Mel Gibson: Hacksaw Ridge

Director - Mel Gibson
Writers - Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight

Cast:                                          Characters:

Andrew Garfield            ...       Desmond Doss
Richard Pyros             ...           Teach
Jacob Warner              ...          James Pinnick
Milo Gibson               ...          Lucky Ford
Darcy Bryce               ...          Young Desmond
Roman Guerriero        ...         Young 'Hal' Doss
James Lugton             ...          Hiker
Kasia Stelmach          ...          Hiker's Friend
Hugo Weaving           ...          Tom Doss
Rachel Griffiths         ...          Bertha Doss
Jarin Towney             ...          Teenage Boy
Tim McGarry            ...           Local Man
Tyler Coppin             ...           Lynchburg Doctor
Teresa Palmer           ...           Dorothy Schutte
Richard Platt             ...           Flirting Hospital Soldier
Sam Worthington      ...           Captain Glover
Luke Bracey             ...            Smitty Riker
Vince Vaughn           ...            Sergeant Howell

"Have you not heard, the lord is the everlasting God. Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary. And his understanding no one can fathom." - Desmond Doss

Desmond Doss's religion, Seventh Day Adventist, plays a key role in the movie as his decision to become a medic by saving lives and not taking them. Doss grows up in Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. He served as a  "United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. After distinguishing himself in the Battle of Okinawa, he became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor for actions above and beyond the call of duty. He saved 75 wounded infantrymen atop the Maeda Escarpment." (Wikipedia.org)

Their father Tom Doss is is a hard drinking religious zealot. The two brothers fight. Desmond hits Hal with a brick and he is out cold. He almost kills his brother. Desmond asks his mom about his dad, "Why does he hate us so much?" "No he doesn't hate us, he hates himself." she says. Fifteen years later Desmond treats his first wounded civilian man. He takes him to the hospital and there he notices Dorothy Schutte, his future wife, He is smitten. He decides to give blood just to spend time with her. At Lynchburg Hospital he is corny but charming and they later go on a date. He asks her medical questions to which she tells him he needs to practice his social skills at home. He agrees, He kisses her to which she slaps him. She says he should have asked. Hal enlists and his mom is angry he will break the Bible's sixth commandment - Thou Shalt Not Kill. Hal says it is different in war. Their father was in the military. He cries fearing for his son's safety.

On another date, Dorothy and Desmond kiss and things are going well for Desmond. Desmond tells Dorothy he has to enlist. He says he'll be a medic - saving people not killing them. They agree to get married. His dad is angry and sad with the risk he will die in battle. Dorothy gives him a Bible. He arrives at Fort Jackson. He is introduced to a bunch of new people at the barracks. Sergeant Howell teaches them how to tie a bowline knot. In basic training and when first arrives at the base Desmond thinks everything is a joke. Smitty Riker quickly hates him.

Howell tells them to grab a rifle but Doss doesn't grab one. He tells  Howell, "I can't touch a gun." Howell tells the Company he is a conscientious objector and doesn't believe in violence. Smitty asks Doss, "You think you're better than us?" at the barracks.  Smitty punches him. He tells the other soldiers, "I don't think this is a question of religion. I think this is cowardice." Smitty sees the picture of Dorothy in the Bible and says, "Now this would be the kind of broad that deserves a real man." Smitty puts him in his place. His superiors try to give him a Section 8 which "is a category of discharge from the United States military used for a service-member judged mentally unfit for service." (Wikipedia.org) One person advising to him says war is a completely different set of circumstances in terms of murder.

Howell tells the Company that the unit is no better than its weakest member. After a 20 mile hike to punish the Company for Doss they beat him up. Howell tells Doss, "It's not what you signed up for, it's  for the lives of everyone here and yours." Doss is not granted pass because they didn't pass him for basic training.  He has not qualified on the rifle range.  Desmond Doss doesn't make it to his wedding because they put him in a military prison cell. He is told "you don't win wars by giving up your life." Dorothy telephones his  parents and tells them he might get a Dishonorable Discharge. His father, Tom Doss, arrives to help him. Desmond is told he will be hung. At military court he risks being court marshaled. He tells them while everyone else is taking lives he be saving it. His father barges in and hands them a letter saying he is protected by the Constitution to not bear arms. The unit arrives in Okinawa, May 1945. They see dead bodies  being brought back and the gravity of the situation hits them. Doss is told the Japanese target the wounded and to lose his red cross markings. "Nips put a premium on shooting medics." They climb the Maeda Escarpment to Hacksaw Ridge. As the fighting begins Desmond administers to the wounded. A soldier with a flame-thrower wards off Japanese soldiers. The action scenes are intense.

