Hacksaw Ridge Annika Tan 10 October, 2021 Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, is a depiction of the early life of Desmond Doss, a country boy gone Army. The movie begins with Doss’ childhood, as he grows up in the woods of Virginia with his small family. The film emphasizes the religious side of his Doss’ upbringing as his family is Seventh Day Adventist and is devoted to God and the Bible. Hacksaw Ridge shows Doss grow up to become a strong, compassionate, and principled young man, always ready to give of himself for others. When World War II begins, Doss believes he must fight for his country, but there is one hang-up; Doss believes it is wrong to kill and will not even touch a weapon. Though he ultimately becomes an Army Medic, it is not without first receiving much scorn, beating, and ostracization for his beliefs and practices. Hacksaw Ridge shows Doss working through these challenges, ultimately singlehandedly rescuing seventy-five wounded men from peril on the battlegrounds of Okinawa. While Hacksaw Ridge does condense and alter a few portions of Desmond Doss’ story, it remains a very accurate portrayal of the most poignant and significant events of his life. Most of the inaccuracies in Hacksaw Ridge are the result of condensing more complicated details to fit into the expected two hours of a film and into the hungry, but small minds of the populous. Take, for example, the scene where Desmond Doss meets his future wife, Dorothy Schutte. In real life, Doss met Schutte through his church; they later married, and years down the road, she became a nurse.i In the movie, however, this is all accelerated; Doss meets Schutte, the nurse, when he goes to donate blood, and he falls in love with her there, marrying her shortly afterward. Another example of Hollywood’s fact-alteration in Hacksaw Ridge is the timing of the battles that take place at the end of the film. While in the movie, Doss goes from rescuing dozens of soldiers one day to entering battle again and being severely wounded the very next day, events were not quite so precipitate in real life. In reality, while the battle where Doss kicks a grenade and is badly wounded is a factual event, it actually took place “two weeks later” and “a few miles away” from the area where he had rescued so many of his comrades.ii Despite some of the distillation which Hollywood brings to Doss’ story, Hacksaw Ridge keeps to the facts when it comes to the formation of Doss’ character and who Doss truly was at heart. For example, the film credits Doss’ challenging home life as a child for his strong and principled character as an adult. Historical accounts show that it is indeed true that Doss’ nonviolent convictions were bolstered by the distasteful violence and lack of measure which he witnessed in his father’s behavior as a child.iii The viewer may assume that Gibson’s portrayal of Doss’ strong character is an unrealistic glorification of the man, but further reading of the facts shows that Hacksaw Ridge is an accurate portrayal of Doss as a man who was devoted to his relationship with God as he prays often, obeys God, and keeps the Sabbath. One fact-checking article states that he did indeed “devote[] himself to prayer” for a full day each week and another account of his life states that he made “few exceptions” about the Sabbath.iv Finally, Hacksaw Ridge is true-to-fact in its portrayal of the heroic actions of Doss. In the movie, viewers see Doss risk his life for others, give what he has to the needy, and stand strong when all others abandon. Reports of Doss’ time in combat reveal that he was indeed no less hero in body than on screen. He “br[ought] back all the injured soldiers” during that perilous battle on the ridge, and he truly did keep on caring for injured soldiers even after being severely wounded himself.v A careful study of Doss’ life reveals that unlike many other “historical” films, Hacksaw Ridge portrays the true man that Desmond Doss was in an accurate manner. While some surrounding events in Doss’ life may be slightly altered or distilled, Mel Gibson keeps to the facts with all the significant and formative aspects of Doss’ person. Hacksaw Ridge provides an honest view of a real life hero who knew what he believed and refused to waver. i Kari Wilkin, “Hacksaw Ridge: The True Story of Desmond Doss,” The Week (Dennis Publishing), The Week, 26 January, 2017, https://www.theweek.co.uk/80947/hacksaw-ridge-the-true-story-of-desmond-doss (accessed 6 October, 2021). ii Erin Kelly, “The True Story of Desmond Doss Was Too Heroic Even for ‘Hacksaw Ridge,’” All That’s Interesting, 20 September, 2017, last modified 9 August, 2021, https://allthatsinteresting.com/desmond-doss (accessed 6 October, 2021). iii Eliza Berman, “The True Story Behind Hacksaw Ridge,” Time Magazine (3 November, 2016), Time, 3 November, 2016, https://time.com/4539373/hacksaw-ridge-movie-true-story/ (accessed 6 October, 2021). iv “Hacksaw Ridge (2016),” History vs. Hollywood, https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/hacksaw-ridge/ (accessed 6 October, 2021); Lucas Armenta, “Desmond Thomas Doss,” My Hero, 13 February, 2018, last edited 15 February, 2018, https://myhero.com/desmond-thomas-doss (accessed 6 October, 2021). v Editors, TheFamousPeople.com, “Desmond Doss Biography,” TheFamousPeople.com, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/desmond-doss-13329.php (accessed 6 October, 2021). Bibliography Armenta, Lucas. “Desmond Thomas Doss.” My Hero, 13 February, 2018, last edited 15 February, 2018. https://myhero.com/desmond-thomas-doss (accessed 6 October, 2021). Berman, Eliza. “The True Story Behind Hacksaw Ridge.” Time Magazine (3 November, 2016). Time, 3 November, 2016. https://time.com/4539373/hacksaw-ridge-movie-true-story/ (accessed 6 October, 2021). Editors, TheFamousPeople.com. “Desmond Doss Biography.” TheFamousPeople.com. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/desmond-doss-13329.php (accessed 6 October, 2021). “Hacksaw Ridge (2016).” History vs. Hollywood. https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/hacksaw-ridge/ (accessed 6 October, 2021). Kelly, Erin. “The True Story of Desmond Doss Was Too Heroic Even for ‘Hacksaw Ridge.’” All That’s Interesting, 20 September, 2017, last modified 9 August, 2021. https://allthatsinteresting.com/desmond-doss (accessed 6 October, 2021). Wilkin, Kari. “Hacksaw Ridge: The True Story of Desmond Doss.” The Week (Dennis Publishing). The Week, 26 January, 2017. https://www.theweek.co.uk/80947/hacksawridge-the-true-story-of-desmond-doss (accessed 6 October, 2021).
