And the critics are hailing it. (You can read my review here.)
Fresh off its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Hacksaw Ridge – the World War II movie that marks Mel Gibson‘s return to the director’s chair after a 10-year absence – is now seeing its first reviews land online. The first big one came from the legendary trade publication Variety and its chief film critic Owen Gleiberman.
He leads with these thoughts:
- Mel Gibson has made a movie about a pacifist who served nobly during WWII. It’s a testament to his filmmaking chops, and also an act of atonement that may succeed in bringing Gibson back.
Or as The Guardian’s Andrew Pulver puts it: “…as repellent a figure as many may still find Gibson, I have to report he’s absolutely hit Hacksaw Ridge out of the park.” Then there’s Mick LaSalle of San Francisco’s SFGate (hardly a conservative publication), who says in his blog post, “There aren’t going to be many more movies this year better than “Hacksaw Ridge.”
To get a full roundup of other responses, which also declare it “gruesome” and “powerful”, click here for Indiewire’s aggregate article. Entertainment Weekly also has select pull-quotes from major publications here.
Not having read whole reviews myself, I can’t speak to how deep they may get into spoilers, so skim with caution.
Hacksaw Ridge opens nationwide on November 4, 2016.
I Can't Unsee That Movie: film news and reviews by Jeff Huston 
This is a gripping film with forceful storytelling about a remarkable war hero. Its also one of the most violent sensory assaults that can be experienced in a cinema; that makes it a great movie in my book. I gave it four out of five stars.
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I was able to catch it last night actually. Both what I was expecting and not what I was expecting. I’m looking forward to writing about it.
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I thought it was a good movie, but a bit too slap-in-your-face sentimental for my tastes. I would appreciate it if you could check out my 100 Word Review here: https://scribblesofstageandscreen.com/2016/11/14/hacksaw-ridge-gritty-sentimentalism-100-word-review/
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Yeah, I can definitely understand your reaction. I was feeling similarly during that first half-hour, surprised by how corny it was. But by the end of the film, I felt the quaint old-fashioned first half made the war torn second half that much more powerful and affecting. The two halves work together as a whole in a way that the first hour, as a stand alone, wouldn’t.
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I think the back story about his brother and why he is averse to violence gave his later decisions more meaning, but the romance was handled too cliched for me
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