Hacksaw Ridge - Die Entscheidung

Manche Momente wirken vereinfacht und nicht durchdacht, aber emotional funktioniert der Film. Und über so eine saubere Arbeit mit der süßen, visuellen Golden-Hollywood-Darstellung freut man sich immer. Braveheart ging aber mehr auf den Konflikt der Figuren ein und die Rebellion des Haupthelden war leidenschaftlicher. Hacksaw Ridge - Die Entscheidung bleibt "nur“ ein schönes, elegantes Kriegsdrama, das durch blutige Eingeweide und hunderte harte Durchschüsse verstärkt wird. Garfield ist gut, bisher war das seine beste Rolle. (30.11.2016)

If the child version of Andrew Garfield had been hit in the mouth with a brick at the beginning of Hacksaw Ridge instead of his movie brother, the whole film would have made a lot more sense. I wasn’t really sure how seriously I should take a young man with the face of a divine simpleton who isn’t overly familiar with how interpersonal relationships work, let alone international politics. In any case, the film takes him seriously enough to gradually lose all credibility. Instead, it offers an enormous dose of stupidity. It seems to me that the final Assumption scene wandered into the film from an unaired Monty Python sketch. The concept that forms the basis of the entire film is reminiscent of the theatre of the absurd. To make the hero of the biggest explosion of disembowelled guts and blown-off heads since Saving Private Ryan a very devout pacifist who rejects violence of any kind strikes me as a rather cruel irony. It doesn’t seem, however, that Mel Gibson is aware of that. He doesn’t use the scenes of slaughter (which soon become numbing rather than shocking) to lead Desmond to the realisation that war is a lot more hellish than he imagined it would be (in which case the contrast of the first and second halves of the film would have worked better), but to show how hard the boy will have it if he wants to survive longer than a split second without a rifle in his hand. The creation of a hero who rejects violence is thus paradoxically conditioned by pervasive violence. If his buddies had not been torn to pieces by the bullets and grenades of the savage Japanese (an ethnic stereotype that went out of fashion along with John Wayne), he could not have become a hero. I don’t doubt that someone else will find clear logic in what I myself see as an irreconcilable contradiction, but even if it didn’t seem to me that the film is ridiculous at its very core, I would have a hard time finding reasons to recommend it to anyone as an example of the best of what has been made in Hollywood this year. We have seen powerful and generally uncluttered depictions of the pandemonium of war many times before, and the clear narrative structure and textbook segmentation, thanks to which such films never even start to be boring, are qualities that have characterised American films for many decades. Hacksaw Ridge, however, is somewhat underdeveloped both intellectually and formalistically. 60% (03.12.2016)

Laughing in atheist Czechia at the Catholic Gibson going over the top in the story of a soldier who refuses a gun for religious reasons seems like a cheap pose to me. The truth is that just as Gibson does not discount his position as a devout Christian, he does not discount filmmaking compromises. The first hour might have deserved to be turned up a notch and let the viewer peek inside the heads of those for whom a gun is a certainty in war, but the second half is a Rambo-esque rendering plant that, with its refined camera, editing, and sound-chiseled aesthetics, turns a wartime hell into an almost hypnotically artistic experience. This was last done by Ridley Scott at the start of the new millennium. You can have whatever feelings you want about it throughout, but when Garfield's limited acting works at the end, it turns into an emotional waterfall that for once I didn’t feel awkward about. 4 ½. (15.07.2017)

I would divide this film into two parts like it is for instance with The Full Metal Jacket. However, as opposed to The Full Metal Jacket, the first half involving training is quite boring, but fortunately the latter half is saved by an absolute precise depiction of war that I haven’t seen in a long time. You see, war is depicted in a pretty brutal manner in this film, which is something I had expected to see in a movie directed by Mel Gibson. At times I was even remembering the brutality and efficiency of SavingPrivate Ryan. The only difference being that Hacksaw Ridge was made about twenty years later. It still is one of the best war movies of the past few years and I am glad that Mel Gibson was in charge of this one, who after all his escapades proved that he still has it in him to get famous again, which he actually managed to achieve due to the fact that he was nominated for an Oscar. By the way, try to find out something about the main character, who is portrayed here by Andrew Garfield. To be honest, I didn’t know what to think about him. I think Desmond Doss was pretty unstable psychologically, which was confirmed in the first hour of the movie. After all, the movie showed this on his despotic father and also on the fact that the entire family was part of some Adventist Church of Jesus’ Latter Days and the family really built who they were on their pacificsm. In any case, I appreciate the effort to help people. You could see that even despite his mental issues, Desmond really meant well and it’s nice that Mel Gibson made such a movie about him. The story is truly epic. (21.02.2017)