One difference between this and The Thin Red Line is that The Thin Red Line humanizes both  sides where this film doesn't so much. Smitty and Ghoul try to take one of the bunkers. Smitty throws in a satchel blowing up one of three important Japanese bunkers. Doss helps Ghoul. It's revealed Doss doesn't eat meat when asked by Smitty if he will eat his ration. They mend their differences.  A huge wave of Japanese soldiers come from underground. Doss forgives Smitty and tries to rescue him. Doss goes back in saving as many people as he can. He lowers wounded soldiers down using a knot he learned in basic. Doss gets spotted but escapes into one of the tunnels. He hides from soldiers and ends up helping a Japanese soldier by bandaging him up.

Doss keeps lowering wounded men down the Maeda Escarpment all night. He prays that he can get one more person  to save. He keeps  doing this over and over and even saves a few Japanese. Howell's legs get shot up and Doss eases his pain with some morphine. A soldier nicknamed Hollywood says Doss saved all the soldiers that came down the Maeda Escarpment. A Japanese sniper almost kills Doss saved by his helmet. Howell kills the sniper. Doss lowers him down the Maeda Escarpment. The captain tells his superiors in the following scene that they are waiting because Private Doss is praying for them. He gets injured but helped get Hacksaw Ridge from the Japanese.

James Mangold: 3:10 to Yuma

Director: James Mangold
Writers: Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Elmore Leonard

Cast/Character

Russell Crowe ... Ben Wade
Christian Bale ... Dan Evans
Logan Lerman ... William Evans
Dallas Roberts ... Grayson Butterfield
Ben Foster ... Charlie Prince
Peter Fonda  ... Byron McElroy
Vinessa Shaw ... Emma Nelson
Alan Tudyk ... Doc Potter
Luce Rains ... Marshal Weathers
Gretchen Mol  ... Alice Evans
Lennie Loftin ... Glen Hollander
Rio Alexander ... Campos
Benjamin Petry ... Mark Evans

The film opens up won August, 1884 with Dans's barn being burned by the people he owes money to. They tell Dan Evans he has a week then they burn the house. His boy William saves the horses and the saddles left in the barn. It's obvious the son resents and doesn't look up to him. His wife Alice is mad at him for not making full payments to Hollander. She is shot in a low-angle shot making her look big and showing she has power over Dan - while Dan is shot in a high-angle shot making him look small and powerless. Ben Wade is introduced drawing a bird. Charlie Prince talks to him and Ben Wade leaves the sketch of the bird on the branch of a tree.

Mark, William and Dan Evans track down their herd. A carriage with money and a Gatling gun get ready for Wade's gang approaching. Their Gatling gun kills a lot of the crew but Wade's sharpshooter, Campos, takes out one of the guys operating the Gatling gun. They ambush the armored caravan. Ben Wade sees the cattle of Evans and watches from above, He shoots scattering the herd until the caravan crashes. Charlie Prince introduces himself to Pinkerton Byron McElroy and McElroy calls him Chralie Princess. Charlie Prince is alleged to be gay in the movie. They blow up the caravan and shoot the lock off getting the money. They split up the money. One of the gang is at gunpoint by the caravan's Pinkerton and he says, "Shit!" knowing he will be killed along with the guard. That is exactly what happens. Charlie Prince reports the incident to the Marshal. The authorities move out and the town is undefended. Ben Wade enters the saloon and the door whips the other way with Charlie Prince sneaking in - symbolizing Charlie swings the other way and is a homosexual. Ben Wade quotes Proverbs 13:3 from the Bible justifying killing one of the gang. Ironic.

Ben Wade takes a liking to the waitress and trying to distract Ben Wade, Charlie Prince is jealous. Ben Wade melts this ice queen reminding her of her glory days as a singer. Ben seduces her. Dan Evans is met up with the authorities and they see a wounded man, Byron McElroy, Dan has helped. He tells them Wade did this. Ben Wade sketches the nude bar waitress he seduced.

