I saw this film twice. And the first time was awe inspiring. The second, perhaps not as much. The battle scene on the ridge was epic. American and Japanese soldiers battling to the death in the final stages of the Pacific War, what a sequence! Mel Gibson really knows how to show the gruesome details of the battles of the Pacific. Heads exploded, arms were shot off, it was an emotional and shocking sequence. The final scenes of the Japanese committing seppuku were also good. I saw Letters from Iwo Jima a decade ago and that was a film that dealt with the Pacific arena. I really liked that film too. It was done by Clint Eastwood and starred Ken Watanabe. The story in Hacksaw is based on true events. And it seems almost unbelievable, yet the doc footage at the end of the film reveals that Andrew Garfield's character was a real person.
The film was shot in Australia of all places. It's supposed to be the American South, but I didn't notice any difference at all. The back story of Andrew Garfield's character is also based around the American South. It's a small town and it seems like everyone knows everyone else. It recalls a time in America when things were much different from what they are today.
I liked the film. I guess it's also the comeback or rehabilitation of Mel Gibson? I haven't heard that he apologized for any of his remarks during his DUI debacle. I hope he makes more films that are as quality as Hacksaw.
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