Lionel Mandrake
Member
I'm not going to get in-depth on this, because I'm sure a lot of people here have seen this and there's no need to summarize anything, but I wound up seeing this the other night and thought the religious element was worth discussing.
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I guess Ive attained some notoriety around these parts for watching some Christian movies and subsequently complaining about them. Now, during my whining, Ive always maintained that I bear no ill will against any religious groups, despite my displeasure with their entertainment. Ive said before that I dont have any problems with Christianity extending beyond personal questions and mild frustrations with immediate acquaintances. So, I always thought that one day I would (hopefully) wind up watching a Christian movie that was actually good, which would succeed in areas where so many other films have failed. Lo and behold, this Hacksaw Ridge movie, with it's 87% on RT, was starting to be discussed by church groups and talked about from a Christian perspective. Since Ive trashed so many pieces of Christian entertainment before, its only fair if I gave this one a try and tried to evaluate it.
Now, before we begin an analysis about what this movie does right, there are two matters that must be addressed.
1.
Mel Gibson made this movie. Mel has problems... of the racist variety. That alone kind of mucks up the argument that this movie can ever achieve any sort of spiritual enlightenment. Im, of course, not going to defend Mel Gibson as a person. People can do that all they like (actually, I'm a mod, don't do it too much); they can argue that it was the alcohol, that he has mental illness, that hes changed, or whatever. I dont know Mel Gibson, I just know what hes said and how he comes across in interviews, and it isnt great. But the man is obviously religious, for better or worse, and faith tends to be a focus in his movies.
I guess this has to be one of those separate the art from the artist things, which Ive always felt is kind of a weak sentiment, like ignoring the question to avoid being wrong. But, if Im going to find a good Christian movie, Im going to have to make some sort of concession. Lets just pretend like Mel Gibson doesnt exist and that this movie appeared magically out of thin air.
2.
"This isnt a Christian movie."
How is it not?
Its a war movie.
Sure. And Gods Not Dead is a college film where the fun fraternity all got born-again just before the movie started. And Courageous is police drama. And Fireproof is an experimental abstract film where all the actors were recorded backwards and the footage is played in reverse, thus explaining their stilted performances. The fact of the matter is all of these movies have plots but at their core, theyre about spirituality. Even Hacksaw Ridge.
But thats different. Besides, this is a biography of a real person.
Yeah, a Seventh-Day Adventist who swore an oath to God to never pick up a gun or kill a human being. Im not saying that a non-religious movie cannot have a religious main character, but when that character is so defined by his religious devotion, and the action is driven by that, the movie starts to become a religious film.
This film is so religious that its first half straight up follows the same structure as the Gods Not Dead films.
We have a Christian who is true to his Christian values...
Which other characters dont understand...
Which even leads to physical hostility
Eventually the protagonists faith is literally put on trial
And of course, their hardships are rewarded when theyre saved in the end by The Newsboys.
Obviously, there are some deviations to the plot, but I think the point is clear: Hacksaw Ridge is an obvious and shameless knock-off of Gods Not Dead.
So, yeah. Its a Christian movie. Now, lets examine what actually makes it a good one.
The key flaw in most films put out by Christian studios is the lack of a focused story No, wait Its the bad acting Or, no, it must be the pandering to the audience. Geez, maybe its the incompetent directing. Or is it the unbelievable behavior of all the characters? Ugh Its definitely one of those. Hacksaw Ridge manages to offer what these movies are attempting to conjure up without stooping to new lows in order to achieve this.
At their core, all of these films are trying to show a characters faith being tested and withstanding the intense obstacles put forth. The problem with most Christian movies is that the obstacle is a mean atheist or convincing someone to go to church. In Hacksaw, its the fucking Japanese army.
The issue feels sincere. Hacksaws heroic Desmond must stick to his values while facing not only his own violent death, but the deaths of his fellow soldiers, the agony of his wife and parents, and the ever-so-slightly pressing matter of the Axis taking over the world. Josh Wheaton in Gods Not Dead has to prove that atheism is stupid in time to catch a Newsboys concert.
The characters who come against these protagonists are similarly different. In Hacksaw, Desmonds unit has a serious problem with him not compromising to pick up a gun because he just might get himself and everyone else killed. In the Gods Not Dead movies, people are angry because Ooooh! Im an atheist, and those people are Christians and that makes me maaaaad! Desmond actually has to wrestle with himself, because he knows the others have a point, but he believes he can help the cause.
