In 2016, the military film āFor Conscienceā was released and became a unique phenomenon in its genre. Let's find out what is the peculiarity of this picture and how it was met by viewers and film critics.
A bit about the film "For reasons of conscience"
The film Hacksaw Ridge became the fifth directorial work of Mel Gibson. This outstanding director and actor returned to the director's chair after a ten-year vacation and again proved that he is a master of his craft. Indeed, in addition to numerous laudatory reviews, āFor reasons of conscienceā he managed to collect more than 175 million at the box office with a budget of 40 million.
Also, the picture was nominated for many prestigious film awards: Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Saturn, Critics' Choice, Sputnik and others.
Historical basis
Unlike such iconic military dramas as āSaving Private Ryanā and āThe Thin Red Lineā, the film āFor Conscienceā (2016) was shot on the basis of real events.
They happened during the Second World War with the American orderly Desmond Doss, who refused to take up arms, because his religion forbids killing. Project writers Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan greatly embellished Doss's biography, making a hero out of him that moviegoers are used to.
In fact, the fate of this heroic man was not as pathos as shown in the tape. But the fact remains: without taking up arms and not killing anyone, Desmond Doss not only survived the battles at the front, but also managed to save 75 people, among whom were not only compatriots, but also enemies.
For his courage and nobility, Doss was awarded the highest military award in the United States - "Medals of Honor."
main characters
The protagonist in Conscientiousness is without a doubt Desmond Doss. He is portrayed as a brave and noble guy who values āāhis convictions above all else.
As a Seventh-day Adventist, Doss adhered to a doctrine calling for no one to be killed. Moreover, he sincerely wished victory for his country, so he went as a volunteer to the front.
Throughout the whole picture, Desmond suffered insults and humiliation from other soldiers for his refusal to take up arms. However, he not only managed to forgive his offenders, but also saved the lives of many of them.
In all other respects, the scriptwriters gave the hero ordinary human features. He is in love and strives for reciprocity, loves going to cafes and cinema - in a word, an ordinary guy, of which there are millions.
Beloved Dossa and his future wife are nurse Dorothy Shutt. She is a cheerful, smart and beautiful girl. Apparently, many people like her, and other guys tried to hit her more than once. However, it was Desmond who was able to subdue her with his simplicity and kindness. In a word - a template image of a faithful soldierās wife.
Tom Doss is Desmond's father. In his youth, he fought on the fronts of the First World War and still has not fully recovered after that. He drinks a lot. He loves his family, but is not always able to show feelings.
Sergeant Howell is a tough and experienced warrior, accustomed to clearly follow orders. He does not understand the behavior of Doss, not because he is stupid. It's just that the sergeant does not have time for this. After all, his duty is to make brave soldiers out of inexperienced youths in a short time, so he has no time to understand the subtle mental organization of each of them.
Captain Glover, a more intelligent and penetrating man than a sergeant. However, he considers Doss's behavior a whim and sincerely does not understand what such a person does in war.
Plot
The film āFor reasons of conscienceā (2016) tells about the formation of the character of the Seventh-day Adventist Desmond Doss and his exploit.
As soon as he killed his brother during a fight in childhood, Desmond realized the severity of sin under the name of āmurderā and firmly decided for himself that he would save lives and not take them away.
When he grew up, America entered World War II. Doss realized that his duty was to take part in it as an orderly. He became a volunteer, but due to a misunderstanding he was sent to the rifle division.
Having honestly told about his life position, the guy became an outcast. The authorities considered him crazy and tried to commit. Co-workers and instructors mocked him and beat him. It got to the point that Desmond was not even released to his own wedding.
For refusing to learn how to shoot, Doss was nearly brought before the tribunal, but the intervention of his veteran father helped him. In the end, the hero achieved what was sent to the front as a nurse.
At the front, under enemy fire, Desmond made friends with another soldier - Smitty, with whom he had previously had conflicts.
However, during the next attack, Doss did not manage to save a wounded friend. This shocked the hero so much that he did not retreat with his own, but remained at the scene of the battle. Every second risking their lives, the orderly gathered wounded soldiers across the field and sent them to the rear.
Desmond prayed to God only to be able to save as many people as possible. As a result, he independently managed to pull out several dozen soldiers.
After the battle, Doss's comrades were so struck by his prowess and nobility that the next offensive began only after the orderly performed the prayer.
Subsequently, the hero was wounded and went to the hospital.
Issue
While working on the creation of this picture, Mel Gibson tried to highlight a lot of important problems in it.
First of all, this, of course, is the meaninglessness and ruthlessness of war. Many viewers in their reviews of the film āFor Conscienceā reproach Gibson for the excessive amount of blood in the tape. On the other hand, in this way the director was able to show the horrors of the war, in the meat grinder of which even the most experienced and worthy soldier is able to die.
Also in the tape shows the hypocrisy and shortsightedness of society. So, Desmond, striving to save lives, is perceived as an eccentric, deserving of general neglect, and almost ends up in jail. At the same time, future killers (soldiers) are encouraged and proclaimed heroes.
In addition to the above, Mel Gibson once again recalled the problem of misunderstanding between the military commanders and the staff headquarters (which saw the war only in pictures). In the scene of the trial of Doss, the contrast between his veteran father and the military commander acting as a judge is very pronounced. The first is a gaunt, sick man who has never been able to recover from the death of his comrades. The second is a fairly well-fed and flowering middle-aged man.
