When the order came to retreat, one man stayed. That man is, of course, Desmond Doss, a pacifist and conscientious objector who staged one of the most remarkable rescue missions of World War II when he pulled 75 men from the rubble of Okinawa – all without firing a gun.
It’s this outstanding act of valour that will anchor Hacksaw Ridge, the new wartime thriller helmed by Mel Gibson that currently occupies the award-friendly release date of November 4.
Charging into battle without a gun to call his own, it is 99 Homes star Andrew Garfield that takes point in Hacksaw Ridge, becoming the solo American soldier who fought on the frontlines sans weapon. Such an act of defiant bravery may have drew the ire of his squad, but it was Doss who had the last laugh; rescuing more than 70 men from the clutches of the Axis forces and eventually going on to receive the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor.
Also starring Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths and Vince Vaughn, here is the movie’s official logline:
“Hacksaw Ridge is the extraordinary true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Garfield) who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun. Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon.”
Going up against DreamWorks animation Trolls, Doctor Strange and Miles Teller boxing drama Bleed for This, look for Mel Gibson’s promising WWII thriller Hacksaw Ridge to make its bow on November 4.
