Staring down the mouth of madness, conscientious objector Desmond Doss storms Okinawa in the pulse-pounding new trailer for Hacksaw Ridge without a gun to call his own.
Staying true to his moral and religious beliefs, Doss outright refused to pick up arms while fighting in World War II and, in a story that is almost stranger than fiction, went on to pull 75 injured soldiers from the front lines – a heroic effort that resulted in him becoming the first objector to be awarded with the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor. Andrew Garfield is the actor on board to portray the steely US Army medic, and today’s blistering snippet only reaffirms Garfield’s chances of landing an Oscar nomination, at the very least.
He isn’t the only member of Hacksaw Ridge eyeing awards, however; in what is fast becoming a bona fide comeback, writer-director Mel Gibson is calling the shots behind the thriller, one which he doesn’t necessarily consider to be your typical war drama. Per Empire: “It’s a war film, but it’s a wonderful anti-war statement as well.”
Joining Garfield on the front lines are Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell, Sam Worthington as Captain Glover, Luke Bracey as Smitty Ryker and finally, Teresa Palmer as Dorothy Shutte, one of the very few characters that can claim to know and understand Desmond Doss’ way of thinking.
Hacksaw Ridge is booked in for theatrical release on November 4. That is, on paper, one of the most crowded corridors in the fall season, given Mel Gibson’s war film will be opening against Doctor Strange, Bleed For This and DreamWorks animation Trolls.
Hacksaw Ridge is the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss [Andrew Garfield] who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an army medic, he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