Among the other issues raised in the tape, of course, are attitudes toward faith. Unlike many people from his environment, Desmond abandons formalism. Several times he is invited to cheat a little. For example, take a weapon and pretend that he is shooting, or allow yourself to be declared crazy. However, for Doss, his faith is holy, so he holds on to his convictions to the end and as a result receives a reward from God.
The meaning of the name
Everyone who watched the tape noticed that in the original it is called differently: Hacksaw Ridge. Such a title translates as "Hacksaw-shaped ridge." So the US military dubbed the slope of Maeda, where Doss and completed his feat.
In the Russian box office, the tape was called "For Conscience," thus alluding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
According to him, any citizen can refuse military service for political or religious-ethical reasons.
The film "For reasons of conscience": reviews of the audience
Judging by the profit that this project brought to its creators, the audience liked it. Indeed, at most film forums, reviews of Mel Gibson's film "For Conscience" are the most enthusiastic.
He is called one of the best paintings about the war, taken over the past decade. Many women and even some men admit that this picture moved them to tears.
At Kinopoisk the film āFor reasons of conscienceā (2016) collected reviews mostly positive. And even the authors of those reviews that are negative, put high scores on the tape. Thus, the project scored there a rating of 94%.
Paradoxically, on the American cinema resource Rotten Tomatoes, according to the results of 232 spectator reviews and reviews, āFor reasons of conscienceā received a slightly lower rating - 86%.
Metacritic visitors gave an even lower score of 71%, based on 47 reviews.
And at CinemaScore, Conscientious reviews helped the tape get A rating on a scale from F to A +.
Reviews about editing, directing and acting
As already mentioned above, this picture was awarded a lot of prestigious awards, including the Oscar in the category "For the best installation." However, many viewers were very skeptical about this achievement.
The fact is that with careful viewing, quite often you can notice installation flaws, when certain objects and even people suddenly disappear and appear. So, for example, in the farewell scene of Dorothy and Desmond before being sent to the front, two people suddenly disappear immediately when changing angles. And there are many such cases.
As for directing, most reviews of Conscientious Conscience sing praises to Mel Gibson and his talent. Indeed, despite numerous historical and logical inconsistencies in the picture, he still managed to create a truly interesting sight that does not leave indifferent even the most severe skeptics. Some viewers swear that in one of the frames in the crowd among the soldiers they even managed to see Gibson winking.
Despite the stereotyped character of most characters, many artists in the film managed to show themselves well.
The most praiseworthy received, of course, the leading actor - Andrew Garfield. He really played his character perfectly and earned all his nominations. The only thing that can be reproached, according to the audience, is unrealistically perfect manicure and hairstyle even in the most bloody episodes. However, this is more likely a defect of stylists.
The game of Hugo Weaving (father of the protagonist) is also often noted. He managed to play a controversial, but attractive image. This is despite the fact that for the majority this artist will forever remain an agent of Smith from The Matrix and Elrond from The Lord of the Rings. And although he did not receive nominations for Oscars and Golden Globes, he was awarded the AACTA Awards.
Teresa Palmer, the female lead, earned less praise from the audience. Many criticized not only her weak play (in the scenes with Garfield it was especially felt), but also an unsuccessful image. The fact is that Palmer is a blonde, but for the role she had to change her hair color. But such a change did not benefit her.
Other artists whose work is remembered by the audience are Sam Worthington (Captain Glover) and Vince Vaughn (Sergeant Howell).
Historical defects of the picture
Many critical reviews āFor reasons of conscienceā (2016) earned for numerous historical inaccuracies. The following is a list of the most mentioned by the audience:
- The Doss flask is of modern design, and the helmet is from the time of the Vietnam War.
- During the trial, the heroās father comes in uniform and rewards. One of the medals dates back to 1932. However, Tom Doss could not get it, since he is a veteran of the First World War (1914-1918).
- Desmondās brother wears the uniform of a U.S. Army rookie, however, according to the plot, he serves in the Navy.
- Doss and the other recruits do not have military haircuts, which most of them retain. In reality, they would have been shaved long ago, since such hair is a potential breeding ground for lice.
Logical flaws of the tape
In addition to historical errors, the audience in the picture found a lot of logical inconsistencies:
- The most striking is that the Japanese for some reason did not cut the grid along which the Americans constantly climbed toward them, although this would be a logical move.
- At the beginning of the picture, faced with a wounded guy, Doss skillfully assesses his injury. However, according to the plot, at that time he did not have the corresponding knowledge. Because only after a couple of scenes does he ask his girlfriend about the features of such injuries.
- After the first attack, the commander for some reason does not give an order to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield. Doss sets off in search of his colleagues on his own initiative.
- Parents of the protagonist are presented as a poor American family. However, they already have their own phone. Although at that time few could afford such a luxury, and universal telephone service will only begin after 10 years.
- In separate scenes, the Japanese shoot soldiers with carbines, but the shot itself looks like it was made from a small-caliber machine gun.
- While the brave orderly accomplishes his feat, there are many soldiers below, and none of them even tries to help him at least lower the wounded.
Critics' view of the project
Having considered how ordinary viewers rated this tape, it is worth turning to the look of professional critics.
The Milford Daily News called the tape a real masterpiece.
Maggie Stanku from Movie Pilot wrote that "For Conscience," is Gibson and Garfield's best picture.
SFGate's Mick LaSell called the tape the brilliant return of Mel Gibson to the director's chair, which once again confirmed his ability to select actors and create an impressive spectacle.
Samar Khan of The Film Lawyers called the project āfantastic,ā and The Telegraph compared the tape to Picassoās legendary Guernica.
The Guardian, after The Telegraph, assigned the film 4 stars and praised the picture.