The rumors that Hacksaw Ridge is a cruel carnage have been confirmed. At least the scene when the protagonists enter the battlefield for the first time is really not for the faint of heart and will probably be talked about for a while. How the film will fare overall, though, I can't say, but I'm afraid a lot of viewers won't be able to stomach this. Mel Gibson is a great director and it shows here not only in the battle scenes, where he allows himself to do some really wild stuff from time to time, but audiovisually overall. The trouble, however, may be that Hacksaw Ridge looks like something from the last century, and not from the 1990s. The hero is more naive and passionate about a good cause than Forrest Gump, the characters are downright shallow at times, and everything here is either black (Dobbs, you're a naive idiot and you're going to get your ass kicked) or white (Dobbs, we'll follow you to hell). Gibson was probably trying to do just that, and if you accept the rules of the game, you get a very good hero story that you may question how much it has to do with reality, but you will enjoy it. But if you don't tune in to the director's wave, you can suffer through Hacksaw Ridge. So watch out! (15.05.2017)

Anachronistischer Mumpitz. Das erste Drittel hätte eine glatte Null verdient. Ist denn der Charakter seltenblöd? Hat Mel Forrest Gump gefallen, versteht er denn aber keine Übertreibung? Ist Vince Vaughn nur ein perverser Witz? Etwas derart Unangenehmes gehört ins ideologische Gehege der neunziger Jahre. Zum Glück gibt es da die andere Hälfte und Call Of Duty: Hacksaw Ridge – Die Entscheidung, ein deftiger Kriegsporno mit slasherartigen Elementen, welche das an einen Marder erinnernde Gesicht von Garfield und Mels Neigung zu übertriebener religiös-patriotischer Symbolik (die vertikalen Anblicke und Einsichten, na ja) andauernd verderben. Doch der böse alte Mann versteht es immer noch hervorragend mit Innereien und Gliedmaßen umzugehen. Alles um uns herum wirkt jedoch immer noch wie ein riesiger dürrer Stuhlgang. Der Soldat James Ryan bewahrte sich trotz des Schemas eine gewisse Verhältnismäßigkeit. Dies ist eine biblisch-patriotisch Draperie jenseits des Zumutbaren. Das Ende verläuft ganz im Sinne des Spruches "Was zum Teufel“. Guter Soldat Messi. Ist dies die Paraphrase eines mit der Himmelfahrt gekreuzten Platoon? Ach gebt mir doch damit Ruhe. Ich bin doch kein Adventist. (09.11.2016)

Gibson probably didn't quite understand the meaning of the phrase "war is hell/horror" and took it literally, word for word. He thus stylizes war scenes as a pure horror genre movie from hell with everything from the fear of the unseen through spooky scenes to the ultimate gorefest that cinema has never experienced before. Which is basically (without irony or exaggeration) a brilliant idea. On paper. In this interpretation, however, it is only a monotonously stultifying patchwork of slow-motion shots of Japanese Palachas melancholy flare accompanied by raining limbs. And all this improved with WTF moments that are like from the Army of Darkness (yes, a congenial assault with a rotting body, football-grenade scissors or "I´ll move forward you have my back"). And I haven't even yet mentioned the excessive agitation "overlap" that the viewer is forced to watch, which is packed with undisguised pathos (no, it's not a scene "please, one more"), that it has absolutely nothing in common with serious (anti) war drama. This is a regular B-rate guild "holy gore" pleasure not a serious movie. Which is a pity, because the fate and the themes (and the resulting conflicts) are so stimulating that they deserved a better and, above all, more dignified adaptation. But it wouldn't be so much fun, although unintentional, but damn it. At the end of the day, the main drawback is not the silly script, ridiculous performances or disrespecting the memory of the victims on both sides, but the first forty minutes, which ... Well, it´s just as bad (if not worse) than the rest of the movie, but there are no scenes from the Army of Darkness. Which is an unforgivable sin that not a dozen prayers will undo. (28.01.2017)

