Review of Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by Tim K — 25 Feb 2017

I love Mel Gibson. I love his leading roles, I love his direction, I love his production. I love his mostly realistic, less-hollywood-than-your-typical-blockbuster approach. Compared to so many films of the last 20-30 years, this really just...moved and shook. I cannot emphasize what this war movie basically communicates, stands for, and it does so without preaching and getting into your face. It does so without soldier worship (but it does not hold back on soldier RESPECT) and jingoistic bullshit.

Saving Private Ryan has a riveting introductory 30 minutes, but sloughs off into mundanity. Hacksaw keeps on point and actually doesn't show you the real stuff til the halfway mark.

Everything is so deliberately well done, and I can't imagine the realities the actual soldiers experienced.

Now, why on earth a film like "The Arrival" (blech) has a higher critics rating (oh wait, it has religion in it, derp!) is beyond me. Mel Gibson really should be remembered, if we have long enough to do so as a race, as one of the greatest in film, whether it be as director or actor.

So what if your general snobfest blogger turns their nose at this. It's politically incorrect to favor a religiously tinted war movie, anyway. Don't let that stop you, however, from the experience.

Or, you could just watch "The Arrival" and act like the scores of idiots who pretend like they understand the ending.