Theres a scene at the end of Hacksaw Ridge, following everyone slowly becoming pro-Desmond, where the soldiers are waiting to storm up the ridge again. Theyre waiting for Desmond to finish praying for them. Their heads arent bowed. They arent all on their knees crying while some awful Christian rock is playing. Theyre watching Desmond. Maybe they arent convinced by his beliefs, but they respect him and his beliefs, just as he respects them. They've come to understand each other, on both sides. Even better, the attack is on Saturday, Desmonds Sabbath, during which he previously refused to fight. Yet, here he is, on his Sabbath, breaking a little bit of conviction, because he feels like its the right thing to do. He relents on his slavish devotion to his faith, because upon self-reflection and meditation, he believes he should act . What?! Is this possible?! A faith-based movie showing its main character going beyond straightforward biblical practice by doing some actual soul-searching? Madness!
Desmond isnt smug. He isnt condescending.
Hes respectful. Hes open. Hes flawed. Hes real.
The world he is in is genuine. It's scary. It challenges faith and not just by someone saying church is stupid or something.
His religious turmoil is warranted. The other characters problems with him are valid. His actions are actually admirable, regardless of whatever the hell he believes in.
The people here aren't psychotic assholes.... Well... The Japanese are kind of depicted that way, but not the main characters.
I dont honestly think Hacksaw Ridge is an amazing movie. Its good. Its very competent. It works on a lot of levels, but it has a lot of problems. The ending feels abrupt, melodramatic, and incomplete. A lot of the acting in the first half actually manages to have a similar stilted vibe like a lot of Christian films, and it piles on the schmaltz. Australian actors simply cannot do Southern U.S. accents, and even when Hugo Weaving is acting the hell out of a scene, his phony drawl sounds silly. The Japanese army is depicted in an, at best, uninteresting and, at worst, dehumanizing way. Still, as a film, its pretty good; as a Christian film, its a masterpiece.
Is it going to inspire me to go back to church and get back into the good Christian life? No. I highly doubt anything will anytime soon. But I left this movie seeing value and respect in Christian faith instead of being cynical of it. That's an accomplishment for a movie these days.
There you have it. Ive given credit where it was due, now nobody can complain the next time I make fun of a Christian movie starring washed-up TV actors. I've proven that Im tolerant as fuck, you pieces of shit.
---
I guess Ive attained some notoriety around these parts for watching some Christian movies and subsequently complaining about them. Now, during my whining, Ive always maintained that I bear no ill will against any religious groups, despite my displeasure with their entertainment. Ive said before that I dont have any problems with Christianity extending beyond personal questions and mild frustrations with immediate acquaintances. So, I always thought that one day I would (hopefully) wind up watching a Christian movie that was actually good, which would succeed in areas where so many other films have failed. Lo and behold, this Hacksaw Ridge movie, with it's 87% on RT, was starting to be discussed by church groups and talked about from a Christian perspective. Since Ive trashed so many pieces of Christian entertainment before, its only fair if I gave this one a try and tried to evaluate it.
Now, before we begin an analysis about what this movie does right, there are two matters that must be addressed.
1.
Mel Gibson made this movie. Mel has problems... of the racist variety. That alone kind of mucks up the argument that this movie can ever achieve any sort of spiritual enlightenment. Im, of course, not going to defend Mel Gibson as a person. People can do that all they like (actually, I'm a mod, don't do it too much); they can argue that it was the alcohol, that he has mental illness, that hes changed, or whatever. I dont know Mel Gibson, I just know what hes said and how he comes across in interviews, and it isnt great. But the man is obviously religious, for better or worse, and faith tends to be a focus in his movies.
I guess this has to be one of those separate the art from the artist things, which Ive always felt is kind of a weak sentiment, like ignoring the question to avoid being wrong. But, if Im going to find a good Christian movie, Im going to have to make some sort of concession. Lets just pretend like Mel Gibson doesnt exist and that this movie appeared magically out of thin air.
2.
"This isnt a Christian movie."
How is it not?
Its a war movie.
Sure. And Gods Not Dead is a college film where the fun fraternity all got born-again just before the movie started. And Courageous is police drama. And Fireproof is an experimental abstract film where all the actors were recorded backwards and the footage is played in reverse, thus explaining their stilted performances. The fact of the matter is all of these movies have plots but at their core, theyre about spirituality. Even Hacksaw Ridge.
But thats different. Besides, this is a biography of a real person.