The authorities find out Wade is in Bisbee. Evans talks to Hollander - the man who burned down his barn for failing to pay his debt. Evans ties to reason with him but Hollander punches him. Hollander tells him, "Sometimes a man has to be big enough to see how small he is." Dan confronts Wade in the saloon. Telling Wade he lost some of his herd Wade generously gives Dan some money. This shows Wade's weakness and Evans frugality being poor. Wade is surrounded in the saloon by authorities and they take his gun, "The Hand of God." He warns one guy who takes it its got a curse on it.

For $200 Evans agrees to escort Wade to be hanged. There is good composition in the film using rule of thirds in the following shots where Charlie gets away with shooting someone in town. They hold Ben Wade at Evans's house and Alice, Dan's wife, is not pleased. Alice is nervous and standoffish - but that might be her hiding her sexual attraction to Wade. Wade asks Dan where he was stationed. He tells him he was stationed at Second Company Sharpshooters out of Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Wade asks how Evans lost his leg. Later Alice tells Dan he doesn't have to bring Wade to justice. Dan says, "I am tired of watching my boys go hungry. I'm tired of the way they look at me. I'm tired of the way you don't. Iv'e been standing on one leg for three damn years, waiting for God to do me a favor and he ain't listening."The authorities tell Wade they are taking him to Contention on the 3:10 to Yuma. They take turns watching Wade by the fire. The guy who took Ben Wade's cursed gun is killed by Wade with a fork when he is asleep. 

Dan says there's a shortcut to Contention. Another man tells him it's Apache country. William saves the day when he sneaks up behind Wade and puts a gun to his head stopping Wade from killing anymore people. Wade charms everyone he meets and asks William if he's ever been to Dodge City. William says no. He tells William the way he shuffles them cards he'd take him for a pro. William says he practices a lot. Wade tells him he could tell. He says about Dodge, "Women who'll do things to you you'll never forget. "The other guy says , "They'll give you a disease you'll never forget."

Once Dan take Wade out to take a piss Apache Indians shoot at them hitting Dan. Wade skillfully kills all of them. Wade gets away and Dan goes after him considering the money for his capture. Mr. Butterfield finds Wade being tortured by a man whose relative was killed by Wade. Mr. Butterfield tells him he can't do that it's immoral. They steal Wade and make way through the pass. Doc Potter dies in the skirmish, Butterfield takes Dan and Wade to the Bridal Suite  in the hotel. Wade like a siren seductively tempts Dan on  the bed with $1,000 to let him go. He tells him all the things he could do with the money. He asks him, "What about Alice? She would be the proud wife of a bonafide Arizona rancher. " William spots Wade's crew coming from the distance. 

When Charlie Prince and the gang find the hotel that Ben Wade is in he makes the offer to the townspeople $200 to anyone who kills one of Ben Wade's captors.With 30-40 hired guns outside the Sheriff gives up and  surrenders. Instead he is brutally killed. Dan reveals that 's what the government paid him for his leg to Butterfield who offers him $200 to quit. $198.36. Dan says, "They weren't paying me to walk away. They were paying me so they could walk away." When Dan tells his son, "I need a man at the ranch to run things, protect our family and I know you can do that because you've become a fine man William." you see Ben Wade's eyes watery almost about to cry. Dan looks at his watch to which Wade says, "You know squeezing that watch won't stop time." In a seamless cut on action between two shots Dan gets up and tells Wade, "it's time."

They move through the alley through gunfire. After getting shot in one of the rooms , Wade tells him, "I ain't doing this no more Dan." He tells his Dan his boys can't see him being a hero so give up. He tells Wade the only battle he seen was in retreat. "You try telling that story to your boy. See how he looks at you then ." Wade helps Dan make his bounty. Charlie Prince shoots Dan. Wade tells Dan he's been to Yuma Prison before. Twice. The train arrives and Ben Wade charitably does Dan a favor by agreeing to get on the train, Wade congratulates Dan but Dan is shot by Charlie Prince till he is nearly dead. Wade finally redeeming himself get his gun, "The Hand of God" and shoots his whole crew dead. Dan dies with a smile finally getting the respect from William. Once the train moves with Wade on it he whistles for his horse to follow.