WWII American Army Medic, Desmond Doss, served during the Battle of Okinawa, but he refused to pick up a gun. In this incredible true story, Doss became the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with his overbearing, drunken father (Hugo Weaving) and his loving mother (Rachel Griffiths.) His brother has already enlisted in the army, and his father doesn’t want to see Desmond do the same. But Desmond is called by a sense of duty to his country and a sense of obligation to his Lord. With only his Bible in hand – that contains a tattered photo of his fiancée (Teresa Palmer)- Desmond enlists.
His Sargent is portrayed by an unlikely Vince Vaugh. But don’t expect ‘Spiderman’ antics from Garfield, or screwball-comedy from Vaughn. These are two actors who are far from miscast, instead passing the test of memorable, earnest, powerfully raw, and Oscar-worthy actors.
If you loved Saving Private Ryan… if you loved Band of Brothers, you’re going to love this. Not since Oliver Stone’s Platoon has there been a movie with such a sense of camaraderie. But what makes this Mel Gibson directed masterpiece rise above all others is its wholesomeness. There is no unnecessary swearing, no special effects, no sex scenes, yet, it challenges our senses with abrasion…what it might have felt like to live war…to ‘feel’ war. We can taste the dirt, we can see the horrific deaths and amputations – and they are horrific; we can smell the blood and we can hear the sound of fear, that by the grace of God and by dodging a bullet, they’ll be spared. Depicted in a magnificent, sweepingly-accurate story from director Mel Gibson, they don’t make movies like this anymore. This is old Hollywood royalty.
And because it’s Mel Gibson – who has a history of Religious and controversial films – we find ourselves asking if Desmond is confusing his will with that of the Lord’s? It is pride or is it stubbornness?
Just remember, as you grip the arm of the person next to you from the safety of your theatre seat with a Pepsi and popcorn in hand, perhaps, you might just want to hug a Veteran. Go on, hug a Veteran and say ‘thank you’ this Veteran’s Day.
Four tiaras