Hacksaw Ridge: Movie Analysis

“Please lord help me get one more.” Those were the words repeated by Private Desmond Doss a man whose story of saving the lives of 75 men and being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is told in the 2016 war film, “Hacksaw Ridge”. The movie follows PVT Doss (Andrew Garfield), Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) and Captain Glover (Sam Worthington) through the Battle of Okinawa, and the struggles PVT Doss had to overcome as a conscientious objector. “Hacksaw Ridge” was directed by Mel Gibson, produced by Tony Benedict, with screenplay by Andrew Knight. “Hacksaw Ridge” is a true story about U.S. Army Medic Private Desmond Doss, who saved the lives of 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa. The story begins with Doss as a young boy playing

The terrain of the escarpment in the movie was true to the story, as there were multiple craters and pits caused by the constant naval barrages. The multiple fortifications, caves, and gun emplacements depicted in the film are also accurate, according to the real Desmond Doss. "They had that mountain honeycombed and camouflaged, it looked like natural terrain. That 's what we had to face.", he would state when discussing the terrain. When the division scales the cliff they climb up a large cargo net, which is historically accurate, however the height of the cliff is extremely exaggerated. In the actual battle, the cliff was much closer to the ground. Towards the end of the film, Desmond’s helmet is clipped by a sniper when he makes his way to save Sergeant Howell. This is partially accurate, as the real Desmond was hit by a sniper, but he was shot in the arm while seeking cover. His squad had previously been ambushed and he’d kicked a grenade away to save his squadmates, which was also in the film, and he’d crawled to cover encouraging his squadmates to not expose themselves to enemy fire by trying to save him. These inaccuracies while prevalent to a keen eye, did not in anyway effect the film or the message it

I believe that the story of Desmond Doss was properly told as the story showed what he had to overcome just to get into the Army. It was also a sobering experience to be immersed in that situation, I often hear of stories of combat, but it is a very different experience when it is played in front of you. I was able to learn the amazing story of Desmond Doss when watching this film, and I had never even heard the name before watching it. It was also a very enjoyable experience because I myself am an avid fan of World War II history, so being able to see the various weapons and uniforms was very familiar to