HACKSAW RIDGE

HACKSAW RIDGE:  Directed by Mel Gibson, this film relates the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who nonetheless served his country during WWII and saved seventy-five men in one of Okinawa's bloodiest battles.  And that is the plot, in a nutshell.  Now,  about the film....it is brilliant, mesmerizing, unsettling and probably the best movie I've seen so far this year.  Oscar worthy as Best Picture and Director (unless there is a backlash against Mr. Gibson for past sins).   But looking at the film as a whole, it is on my ten best list and a true work of art.  With sterling performances by Andrew Garfield and a surprisingly brilliantly dramatic portrayal by Vince Vaughn, I'm hoping the Academy will honor their efforts as well.  FYI, the first hour and a half explores how Mr. Doss arrives at his moral code of ethics, falls in love, and begins his journey.  The last 45 minutes throws you into the heat of battle (He with no gun and only his desire to be a medic) and it is relentless in it's portrayal of the horrors of war.  But it is also strangely poetic in the use of camera angles and slow motion.  And I insist that you see it. It will bother you, yet make you cry, upset you, but lift you up.  It is a gem.