 people in the course of about 12 hours. He helps a lot more.

He gets shocked and wounded and tested. But he doesn’t give up. He prays to be able to save another man. And then prays to be able to save the next.

Comparisons to Saving Private Ryan

Comparisons are being made for better and worse, and it’s only natural.

– Like Saving Private Ryan (aff. link), Hacksaw Ridge asks some very hard questions about humanity.

“Is the life of 8 men more or less important than the life one 1, if the mother of that one kid has lost three of her four kids in the same war.”

vs.

“Is it ever okay to kill and go against your beliefs? Or is it okay to risk everything to make the world a better place?”

– Both films have disturbingly realistic battle scenes. Both films have great casts, though SPR’s might have been slightly more famous. Both are critically acclaimed; both have amazing directors.

– Both films have solid anti-war messages.

– Both films must be seen as movie lovers, and people.

– I liked them both. I just liked HR a bit better.

Mel Gibson is my favorite actor, and he is one of my favorite directors. So there is a positive bias. But HR assaults your emotions for a shorter time. It’s ultimately less depressing despite being equally terrifying at times.

It’s a matter of personal preference. I’m pretty sure I can’t sit through SPR again one more time, just like I’d have to fast-forward HR’s battle scenes. Once is enough.

– Both movies have achieved greatness at shockingly low budgets for movies this size: Saving Private Ryan at 70 mil and Hacksaw Ridge at 40 mil.

Some more reasons to see Hacksaw Ridge

– The training scenes have some good humor. I loved the sergeant’s (Vince Vaughn) reaction to the naked soldier “Hollywood.” Also, Vince Vaughn is in a dramatic role again.

I have loved Vince Vaughn as an actor since Return to Paradise, which is one of my favorite films. It provides one of the most humane, enthralling and impossible-to-make decisions ever, and Vaughn shines in a dramatic role. Sure, he almost always talks fast, but he is as good as drama as he is at comedy. HR takes him to deeper lengths than The Interns ever could or wanted to (which is really entertaining film). The point is, Vaughn has more substance than just being the king of R-rated comedies.

– The romance is very well-done. It’s not sappy or corny. It has a pureness to it we haven’t quite seen since the relationship between Wallace and Murron. It feels real (and well, it was real.) So if like me, you really didn’t enjoy The Choice, here’s Teresa Palmer’s second chance to win you over in a romantic story.

*

Hacksaw Ridge is a must-see war film. It’s, in my opinion, not the best movie or the best war movie ever made. It’s however a very exquisite one that deserves to be seen on the big screen. It’s not always easy to watch, but you will feel intensely. You will occasionally escape your reality and the depressing things going on around the world. However, you’ll also be faced with the uncensored ugliness of war. I’d say it is great entertainment, but that’d not be the best choice of words. I wasn’t entertained. I felt. A lot, and all the time.

*

Written by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight. Also featuring Luke Bracey and Milo Gibson (one of Mel Gibson’s 8 kids). Directed by Mel Gibson.

*

How about you? Have you seen Hacksaw Ridge? What did you think?

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: andrew garfield, Braveheart, hacksaw ridge, hacksaw ridge cast, hacksaw ridge movie, hacksaw ridge movie review, hugo weaving, Mel Gibson, mel gibson director, Mel Gibson movies, Rachel Griffiths, Sam Worthington, saving private ryan, Teresa Palmer, The Man Without A Face, Vince Vaughn

Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Robert De Niro & Mel Gibson

Posted on January 11, 2011 Written by ripitup

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This is a sequel to the article Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Russell Crowe, Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman.

Robert De Niro in Stardust

Robert De Niro in Stardust
Robert De Niro in Stardust

Robert De Niro is a terrific actor. Everyone knows it. But having been in the business for since the 60s, he has gotten to play a mobster, a psycho or a cop once too often. He does them all well but you start to think even he has fallen into a pattern. He is good but you think over the years, you know what to expect. You think he doesn’t have any surprises left. Great performances and good movies, yes. Surprises? Not so much. That’s until you see Stardust where he plays a masculine captain of a lightning catching ship. Nope, he hasn’t played that one before. But it is not just the occupation that’s unique but also the character. Masculine, tough and ruthless towards his men. Sweet, caring, homely to his guests. And totally feminine when left on his own. Amazing. Stardust is an overall great film experience but Robert’s character is by far the best in the movie. Hats off to De Niro. May he surprise and entertain us so much again.

Mel Gibson in What Women Want

Mel Gibson in What Women Want.
Mel Gibson in What Women Want.. Image via Mel Gibson in What Women Want.

