Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge Trailer Is Harrowing, Bloody and Heroic, Watch It Now

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Hollywood movies about soldiers and war. Of those, an high percentage are about World War II. However, Hacksaw Ridge looks to be a very different kind of movie from others in the genre. The new film by Mel Gibson isn't about a great soldier who killed a bunch of Nazis. It's about a doctor who never touched a gun, and still saved dozens of his fellow countrymen. Check out the first trailer for Hacksaw Ridge below:

In Hacksaw Ridge, Andrew Garfield plays Desmond Doss, who was a medic on the front lines of World War II in Okinawa, Japan. He fought in what's considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts saving lives. All of this notably happened while Doss was recognized as a conscientious objector who refused to carry a weapon of any kind.

Were it not for the main character, the trailer for Hacksaw Ridge would look like any other war movie we've seen. However, Andrew Garfield's role puts an interesting spin on the entire thing. He has the same urge to serve his country that every other soldier has, yet he can't bring himself to take a life either. Most people go to the trouble of getting registered as a conscientious objector because they do not believe in war at all; this character appears to understand its necessity and believe that the war is justified, but does not believe in taking life himself. This dichotomy, unsurprisingly, causes problems with the soldiers with whom he serves.

Obviously, the conflict doesn't only take place on the battlefield. We see Desmond Doss apparently being court-martialed for his lack of willingness to fight. Eventually his bravery is no longer in question, as the guy is apparently willing to take swings at live grenades with his bare hands.

Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge is part of an attempted return to form for Mel Gibson as a director. The filmmaker has been keeping a low profile since some serious personal issues led Hollywood to sour on him a few years back. Even this trailer doesn't use his name, simply referring to "the director of Braveheart" - the film for which he won Academy Awards for Best Director as well as Best Picture. He'll also be returning to the front of the camera in August in the action film Blood Father.

What do you think of Hacksaw Ridge so far? Will this be the movie that reminds everybody of the talent Mel Gibson possesses as a director? Hacksaw Ridge also co-stars Vince Vaughn and Hugo Weaving and will be in theaters November 4th.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.