Gibson will cut you into pieces. It starts as romantic fairytale about human values and then switches over to hell. Doss’s story begins with a very fond view of the past, growing up, a fundamental faith in God all mixed with a complicated relationship with his father (the fantastic Hugo Weaving), a veteran of the First World War and a drunk. The romantic interest is dealt with precisely, somewhere between Forrest Gump and Braveheart, which is exactly what this story needs. The training centre section was a little confused, but as soon as the platoon sets foot on Okinawa, you no longer care. No pussyfooting from Gibson, he serves us reality in its fiercest form. He presents war in a terrifying, raw and very realistic way, but the sensitivity with which it was filmed gives it a stamp of beauty. The image composition is so fantastic it’s almost unbelievable, the same as the story. Heroic transfer of Doss’s wounded comrades, saving lives¬… sometimes even Japanese, hiding in tunnels and bloodbaths. Excellent casting, dominated by Garfield (a great balance between simple farmer and an ardent believer-hero). He does the work expected from him. This movie might never have been made if it wasn’t for Gibson’s Hollywood repentance, and that would have been a great shame. Now we want him back, ready for combat, and I hope that he dusts off that Viking bloodbath that he was meant to make with DiCaprio. (14.11.2016)

Nothing has changed in all these years, Mel Gibson is still a very good storyteller of romantic and personal stories and relationship lines, but only mediocre at working with war themes. We Were Soldiers (where he left the direction to his mate Randall Wallace) had identical ills and became a mere semi-cult classic for loyal fans rather than a benchmark of the genre. Not even Mel's appetite for blood and blown limbs can make up for it. All he had to do was invite Spielberg or Stallone in for a consultation to show him what the meaning of the word dynamic and imaginative action/war scenes is. Everything is topped off by the traditionally idiotic slow-motion shots of the first line running out (again, as if copied from an earlier film), which subliminally scream "pathos" at the top of their lungs. The performances are fine, the Palmer-Garfield duo is ideal. (14.11.2016)

Die so schon faszinierende Geschichte von Desmond Doss hat sich unter der Leitung von Mel Gibson in einen hundertprozentig wirkungsvollen Antikriegsfilm verwandelt, welcher vom Anfang bis zum Ende ganz natürlich dahinfließt, ohne zu stolpern oder ohne klischeehaft zu sein. Und er macht mit dem Publikum, was er will. In der ersten Hälfte sieht man Desmonds Entschlossenheit, zur Armee einzurücken. Man wünscht ihm Erfolg. In der zweiten Hälfte erlebt man mit ihm eine unglaublich suggestive Kriegshölle. Man versteht nicht, was einen Menschen dazu bewegen kann, sich in sie freiwillig zu stürzen (im Übrigen – diejenigen, die behaupten, dass die erste Hälfte für Frauen und die zweite für Männer ist, müssen ein wirklich einfaches Leben haben). Alle Schauspieler*innen sind ausgezeichnet und die Regie ist einfallsreich. Das Drehbuch wurde nicht schnell und liederlich gemacht. Die Musik hat mir auch sehr gefallen. (12.11.2016)

Mel has not fully wised-up. A visual and acoustic barrage with some over the top sequences of cinematic warfare (during the first battle scene you want to crouch in the cinema to avoid being hit by flying shrapnel or splashing blood); narratively this controversial filmmaker is absolutely precise, but visibly lacks any stylistic creativity in the form of the overall system of the work. The film kind of feels like an amalgamation of more notorious ones based on similar themes and motifs, and while everything that happens in it is correct given the classic modes of storytelling, we don't find a single signature, a single authorial added value except for the litres of blood and guts spilling out. Thumbs up for most of the actors (I repeat actors, not Garfield), the thorough psychology, and the disgustingly depressing atmosphere that the nature of direct combat manages to evoke in the stomach and mind. Thumbs down, on the other hand, for the overblown patriotism and ridiculous iconisation of the main character, which at times sends the whole philosophical message somewhere on the mental level of Forrest Gump and Bubba. (21.11.2016)