Mel Gibson has played his first remarkable lead role in Mad Max, in 1979. Mad Max went to become a cult series. Now, he played a cop there. The story line is completely different in Lethal Weapon of course. But Lethal Weapon also became extremely popular and the 4th movie was made. His character’s occupation? Also a cop. Again the genre and the plot is different but he was a cop in his 2010 movie Edge of Darkness. It is not to say he didn’t play an ex-criminal in FBI’S Witness Protection Program (Bird on a Wire), a drug dealer trying to leave his business (Tequila Sunrise) or a man with a low IQ (Tim). He is also no stranger to comedy but…let’s face it we have never seen him like we did in What Women Want where he plays a hotshot advertising executive who is well, a man’s man and a woman’s dream…unless you are working with him or well you are his daughter or if you are trying to be in a relationship with him. But then something really weird happens. You can check out the plot here. Here I will talk about what his new creative director tells him to do. He needs to come up with advertising ideas for feminine products such as tampons, make-up stuff, pantyhose and well… waxing equipment. Since his imagination doesn’t take him anywhere, he decides to try these stuff… This actor tried anything from a kilt to a western outfit.

The movie is one hell of a romantic comedy that doesn’t get romantic for a while. And yes, I believe you have never seen him in a bra and wearing mascara before this flick.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: actors, Bird on a Wire, bird on a wire movie, Lethal Weapon, Mad Max, Mel Gibson, mel Gibson film, Mel Gibson movies, movies, Robert De Niro, robert de niro in stardust, Stardust, stardust movie, Tequila Sunrise, tequila sunrise movie, What Women Want, what women want movie

Coming Soon: The Beaver starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster & Anton Yelchin

Posted on December 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The Beaver starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster & Anton Yelchin
The Beaver starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster & Anton Yelchin. Directed by Jodie Foster. Image via shockya.com

The Beaver is Mel Gibson & Jodie Foster’s latest collaboration. The two met and became good friends while they were shooting Maverick together in 1994. Maverick is a western comedy/adventure starring Foster and Gibson. It was directed by Richard Donner.

The Beaver was written by Kyle Killen & directed by Jodie Foster. Jodie Foster co-stars alongside Gibson.  The cast also features the young and talented Anton Yelchin, who performed brilliantly both on Charlie Bartlett and Fierce People.

The Story

Walter Black (Mel Gibson) has become increasingly detached and depressed. His wife Meredith (Jodie Foster) feels like she has no choice but to take their two kids Porter (Anton Yelchin) & Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart) and leave. Walter, however, finds a weird solution. He takes a beaver hand-puppet and starts using it to communicate, both in his personal and professional life. This further infuriates his son Porter but this just might be a working method for the old Walter coming back…

The Verdict

Well, I have to see the movie first. But I will definitely see it. Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster are two of my favorite actors. And I try to give movies about depression a chance because they might end up being very hopeful and/or uplifting, in total contrast to the theme. Because depression is something that can happen to anyone and anytime and well, who better than Mel to portray it since he is not only a great actor but also has gone through depression himself. He was diagnosed with manic-depression and he’s still struggling to keep it under control.

Of course it might end up being a bad movie, but so far it looks promising.

You can watch the trailer here.


Also on Jodie Foster:

Nim’s Island starring Gerard Butler, Jodie Foster & Abigail Breslin

Sommersby starring Richard Gere, Jodie Foster and Bill Pullman

Also on Mel Gibson and His Movies

Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson

MEL GIBSON TOP 10: The movies that prove he can act, direct and entertain better than anyone

All About Mel: A Fun Yet Fair Mel Gibson Tribute

8 Reasons to Love Braveheart- Braveheart Movie Review

MEL GIBSON IS A DAD. AGAIN!!!

Mel Gibson: what in the world happened to you?

Favorite Revenge Movies

A Movie Poll with 10 Fun Questions Featuring Mel Gibson, James Cameron, Heath Ledger and More

11 Bad Celebrity Behaviors – Inspired by Mel Gibson

11 Great Mel Gibson Films You Should Consider Watching


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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Anton Yelchin, drama, Jodie Foster, Jodie foster movies, kyle killen, maverick, maverick movie, Mel Gibson, Mel Gibson movies, movies, movies about depression, Richard Donner, Riley Thomas Stewart, the beaver, the beaver movie

All About Mel: A Fun Yet Fair Mel Gibson Tribute

Posted on February 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson in Bird on a Wire, 90s. Good times.

Alright, folks! Love Mel Gibson? Hate him? Curious? Indifferent? Used to love him but now can’t remember why?

Well, this is the place to gather for discussions and comments.

Now, I collected all I did on Mel here:

http://cinemaroll.com/cinemarolling/all-about-mel-a-fun-yet-fair-mel-gibson-tribute/

Here is the excerpt:

Birtname: Mel Collumcille Gerard Gibson (no, really)

Birth year: 1956 (his competiton at showing his every year on his face is Robert Redford

Siblings: 10 or 11 (forgot which one). See? The love for a big family is genetic.

No. of Kids: 8 – 7 from wife Robyn, 1 from current girlfriend

Religion: Catholic.

Anti-gay?: Nope. Anti-homosexual when it comes to guys being with guys…

Click here for more:

http://cinemaroll.com/cinemarolling/all-about-mel-a-fun-yet-fair-mel-gibson-tribute/

Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson, The Bounty. 1984.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Mel Gibson, Mel Gibson movies

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