Hacksaw Ridge

Director Mel Gibson and writers Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan recount the story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a conscientious objector who served as an Army medic in World War II and, during the battle for Okinawa, earned the Medal of Honor by rescuing 75 wounded men from Japanese-held ground, lowering them one by one down a sheer cliff to friendly hands. It’s an incredible tale, superbly told and finely acted by Teresa Palmer as Doss’ wife, Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths as his parents, Vince Vaughn as his platoon sergeant, and most of all by Garfield. (I never thought I’d mention “Andrew Garfield” and “Academy Award” in the same sentence, but there it is.) But be warned: The movie’s combat scenes are brutally graphic and intense. This movie makes Saving Private Ryan look like Hogan’s Heroes. J.L.