Endlich nach längerer Zeit mal wieder ein hervorragender Film und dazu noch ein Kriegsfilm. Ich bin recht allergisch auf die amerikanische Kriegsproduktion der letzten Jahre, also ist Hacksaw Ridge - Die Entscheidung für mich angenehm erfrischend. Wenn ich sarkastisch bin, dann kommt das wohl durch Gibson und die Australier dass daraus nicht wieder so ein amerikanischer Huldigungsquatsch wurde. Mel Gibson hat sich irgendwann bei mir mal große Sympathien erworben, deshalb verzeihe ich ihm ein paar amerikanische Szenen, weil ich es ihm wirklich glaube, dass er nicht über die amerikanische Perfektion und Unfehlbarkeit jubelt. Andrew Garfield hatte ein sehr anstrengendes Jahr, neben Silence spielte er noch die Rolle des Desmond Doss, das muss ihn viel Kraft gekostet haben, deshalb ist die Oscar-Nominierung verdient. Als ich den B-Horrorfilm Lights Out gesehen hatte, hätte ich nicht geahnt, dass ich die Hauptdarstellerin kurz darauf in einem A-Film sehen würde. Nun, und was sollte ich zu meinem Lieblings-Komödienschauspieler Vince Vaughn noch sagen? Ich muss lachen, auch wenn er ernste Rollen spielt. (23.02.2017)

It didn’t bother me in the least that the first half of the film was slow-paced, as I spent the whole time worrying about how deep a cesspool of pathos the director would make me sink into. Surprisingly enough, it didn't happen in the end. At least I expected much worse. Sadly, Mel Gibson obviously doesn't make films for atheists, so I had to sit through a lot of claptrap from those who believe in the immaculate conception of the greatest of carpenters. What put me in a better mood was how realistically the Battle of Okinawa was portrayed. The main character's philosophy was really interesting. If all Allied soldiers had followed it, everyone would probably be speaking German or Japanese today, and the Golan Heights would be one of the most peaceful places on Earth, much to Mel Gibson’s satisfaction. 4*- (16.04.2017)

I had mixed feelings about this movie. On one hand, there's the great Mel Gibson, whom I respect even more as a director than as an actor, and on the other hand, there's the story of a man who is essentially a fanatic. But Mel once again showed that he can direct a film that amazes the audience, especially in the war scenes, which haven't captivated me like this since Saving Private Ryan, although I've seen more by this point. I was still just staring in awe. (14.11.2016)

Letztes Jahr war es Spielberg, dieses Jahr ist Gibson dran. Wieder einmal bekommen wir ein Film im Stil des letzten Jahrhunderts, wo sich der Regisseur von Braveheart nicht verschweigen lässt. Bis zu der landung in Okinawa denkt man sich noch „ja so was habe ich schon zich mal gesehen“. Dann aber kommt das Massaker… für die einen ist es widerlich hart, abstoßend, für die anderen ist es technisch wunderbar beherrscht und bis ins Detail ausgearbeitet. Auf einem kleinen Schlachtfeld bricht die Hölle los und übertrifft in seinem Realismus die große Mehrheit dessen, was jemals auf der Kinoleinwand zu sehen war. Prompt ist man froh über den Super-Gutmütigen, der noch ein paar Asse im Ärmel hat. Denn Hacksaw Ridge ist vor allem ein Film über Heldentum. (13.11.2016)

It's a great pity that most of the plot is mired in pathos, because the passage when Andrew Garfield as Private Doss rescues his wounded comrades armed only with a first aid kit is basically flawless. It seems to me that it couldn't have been filmed any better. Anyway, the real Desmond Doss deserves our boundless respect and admiration for his heroic actions. It's only right that this movie was made: it has brought him to the attention of the wider public. (65%) (23.01.2023)

Mel Gibson is back and that’s good. I liked the smooth and slow transition from the fairytale-like, funny beginning, through the more serious but still, thanks to Vaughn, humorous training, to the already serious, rough and bloody combat in the second half of the film. I also appreciate that the combat didn't revolve only around the protagonist: in the first part we don't really see him that much and we mainly observe the fate of the other soldiers. Mel didn’t push the envelope and he did well. Maybe he could have just left out the grenade detonation at the end. But where he did push the envelope, and in a good way, is in the combat scenes. In this respect, I loved a review from another user describing Gibson who, with a crazed face shouts: “MORE BLOOD MOTHERFUCKERS!”, but I did like that. No, I have never been in combat, I have never seen explosions, or guts, or a fight to the death with my own eyes, but this is exactly how I imagine it. Everything felt incredibly real, all the effects were honest, and I really appreciate that. For me, Hacksaw Ridge is one of those great war movies that I'll gladly watch again. And I have more thing to say, I want MORE GIBSON MOTHER****ERS!!! :) (28.02.2017)