Hacksaw Ridge (2016) - Gibson's intense, humbling WWII epic

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+ Best War Movie of the Year + Comeback of the Year: Mel Gibson
 

 

This striking poster for Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge highlights how one man went against the destructive chaos of war

 

Desmond Doss is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian Virginian, who has grown up with an abusive father, who was himself traumatized by experiences in the first World War, when WWII arrives, and Doss feels compelled to enlist, although his convictions make it impossible for him to use violence.

Hacksaw Ridge, written by Robert Schenkkan (The Quiet American (2002)) and Andrew Knight (The Water Diviner (2014)), based on Desmond Doss' true story, is the 5th film from American-Australian master filmmaker Mel Gibson (Apocalypto (2006)). It is an intense war movie, which feels like a classic war film although it depicts the horrors of a Japanese war zone in ways that were impossible 60 years ago and also tells us a fresh story that is instantly fascinating.

Andrew Garfield (Boy A (2007)) as Doss calls to mind an actor like Anthony Perkins. His slightly effeminate demeanor might take a moment to get used to; later it is clear that the particular, unusual sensitivity he has developed here fits the character perfectly. Teresa Palmer (Lights Out (2016)) is darling sweet, and she makes it far from a mystery what makes Doss fall so suddenly for her. Garfield is backed up by an ensemble of terrific actors: Hugo Weaving (Last Ride (2009)), Sam Worthington (Macbeth (2006)), Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under (2001-05)) and Vince Vaughn (Be Cool (2005)), who works surprisingly well as the roughneck sergeant.

The film takes us on a journey from a troubled family setting and a blossoming romance, to the sharp-edged hierarchy and harshness of the army, incorporating humor and a consistent focus on Doss' convictions and how they clash with the system. As he overcomes these obstacles, it heads us into the battle for the titular Hacksaw Ridge, a hellish piece of Japanese land that is climbed up ropes on a rocky wall in awesomely mythical fashion. The war scenes are horrific, conveying the pointless destruction, waste and agony of war and the adrenaline rush it creates at the same time. Gibson is a master at work here, SPOILER and I was particularly glad that the film also responded to the waste of enemy lives, and Doss' reaction to this fact as well.

There are a few scenes in the film which are scarred by some digital image compositions which stand out. One is in the training camp with several things going on in the front, middle and back ground, SPOILER and another is towards the end when Doss is lifted down from the ridge, and the camera purports to do a sweeping movement in under his sling. Both are obviously achieved through digital compositing handiwork, which goes against the overall realism achieved in Hacksaw Ridge. - A shame.

But it is also a minor detractor from a great war epic that tells an exciting, horrifying, inspirational and humbling true story. This kind of animal rarely comes to town, so don't miss Hacksaw Ridge in a cinema!

 

Related posts:

 

Mel Gibson: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2016 in films - according to Film Excess

The Expendables 3 (2014) - Unique, bizarre, largely entertaining third action fireball (actor)

Get the Gringo/How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2012) - Mexico is just a little merrier with Mel Gibson (co-producer/co-writer/actor)

The Beaver (2011) - Odd depression-dramedy with great stars - for the open-minded (actor)

Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date

Top 10: The best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Apocalypto (2006) - or, Journey to an Extinct World 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Reportedly 40 - 45 mil. $

Box office: 39 mil. $ and counting

= Too early to say

[Hacksaw Ridge premiered September 4 (Venice International Film Festival) and runs 131 minutes. The project was in 'development hell' for 14 years, before it finally took shape with Gibson as director, - who had turned down the project twice before accepting. For financing reasons, the film was set up as a US-Australian co-production with no less than 14 production companies involved, which includes some distributors. Palmer was cast following an audition she shot herself on her iPhone and managed to get to Gibson. Filming took place for 59 days from September - December 2015 in New South Wales, Australia. 500 hectares of land was cleared, including removing 80 trees, which prompted environmentalists to protest, although approvals were gathered, on conditions of replanting and rehabilitating the area after shooting. The accuracy of the film is reportedly pretty high; changes include some things concerning Doss' father and his struggles with him, Doss' prior service in two battles before Hacksaw Ridge and the length of his service in that battle, which actually ran for around 3 weeks. The film opened #3, behind fellow new releases Doctor Strange and Trolls, to a 15.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it fell to #5 in its current second week and has grossed 34.3 mil. $ so far. The film is getting a Chinese release later this month. It has already been nominated for 13 AACTA awards (Australia's Oscar.) Hacksaw Ridge is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7.1 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hacksaw Ridge?

