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Mel Gibson’s ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ is the Best War Film Since ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (Rex Reed)
The Observer ^ | November 2, 2016 | By Rex Reed

Posted on 11/14/2016 4:52:35 AM PST by Brad from Tennessee

Like the voters who plan to stay home on Election Day because they don’t like the candidates, potential filmgoers who avoid Hacksaw Ridge because they object to Mel Gibson will be the losers. Hacksaw Ridge, the true story of a conscientious objector who played a big role in winning World War II by enduring relentless punishment on and off the battlefield, saved countless lives on the front lines in the bloody Battle of Okinawa without ever carrying an assault weapon and became one of the most decorated heroes in military history without firing a single shot, is the best war film since Saving Private Ryan. It is violent, harrowing, heartbreaking and unforgettable. And yes, it was directed by Mel Gibson. He deserves a medal, too.

Shot entirely in Australia, though set in Virginia and Japan, this is the passionate, heartfelt saga of Desmond Doss, a naive, uneducated and unsophisticated hick from the Blue Ridge Mountains who turned pacifist after a near-tragic childhood accident incurred in a childhood scuffle with his older brother. So convinced that taking another man’s life was the most egregious sin in the Ten Commandments, Doss hated aggression so much that when he went to the movies on a date he could hardly sit through newsreels.

This was doubly hard to reconcile with incidents in early sections of the film showing Desmond’s challenging family life with a loving, overly religious mother who was often savagely beaten by his drunken, abusive father (Rachel Griffiths and Hugo Weaving, two of Australia’s best actors, playing with perfect backwoods American accents); his strong faith in the church of Seventh Day Adventists that guided his way and lit his path to manhood and beyond; his head-over-heels love for a pretty nurse (Teresa Palmer) who became his wife and partner forever. . .

(Excerpt) Read more at observer.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: hacksawridge; hollywood; melgibson; moviereview; rexreed
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1 posted on 11/14/2016 4:52:35 AM PST by Brad from Tennessee
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To: ColdOne

ping


2 posted on 11/14/2016 4:54:29 AM PST by ColdOne ((poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11~WE DID IT DEPLORABLES!EraseThe0bagambiLegacy!)
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To: Brad from Tennessee
A true story about a medic/corpseman (was he Army or Navy?) who won the Congressional Medal of Honor.Sounds damn good to me.
3 posted on 11/14/2016 4:57:27 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Deplorables' Lives Matter)
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To: Gay State Conservative

Army medic, and ther’s no “e” in “corpsman”.


4 posted on 11/14/2016 5:00:26 AM PST by NorthMountain (Northmountain)
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To: NorthMountain

But there are two “e”s in “there’s”.


5 posted on 11/14/2016 5:01:02 AM PST by NorthMountain (Northmountain)
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To: NorthMountain

Dontcha hate those “oh cr**” moments!!


6 posted on 11/14/2016 5:11:31 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

Caught it just as I was hitting “Post” the second time.


7 posted on 11/14/2016 5:13:25 AM PST by NorthMountain (Northmountain)
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To: NorthMountain

I think he was making fun of Obama’s mispronunciation of Corpsman.


8 posted on 11/14/2016 5:15:31 AM PST by real saxophonist ( YouTube + Twitter + Facebook = YouTwitFace.com)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

I saw it last night and it was excellent. It’s long, but it ramps up the action in a way that it doesn’t feel long at all. Highly recommended.


9 posted on 11/14/2016 5:17:13 AM PST by Monty22002
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To: Brad from Tennessee

but saving private ryan was horrible movie


10 posted on 11/14/2016 5:21:08 AM PST by 4rcane
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To: Brad from Tennessee
... the true story of a conscientious objector who played a big role in winning World War II ...

Is it me or is this more than a bit over-the-top? "A big role in winning World War II" is a really, really big statement to make about an individual on the front lines of a battle! I am the son of a US Army veteran who was awarded 4 Purple Hearts and every heroism medal below the Distinguished Service Cross and he was just one of hundreds of thousands just in the US Military! Add the members of the Allied military and that number is LARGE!

Far be it from me to advise a paid professional critic BUT would this slight modification be a more realistic yet still laudatory improvement? " ... the true story of a conscientious objector who exemplifies the heroism that played a big role in winning World War II ..."

11 posted on 11/14/2016 5:21:13 AM PST by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: Brad from Tennessee
Viet Nam buddy, cannon cocker who's position was overrun, and I went to see Saving Private Ryan.

Afterwards we just sat silently in our seats.

Then he slowly said, "The only thing they didn't have in the movie was the smell."

Probably the same with this movie.

12 posted on 11/14/2016 5:21:27 AM PST by N. Theknow (Kennedys-Can't drive, can't ski, can't fly, can't skipper a boat-But they know what's best for you.)
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To: NorthMountain
And 4 "e"s in Okefenokee, but that will be drained soon, and is totally off topic,

There are no "e"s in hijack.

13 posted on 11/14/2016 5:22:41 AM PST by jimmyray (there is no problem so bad that you can't make it worse)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Saw it Saturday night - great movie!


14 posted on 11/14/2016 5:25:56 AM PST by TomServo
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To: Gay State Conservative

Read his citation, it is just plain ridiculous.


15 posted on 11/14/2016 5:28:52 AM PST by D Rider
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To: TomServo

“The Best Years of Our Lives,” is probably the best war movie ever made.


16 posted on 11/14/2016 5:29:33 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Twould be nice if it’s so good.

It’ll have to be really good to be better than Fury.


17 posted on 11/14/2016 5:37:06 AM PST by MrThistle999
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To: NorthMountain
Army medic, and ther’s no “e” in “corpsman”.

Ooops...Yikes! But don't worry,even this old Army guy knows that it's *pronounced* "core man" even though I spelled it wrong.

18 posted on 11/14/2016 5:38:23 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Deplorables' Lives Matter)
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To: NorthMountain

There is in obamas lexicon


19 posted on 11/14/2016 5:41:17 AM PST by Afterguard (Deplorable me!)
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To: Gay State Conservative

>snicker, snicker<

He said, “corpseman,” just like Obama!

That’s like the popular way to “aircraft” plural as, “aircrafts” or even “spacecrafts.”

I’ve even heard a millenial youtuber say the word “astronaut corpse.”

LOL!


20 posted on 11/14/2016 5:43:01 AM PST by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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