Hacksaw Ridge, the Story of a War Hero without a Weapon
Desmond Doss could not stand by when all the young men his age joined the military to fight for his country. However, on the other hand, Doss, who as a child almost killed his brother in a fight, has promised never to commit such sins.
Doss did grow up to be a very religious man thanks to his mother. His father's attitude, which was grumpy and drunken since returning home from the war, made his mother instill very strong religious values in Doss. His strong principle of not holding a gun and killing others did not prevent him from joining the military. However, at that time he stressed that he did not want to take up arms and chose to become a medical officer.
"War takes lives, but I will save lives," Doss said as he spoke to his commanders in the military. Unfortunately, Doss's reluctance to take up arms actually made him a target for training camp. He continued to be seen as a coward by his friends and commanders.
However, all these assumptions were broken by Doss when he fought for the Hacksaw Ridge in Okinawa during World War II. Doss at that time became a hero by saving many of his comrades. In fact, when all the troops withdrew, Doss was not afraid.
Alone at Hacksaw Ridge, Okinawa, he rescued dozens of his wounded comrades. Lead them to the end of the cliff to be lowered with a rope. When tired of approaching, Doss always prays to be strengthened to save one more colleague. Continue like that, until he was able to save about 75 wounded soldiers. Alone, without anyone's help.
Doss's courage is what earned him the respect of his peers. He also became a conscientious objector, namely a person who refused to fight with the first military to receive the military's highest award of the Medal of Honor.
Hacksaw Ridge is the first war film by Mel Gibson. This film tells the true story of a war hero who played a very important role in ending the war in Okinawa, Desmond Doss.
Mel takes the audience through this devastating war from the point of view of a Desmond Doss. The way of a person who does not hold a weapon, does not kill, and shoots the enemy can do so much in war.
Doss' religious demeanor and extraordinary courage show how deeply held beliefs can save his life, even those of others. To become a hero, you don't need to always kill your life, but you can save it.
The film's setting is basically quite simple. Taking a filming location in Australia, Mel did not explore many places. In the film Mel is also relatively short, showing Doss's life, namely his childhood in Virginia, a training camp, the hospital where Doss met his lover Dorothy Schutte, played by Teresa Palmer, and the battlefield.
However, this film has a very strong story scenario that is able to drift the audience for 139 minutes and stir the audience's emotions. Mel also delicately describes the details of the war. Mel even displays the state of war realistically. Such as the fear of soldiers facing the enemy, the defeat of American troops at the beginning of the war, to the war that can make many victims.
At the end of the film, like many other biopic films, this film also features the real character and documentation of Desmond Doss. In fact, pieces of testimony from a number of original characters in the film, such as Doss's brother, Hall, and Captain Glover, who in the film played by Sam Worthington are shown. Also a snippet of Doss' statement, apparently taken from a documentary about him.
Desmond Doss died in 2006 from a respiratory disease that attacked him. He died at the age of 87 and has won various awards. Including this film which is dedicated to his struggle.
