Hacksaw Ridge, the acclaimed war film based on the true story of WWII Army medic Desmond Doss, has quietly arrived on Netflix, and with it has reignited our appreciation for what is a criminally underrated modern classic it is.
The film chronicles the journey of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (expertly portrayed by Andrew Garfield), who, despite his refusal to carry a weapon due to religious convictions, courageously rescued approximately 75 fellow soldiers during the brutal Battle of Okinawa.
Andrew Garfield’s powerful performance earned him Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. The film itself garnered two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, and a total of six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Critically, Hacksaw Ridge holds an impressive 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 92%, so those who have seen it really did love it. But, it feels like when you’re chatting about recent films, it barely gets a mention - but then again, it did come out in 2016, which is now almost (unbelievably) a decade ago.
The Telegraph were very warm on the film, giving it a score of four out of five stars, describing it as “a war film that moves as much as it bruises – and does both with power and conviction. In full flow, it looks like a Technicolor Guernica – and hits home with the meaty, blood-wet thud of a raw topside of beef to the jaw.”
Hacksaw Ridge also received four stars from Empire, going on to say “Occasionally soapy on the homefront but cataclysmic in combat, this is a worthy addition to the WWII canon. Garfield underpins it all with skill, showing that sometimes, war can be humanising too.”
For those seeking a war film that masterfully blends profound emotional depth, intricate moral dilemmas, and remarkable technical execution, Hacksaw Ridge remains an underappreciated gem. Its addition to Netflix provides a welcome opportunity to rediscover a film that truly warrants its acclaim, and is one of Andrew Garfield's very best.
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