Dignified Rube wrote:
Mel Gibson really outdid himself in this film. Excellent cast and acting by Andrew Garfield as the lead, Vince Vaughn in a surprising role for him, and Hugo Weaving (Mr. Smith from the Matrix) as the war-stricken father who served in World War I. The intensity of the war scenes makes Saving Private Ryan look like Candy Land in comparison. You can't help to be drawn into this film emotionally, because of how the movie turns from pacifism through the trials of the Andrew Garfield character in the first half to the ultra violence on Hacksaw Ridge in the second half. It leaves you buzzing. The war cinematography is top-notch.
I didn't like Saving Private Ryan, because I thought the plot was corny and Hollywood-esque, but this film I liked. It's on par with Platoon for the realism. Four stars.
It was a terrific movie and I wish it was longer and delved more into what his father experienced. I liked the first half hour of Saving Private Ryan because of how it actually showed the horror of war, something that many so-called war movies do not show.