Warm Bodies (2013) or, Zombie Date Night

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A romantic, tongue-in-cheek-funny, well-designed poster for Jonathan Levine's Warm Bodies

 

In a post-apocalyptic future, the daughter of a prominent zombie exterminator gets her boyfriend eaten by a young male zombie, who with the guy's brain in his system assumes his warm memories and thereby falls in love with the girl while slowly improving himself as a zombie.

Warm Bodies is a film mostly for teenagers who have seen other YA [young adult] adaptations of the preceding years, in particular Twilight (2008) and its sequels, which the film nearly spoofs. But only nearly, because it also insists on being a romance and an action-horror in its own right. - That is a far reach for any film, and Warm Bodies seems to attempt to overcome this by using lots of different popular music to mark its many shifts in tone.

If you are over twenty, it may be difficult for you to get really involved with the ludicrous plot of teenage necrophilia that is basically at play here. On the plus side, both Teresa Palmer (Hacksaw Ridge (2016)) and Nicholas Hoult (Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)), - who is the cutest-looking zombie I can remember ever seeing, - are good, and John Malkovich (Drunkboat (2010)) is also funny as an obsessive zombie-hater. Warm Bodies is a quirky YA-film. It is written and directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50 (2011)), based on the same-titled 2010 novel by Isaac Marion.

Related review:

Jonathan Levine: 50/50 (2011) or, Dude's Got the Big C

Watch the first 4 minutes of the film here

Cost: 35 mil. $

Box office: 116.9 mil. $

= Box office success

[Warm Bodies premiered January 16 (Rome) and runs 97 minutes. Filming took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, beginning September 2011. The film opened #1 to a 20.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for a total of 4 weeks and grossed 66.3 mil. $ (56.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were South Korea with 7.4 mil. $ (6.3 %) and Russia with 5.9 mil. $ (5 %). Warm Bodies is certified fresh at 80 % with a 6.8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Warm Bodies?

Lights Out (2016) - Sandberg debuts with effective spook story

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The curiosity-sparking, simple poster for David F. Sandberg's Lights Out

 

Lights Out is the feature debut of David F. Sandberg (Closet Space (2016), short), based on his own same-titled 2013 short and written by Eric Heisserer (The Thing (2011)).

Following the violent, mysterious death of his father, little Martin reaches out to his big sister, who lives alone in the city. Their mother is depressed and mentally unstable, talking to a woman in the house, who died decades ago, and who can only be in the dark.

Lights Out is an old-school spook story or a campfire story, sure to upset especially its younger audiences' night's sleep. It's got an effective gimmick at its heart; a maleficent entity that only moves in the dark. The film gets a lot out of this premise and couples it with a story of mental illness and an incredible skin disease.

Maria Bello (Grown Ups (2010)) is very credible as the mentally unhinged mother, and Gabriel Bateman (Annabelle (2014)) plays the brave boy Martin very well. None of the others are anything less than good, although the bigger sister, essentially the film's protagonist, and her relationship with her long-haired, slightly dopey boyfriend wasn't all that hot. I also wouldn't have minded a little fun in Lights Out, but that isn't part of its game.

Instead it succeeds in being a creepy, very simple horror with some good shocks and effective sound design. Don't expect a gore fest here. Lights Out is not that type of horror.

Watch an official trailer for the film here

Cost: 4.9-5 mil. $

Box office: 110.9 mil. $ and counting

= Mega-hit

[Lights Out premiered June 8 (Los Angeles Film Festival) and runs 81 minutes. Sandberg had not worked with a film crew or been on a film set before directing the film. Filming took place in LA from June - August 2015. The premiere was arranged to benefit from the major success of one of its producers, James Wan's The Conjuring 2's release around the same time. The film opened #3, behind new release Star Trek Beyond and holdover hit The Secret Lives of Pets, to a 21.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd week and to date has grossed 64.5 mil. $ (58.2 % of the total gross). Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets have been Russia with 3.7 mil. $ (3.3 %) and Argentina with 2.4 mil. $ (2.2 %). A sequel with Heisserer and Sandberg back as writer and director, respectively, has already been announced. Lights Out is certified fresh at 76 % with a 6.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Lights Out?