Belief and conviction. Basically those two things go hand in hand and pretty much define what makes up our personality. When going though life you will find many situations which might make you change your beliefs. Be it friends, family or other things that can make it hard for you to live by the convictions you might hold close to your heart. But how far would you go to stand by your beliefs. What if it might cost you your life in the end? It would take a very strong person to keep the faith in what you deem to be right. And if you want to talk about irony, how about a person who must have lost his beliefs and convictions through his own actions. I’m talking about the fallen Hollywood star Mel Gibson. But even though he might have fallen, he is on his way back, not as an actor, but something he is even better at, directing. With Hacksaw Ridge he has managed to deliver this year’s best movie.
Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss, an American WWII combat medic. It is right after the attack on Pearl Harbour that Desmond decides to enlist in the army, against the wishes of his soon to be wife, Dorothy. Doss still goes ahead anyway, and soon finds himself in bootcamp. Everything is going right, until weapons training begins. When offered a rifle for practice, Desmond refuses to take the gun. At first his commanding officer thinks he is making a joke, but Doss is deadly serious. From that point on, his squadmates think of him as a coward, and the army brass is trying their best to get him to drop out of the army. However Desmond keeps standing by his convictions to never fire a single bullet, and to finish his training to become a medic in order to save people. When the war eventually takes him and his squad to Japan, the horrors of war will soon become a reality. But Desmond is determined to prove that you don’t need a bullet to become a hero…
When the end credits rolled for this movie earlier today I was completely stunned and in awe. What an utterly fantastic movie this is. However you feel about mr. Gibson, I think no one would ever deny that he is a great director. And if you might have had doubts, they would pretty much wash away after seeing this movie. Where to begin? The acting is just simply amazing. Andrew Garfield, who plays the role of Desmond is absolutely stunning. He gives his role a touch of humanity that few actors would be able to manage. He is the true star of this movie, but his fellow actors definitely do a great job as well (especially Hugo Weaving in the role of Desmond’s father and Luke Bracey as one of his comrades in arms Smitty).
With this being a warmovie, the film doesn’t shy away from violence. In fact if you thought you had seen it all with the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, think again. This movie truly makes you feel as if you are right in the middle of hell, and convinces you at the same time how horrible war really is. But the heart of this movie is the story. With all the films already made about the second World War, I find it amazing there are still stories out there, that you have never heard before. By the end of this movie you will come to realise what a hero this man has been, and how a first opinion of someone can sometimes be truly wrong. It also teaches you to always stand by what you believe in, no matter what happens. I hope this movie will do very well at the Oscars, in fact I would be pretty surprised if it did not. It would also be a true Hollywood story if it did, as it would pretty much redeem Mel Gibson. And if that isn’t irony, I don’t know what is.
I give Hacksaw Ridge a 10 out of 10 score.
I LOVED THIS MOVIE. I was literally in tears for a lot of it. It was really moving to say the least. My co-worker was kinda laughing at me for crying. She said, “but it had a happy ending!” I said, “I know, but how can you not be emotional!” For me it was his mental strength and conviction in his belief that really got to me.
Yes! Regardless of Mel Gibson’s personal stuff – he is indeed an amazing director! I was completely floored with this movie!
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Haha, well you weren’t the only one. I saw a lot of people in tears for this one, and I can completely understand why. Wow, what a great movie this was ! 😀 That’s pretty much the same reason I liked this film so much as well: the belief in your convictions, and to remain true to them, no matter how hard things get 😀
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When I was in high school, my shop teacher told us about Desmond, who he served with as a medic in the Pacific theater. Glad to see the guy getting his due. You don’t need a gun to be a hero.
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It really was a great film. One of those movies that when you walk out of the theatre, you think to yourself: This is the reason why I fell in love with movies in the first place. But wow, what a hero this Desmond has been . Truly amazing indeed 😀
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Oh man, as a fan of Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbour (to a lesser extent), and (especially) Band of Brothers, this seems like a serious must watch!! Great review! To be honest I tend to forget about some of the movies on my to-watch list, so I’ll be hunting this one down asap.
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For me this really has been the movie of the year. It was a great watch, and if you enjoyed those movies and Band of Brothers, you will really be very impressed with this one 😀
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I’ll definitely watch it sooner rather than later then. I’ll let you know when I do! 😊
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I’ve been seeing advertisements for this movie all over the subway in HK. I’ve been wanting to see it for a while. I’ll definitely have to watch it soon.
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It is a really great movie, and for me the best film I have seen all year. Hope you will enjoy it 😀
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I loved Mel Gibson’s film like Apocalypto, Brave heart and others.. These two are still my favorites, might be my personal opinion.. And I was looking forward to Hawsaw Ridge.. Should have been released in our Country two days ago, but still couldn’t see it in theaters here.. When comes out, I want to definitely go and take a look..
And with a review from you giving a 10, I definitely don’t want to miss out this film 😁😁
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Apocalypto is a great film. I went to it, expecting absolutely nothing, but was pretty much blowen away by it. As for Braveheart, don’t even get me started on that one. It was absolutely fantastic, such an amazing movie. I honestly can’t tell which one I like better. They are two completely different movies, but I think Hacksaw Ridge wins by a slight margin, just because of the incredible story. Hope that when you see it,you will enjoy it as well 😀
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This really gets my hopes high… Lol I can’t wait to see it in the Cinemas around me 😁😁❤
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Whoa. I was told this film is good. I didn’t know it was that good. I am certainly going to watch it. 😊
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I had heard the same thing, just before I went, but I did not expect it to be this good either. But wow, it really was. Hope you will enjoy it too ! 😊
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This looks pretty interesting. I should check it out
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Haha, hoefully you will enjoy it too. It really is a great movie 😀
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I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie. I don’t even keep with the releases.But I really want to watch this now. Great review.
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Thank you very much. Well if you do want to see a movie again, this definitely is one great one to start with (honestly every weekend I have to pretty much flip a going to decide what to watch (just have way to many things to do lol, but would not have it any other way really 😀)
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I know the feeling. So much to watch, too little time. And it’s not like life kindly steps back so that we can indulge. *insert dramatic sigh*
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Nope…unfortunately not *insert another dramatic sigh*
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Wow, 10 out of 10? Even though this is not the type of movie I usually go for, you got me super curious to go watch it now!
Great review ^^
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Thank you 😀 It was a really awesome, and honestly very inspiring film as well. A movie that pretty much convinces you to always remain true to what you might believe in, no matter what the cost. For this film, that sentence could not be more true 😀 If you do watch it, I hope you will enjoy it too 😀
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Thanks! I hope so too 🙂
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