Yeah, a Seventh-Day Adventist who swore an oath to God to never pick up a gun or kill a human being. Im not saying that a non-religious movie cannot have a religious main character, but when that character is so defined by his religious devotion, and the action is driven by that, the movie starts to become a religious film.
This film is so religious that its first half straight up follows the same structure as the Gods Not Dead films.
We have a Christian who is true to his Christian values...
Which other characters dont understand...
Which even leads to physical hostility
Eventually the protagonists faith is literally put on trial
And of course, their hardships are rewarded when theyre saved in the end by The Newsboys.
Obviously, there are some deviations to the plot, but I think the point is clear: Hacksaw Ridge is an obvious and shameless knock-off of Gods Not Dead.
So, yeah. Its a Christian movie. Now, lets examine what actually makes it a good one.
The key flaw in most films put out by Christian studios is the lack of a focused story No, wait Its the bad acting Or, no, it must be the pandering to the audience. Geez, maybe its the incompetent directing. Or is it the unbelievable behavior of all the characters? Ugh Its definitely one of those. Hacksaw Ridge manages to offer what these movies are attempting to conjure up without stooping to new lows in order to achieve this.
At their core, all of these films are trying to show a characters faith being tested and withstanding the intense obstacles put forth. The problem with most Christian movies is that the obstacle is a mean atheist or convincing someone to go to church. In Hacksaw, its the fucking Japanese army.
The issue feels sincere. Hacksaws heroic Desmond must stick to his values while facing not only his own violent death, but the deaths of his fellow soldiers, the agony of his wife and parents, and the ever-so-slightly pressing matter of the Axis taking over the world. Josh Wheaton in Gods Not Dead has to prove that atheism is stupid in time to catch a Newsboys concert.
The characters who come against these protagonists are similarly different. In Hacksaw, Desmonds unit has a serious problem with him not compromising to pick up a gun because he just might get himself and everyone else killed. In the Gods Not Dead movies, people are angry because Ooooh! Im an atheist, and those people are Christians and that makes me maaaaad! Desmond actually has to wrestle with himself, because he knows the others have a point, but he believes he can help the cause.
Theres a scene at the end of Hacksaw Ridge, following everyone slowly becoming pro-Desmond, where the soldiers are waiting to storm up the ridge again. Theyre waiting for Desmond to finish praying for them. Their heads arent bowed. They arent all on their knees crying while some awful Christian rock is playing. Theyre watching Desmond. Maybe they arent convinced by his beliefs, but they respect him and his beliefs, just as he respects them. They've come to understand each other, on both sides. Even better, the attack is on Saturday, Desmonds Sabbath, during which he previously refused to fight. Yet, here he is, on his Sabbath, breaking a little bit of conviction, because he feels like its the right thing to do. He relents on his slavish devotion to his faith, because upon self-reflection and meditation, he believes he should act . What?! Is this possible?! A faith-based movie showing its main character going beyond straightforward biblical practice by doing some actual soul-searching? Madness!
Desmond isnt smug. He isnt condescending.
Hes respectful. Hes open. Hes flawed. Hes real.
The world he is in is genuine. It's scary. It challenges faith and not just by someone saying church is stupid or something.
His religious turmoil is warranted. The other characters problems with him are valid. His actions are actually admirable, regardless of whatever the hell he believes in.
The people here aren't psychotic assholes.... Well... The Japanese are kind of depicted that way, but not the main characters.
I dont honestly think Hacksaw Ridge is an amazing movie. Its good. Its very competent. It works on a lot of levels, but it has a lot of problems. The ending feels abrupt, melodramatic, and incomplete. A lot of the acting in the first half actually manages to have a similar stilted vibe like a lot of Christian films, and it piles on the schmaltz. Australian actors simply cannot do Southern U.S. accents, and even when Hugo Weaving is acting the hell out of a scene, his phony drawl sounds silly. The Japanese army is depicted in an, at best, uninteresting and, at worst, dehumanizing way. Still, as a film, its pretty good; as a Christian film, its a masterpiece.
Is it going to inspire me to go back to church and get back into the good Christian life? No. I highly doubt anything will anytime soon. But I left this movie seeing value and respect in Christian faith instead of being cynical of it. That's an accomplishment for a movie these days.
There you have it. Ive given credit where it was due, now nobody can complain the next time I make fun of a Christian movie starring washed-up TV actors. I've proven that Im tolerant as fuck, you pieces of shit.
