Mel Gibson is returning after almost a decade of absence, with his new film Hacksaw Ridge, a war movie that has film critics talking and even got a standing ovation over the weekend.
The director is re-surging in Hollywood with his most recent film, as some are calling it. Gibson is looking for redemption after years of controversy with the industry and after almost ruining his career over drinking problems and troubles with authorities.
Hacksaw Ridge is a biographical movie based on the life of Desmond T. Doss, a doctor, and a pacifist during World War II who attended the war to help others survive without ever firing a bullet. Doss has been named one of America’s greatest heroes, and Gibson decided to make his redemption film about the historical character.
“Desmond is a wonderful symbol of the idea of living and letting live no matter what your ideology is, no matter what your value system is,” said Gibson during a press conference on the film.
A touching story
Gibson’s last film was Apocalypto in 2006, a critically-acclaimed movie that told the story of the Maya civilization. But the actor and director suffered a critical decline in his career after he made anti-semitic comments and after he was arrested for drunk driving.
The director has been asked about his comeback and about his relationship with Hollywood’s industry, which he has categorized as a ‘survival’ story. Gibson is now resurging in the film world with this touching story.
During the weekend Gibson arrived at the Venice Film Festival with the movie’s cast and received a ten-minute standing ovation from the public, reporters, and paparazzi.
Initial reviews such as The Hollywood Reporter’s call Mel Gibson’s latest film as a way he ‘proves himself a powerful storyteller who knows exactly how to raise a pulse, heighten emotion and build intensity to explosive peaks’.
Gibson has talked about how he hopes the movie provides a better perspective of veterans and the things they have to go through at war. “When they come back, they need love, they need understanding,” he added.
Desmond Doss is represented by young actor Andrew Garfield, who has found the character to be “thrilling and exciting,” while critics call it a proof of his talent. Garfield has talked about how the character has reminded him of his own brother, who is also a doctor, and the amount of responsibility the career takes.
Hacksaw Ridge shows the actions of Doss during World War II, especially during the Okinawa battle where he saved over 75 colleagues without using or carrying a gun after going to court to get permission.
Gibson’s movie is filled with stars such as Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer and Like Bracey.
Source: The Independent