Hacksaw
Ridge
(2016/Lionsgate Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
Picture:
A-/B Sound: A- Extras: B Film: B-
Mel
Gibson returns to the directing chair for Hacksaw
Ridge
- a war film that is based on the true story of WWII American Army
Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, and
refused to not fire a firearm in battle but instead help save lives.
While the character and themes are compelling, the film tends to blur
the lines of believably as it progresses almost turning Doss into a
super human solider by the time the film is through. One sequence
involving a bomb getting kicked back is almost humorous in the face
of battle yet still a strong performance by Andrew Garfield as Doss
and a strong supporting cast makes its respectable. All in all,
Hacksaw
Ridge
flourishes during most of its cinematic battle sequences but falls
into safer filmmaking tropes in the scenes where its not.
The
film also stars Teresa Palmer (Warm
Bodies),
Sam Worthington (Avatar),
Hugo Weaving (The
Matrix Trilogy),
and Vince Vaughn (Wedding
Crashers)
to name a few.
Desmond
T. Doss (Garfield) is a kind hearted man, whose strong will has got
him through a rough childhood with his retired military Father
(Weaving). When the time comes to enlist in World War II, Doss has
just found his true love (Palmer) and plans to get married. But
after his brother enlists, Doss decides that he can't be content to
stay at home while men his own age are out fighting for his Great
Nation. Doss enlists with the intention of becoming an Army Medic,
and goes as far as to even refuse to train and use a firearm in
battle. While at first butting heads with the Military over this
radical way of thinking, he soon proves his worth tenfold when he
ends up saving over 70 lives in battle and becomes the first
Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
It's
nice to see Gibson telling a bloody story like this for the big
screen and I'm happy that he has found his good graces back in the
Hollywood Studio System. Despite what you may or may not think of
Gibson's personal beliefs, there is no doubt that he is a talented
actor and filmmaker that isn't afraid to tell a R-rated story with
drama and gore to get his points across, as was evident in his
previous directorial efforts Braveheart,
Apocalypto,
and The
Passion of the Christ.
Presented
in 4K Ultra HD 2160p with HDR (high dynamic range 10-bit color,
Hacksaw
Ridge
is demo disc worthy with a jaw dropping 4K (2160p) presentation and a
widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 that is perhaps a bit too perfect.
Some scenes are so crystal clear that you can tell where the digital
matte paintings are and some digital effects (namely scenes involving
Battleships) look especially phony. As far as character details go,
you really can't ask for more detail than is evident here as the lush
cinematography lends itself well to this groundbreaking new format.
As for the Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless sound mix (Dolby TrueHD 7.1
(48kHz, 24-bit) core), the war scenes particularly shine with a mix
so loud and clear it will make your couch seats rumble.
The
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray disc is not quite as great as the
4K, but still gets the job done with a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio
and the same audio as the 4K UHD disc. A digital copy of the film is
also included.
Special
Features:
The
Soul of War: Making Hacksaw Ridge Documentary
Veterans
Day Greeting with Mel Gibson
Deleted
Scenes
While
nominated for several Academy Awards this season as well as Golden
Globes, Hacksaw
Ridge
is up there with other Hollywood War films of current times while it
doesn't quite hit the mark the way Saving
Private Ryan
did. Still, fans of War genre films will certainly want to check
this out, as will cinephiles with 4K UHD players as this truly is a
demo disc.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
