Hacksaw Ridge: My Hatred of Andrew Garfield Subsides

I was NOT HAPPY when I saw Andrew Garfield was tasked with playing the role of American hero Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win a slew of military awards. Doss is raised by an alcoholic WWI vet father played expertly by Hugo Weaving in rural VA. He lives a simple life and falls in love with a hospital nurse after taking in someone seriously injured in an accident. He decides he can still serve the military as a medic, but he will not take up arms. The love story blossoms and Doss enlists. Doss is tortured throughout basic training by anyone in a command position, and eventually by his own bunkmates. It's unfathomable that a man who won't pick-up a rifle can be anything besides a liability in battle. Doss survives it all and eventually is placed into combat after a letter from a high-ranking general who served with his dad. Doss is sent to Okinawa, and for anyone unaware of their American history it was an incredibly fortified and contested Pacific Island held by the Japanese. Doss is sent up the face of a cliff with his battalion only to be pushed back very quickly in a violent mess. I don't want to tell too much of the story, but it's amazing. The battle scenes are as brutal as you'll find, but they are well done. Mel Gibson may be a crazy, drunken racist, but he can direct a story. Bottom Line: 8.9 out of 10. Garfield is excellent, just like the majority of the cast. Vaughn is excellent as his drill sergeant, which was also a welcome surprise. This was a privilege to watch on Veterans Day. I was very proud and goosebumpy watching this film. My Grandpa fought in the Pacific Islands and though I knew how horrific the fighting was, this really drove it home. The "Greatest Generation" would be the shit out of my millennial generation in a fist fight, that's a fact.