Hacksaw Ridge (2016) * * * 1/2

Directed by:  Mel Gibson

Starring:  Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Sam Worthington, Rachel Griffiths

With Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson once again proves his directorial prowess.     He made a promising debut with the touching The Man Without a Face (1993) and then won the Academy Award for Best Director for Braveheart (1995).    The Passion of the Christ (2004) was a huge hit, although I am not among its admirers.    His follow-up, Apocalypto (2006), was a bloody, ugly mess.     Now, Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson's first directorial effort in a decade, tells a stirring story about pacifist medic Desmond Doss (Garfield), who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts in saving the lives of 75 men during the raid on Okinawa in May 1945.    And he refused to even carry a weapon.

Hacksaw Ridge isn't preachy nor does it bestow saintly status on Doss.    He is a likable young man who will not bow in his pacifist beliefs despite enormous pressure by the Army to do so.    His refusal to even touch a rifle makes him the subject of ridicule, scorn, and violence by his fellow platoon members.     Drill sergeant Howell (Vaughn) can scarcely believe what he is seeing.    Howell's commanding officer Captain Jack Glover (Worthington) has Doss sent for a psych evaluation.    Why would someone volunteer to join the Army if he refuses to kill, or even carry a weapon? 

Doss wishes to serve as a medic, in the hopes of saving lives while everyone else is taking them.    He is court-martialed but wins his case with help from his alcoholic World War I veteran father (Weaving), who calls in a favor to his former superior.    Doss is labeled a coward, but we see he is anything but one.    His refusal to acquiesce wins the support of his platoon, especially Smitty (Bracey), who was at first his harshest critic but soon becomes his best friend.     Doss also has the support of a loving bride (Palmer), who only wants him to return safely home to her.

Doss' beliefs spurn partly from religious doctrine but also from an ugly childhood memory involving his father abusing his mother.    He was so shaken by the experience that he vows never to touch a gun again.   He doesn't, but when the Americans suffer heavy casualties and wounded men in the brutal battle to take Hacksaw Ridge, Doss evades enemy fire and discovery to save the lives of 75 wounded men.     No one would dare question his courage after that.

The battle scenes are particularly bloody and brutal.    Anyone who has seen previous Gibson-directed films should not be surprised by this.     Gibson seems to like his action films on the violent side.    Decapitated heads, disemboweled intestines, and spurting blood are not uncommon with Gibson.     But it sets the stage for Doss' heroism and we are all the more stirred by it.     Hacksaw Ridge manages to avoid most of the traps a war biopic sets, unlike Unbroken (2014) about a World War II hero who was celebrated for experiencing what thousands of other fighting men experienced.     I don't think too many men can say they dragged 75 men to safety following one of the most vicious battles on the Pacific front.

Garfield is the right choice for Doss.    Slight of build, he has a way with an infectious grin and his persistence during his sweet courtship of Dorothy.    But underneath the cheerful exterior lies a person undaunted by scorn and fear.     He doesn't behave like he should have a statue built in his honor or have a movie made about him.    He simply stands up for what he believes in and sticks to his principles no matter how inconvenient sticking to them becomes.

Many of the supporting players are effective even though many serve only the function of being dead wrong about Doss and apologizing for it in their own way.    It was surprising to learn many of the actors, except for Vaughn who is American and Garfield who is British, are Australian, but they have spot-on American accents.     It is also surprising to learn that Doss' deeds weren't trumped up or made to be mythical, but more or less happened the way Gibson shows them.     Doss died in 2006 at age 87 and I will bet not one of the men he saved would dare begrudge him for not carrying a rifle.