When Mel Gibson is on point, he is on point. Hacksaw Ridge marks a very successful comeback for the director as he has to be one of the front runners for this year's Academy Awards; if his racist outburst can be overlooked.
It was because of his direction that the second half of the movie can make you grip the armrest and never let go until the end. There was a point that marked the beginning when all hell broke loose, and it was done so well.
And that was followed by some of the most amazing sound effects and edits that I have ever heard. They filled the cinema and transported me onto that very battlefield.
Andrew Garfield definitely is giving Casey Affleck a run for the Best Performance category, and may very well steal it. He did not look like Andrew Garfield as he transformed himself into Desmond Doss.
And Gibson was so good that he brought out the best of Luke Bracey and Teresa Palmer. They were both in the remake of Point Break and none of them were particularly good there.
Hugo Weaving also had an impactful performance here. Unfortunately, his character wasn't written out too well. It was never clear to me whether or not he loved his kids. Another flaw also involved one of the Doss as Desmond's brother disappeared quite quickly and was never mentioned again.
I also could not understand why Vince Vaughn was cast in this particular role. He was out of shape and looked awkward screaming around. If he and Sam Worthington had swapped characters, that may have been more believable.
I am nitpicking a lot here, only because I really loved the movie. The drama created by Gibson between the Doss family members was unnecessary at times and felt staged and cliched at others. But understandably it was for the requirements of Hollywood. I just thought Gibson was beyond that.
The action on the battlefield, however, made everything before that forgiveable. Gibson was just too good when it came to this kind of large scale army combat. This has been the best war movie in a long time, possibly since Enemy At The Gates.
It is exciting to see what Gibson will tackle next.
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