--- title: "Hacksaw Ridge: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hacksaw-ridge/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/hacksaw-ridge" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Hacksaw Ridge (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 15 reviews: 13 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Hacksaw Ridge, with praise concentrated on Mel Gibson’s combat staging and Andrew Garfield’s performance as conscientious objector Desmond Doss. The battle sequences are widely described as forceful and clearly handled, making the danger surrounding Doss felt. Garfield’s tenderness and conviction give the story a human centre. Even favourable reviews often find the storytelling old-fashioned and unsubtle, but consider its account of faith and courage stirring. The sharpest divide concerns whether the graphic violence strengthens the film’s admiration for pacifism or undermines it. Reservations recur over gore, religious imagery and conventional characterisation, though critics differ substantially over their significance. Collider sees a meaningful exploration of the limits of Doss’s beliefs; The Skinny argues that the thrilling combat celebrates violence more than it condemns it. The Playlist’s objection centres instead on a portrayal of faith it regards as glorifying religious intransigence. ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2016. Gibson has chosen the right subject for his intense, self-obliterating vision of violence and selflessness, staging relentless battles that highlight the hero's scale. Garfield's all-in performance makes Doss believable as a man on a different plane driven by faith and shame. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/movie-review-mel-gibsons-hacksaw-ridge.html) ## Empire — Phil de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2017. An old-fashioned story of faith and bravery is delivered with bleeding-edge craft, highlighted by cataclysmic combat sequences and Garfield's grounded lead performance. The film balances spectacle with a character study of moral conviction under fire. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hacksaw-ridge-review/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2017. The film powerfully depicts the true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss through intense, unrelenting combat sequences that evoke Saving Private Ryan. Garfield delivers a standout performance as the humble hero whose faith and courage anchor the visceral war drama. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/hacksaw-ridge-film-review-not-subtle-or-ambiguous-but-theres-no-denying-its-impact-a3451201.html) ## Radio Times — Damon Wise Rating 4/5. The critic describes it as a blatantly unsubtle but true story of humility and redemption that earned Gibson Oscar nominations. The battlefield action is singled out for exploding into a timely reminder of war's horrors and the power of doing the right thing. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-f6xnpy/hacksaw-ridge/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2016. Festival review. Mel Gibson returns to directing with a muscular, intense true story of heroism without violence that overcomes cliched tropes for stirring drama. Andrew Garfield delivers a fiercely driven, human performance as the conscientious objector medic. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mel-gibsons-hacksaw-ridge-venice-925666/) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 27 January 2017. Gibson delivers a stirring war drama about a conscientious objector's heroic actions on the battlefield, marking a strong career comeback. Garfield gives a terrific performance radiating quiet humanity, supported by assured direction and intense combat sequences. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/hacksaw-ridge-review-43748) ## The Times — Camilla Long Rating ★★★★. 29 January 2017. The critic describes an extraordinary, blood-soaked epic with magnificent battle scenes up there with Malick and Spielberg, praising the nuanced performance from Andrew Garfield in this true story. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-a-war-movie-with-teeth-sc0ptrdv2) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 4 September 2016. The critic calls it a brutally effective if unsubtle war film with a rousing tale of faith-driven heroism at its core. The recreation of the Battle of Okinawa is singled out as masterfully handled and impossible to look away from. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hacksaw-ridge) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Rating 3/4. 28 October 2016. Gibson delivers a fetishistically violent biopic about a Seventh-day Adventist medic that flouts contradictions in the material but succeeds as throwback entertainment blending piety with bloodlust. The simplistic storytelling and religious iconography make it silly yet cannily effective. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hacksaw-ridge/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2017. Gibson returns with a ferociously felt anti-war movie that burns with conviction, while Garfield invests his character with tremendous conviction. The slow-burn setup pays off in fierce focus on characters and intense battle sequences. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/hacksaw-ridge-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2017. The critic calls it a robustly told story of courage with a sympathetic performance from Andrew Garfield but notes excessive, unwatchable gore that compensates for the hero's non-violence and a conventional story lacking rigorous investigation of the protagonist's beliefs. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/26/hacksaw-ridge-review-mel-gibson-andrew-garfield-second-world-war) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang 1 November 2016. The film is a tribute to one man’s courageous adherence to his deepest beliefs, steeped in blood, guts and Christian iconography. It is a mightily impressive, morally incoherent spectacle whose contradictions reflect something irresolvably true about its maker. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-hacksaw-ridge-review-20161028-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 31 October 2016. The film is the strangest release of the year: an implacably violent movie about a man who wants no part of violence at all. It treads close to madness and majesty alike, with Gibson asking viewers to observe extreme bloodshed to better comprehend the faith that upholds the hero. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/07/the-madness-and-majesty-of-hacksaw-ridge) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 2 November 2016. The film is a bluntly effective faith-and-flag war drama about a remarkable hero with moral tension at its center. Gibson retells the story with vigor and suspense while plunging a man of peace into a charnel house of cruelty. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/movies/hacksaw-ridge-review-andrew-garfield-mel-gibson.html) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 3 November 2016. The critic finds the film a fascinating picture that explores the necessity and limitations of the protagonist's pacifist beliefs amid horrific violence, making it richer than a simple hagiography. Andrew Garfield's tender, endearing performance firmly aligns the audience with the lead character. [Read the review](https://collider.com/hacksaw-ridge-review/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2016. The review praises Mel Gibson's visceral and powerful handling of violence as the element that best anchors the material and accentuates its themes of bravery and inspiration. It notes the film's balanced tone celebrates the power of the human spirit during wartime without being strictly pro- or anti-war. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/10/film-review-hacksaw-ridge/) ## The Playlist — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2016. Festival review. The critic calls the film viscerally affecting yet ethically worrisome, arguing it glorifies religious intransigence rather than humanist convictions. She praises the spectacle and Gibson's return but objects to its agenda-driven portrayal of faith. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/viscerally-affecting-ethically-worrisome-hacksaw-ridge-venice-review-20160904/) ## The Skinny — John Bleasdale Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 3 February 2017. The piece questions whether the film functions as war porn despite its pacifist hero, arguing that Gibson's graphic, thrilling battle sequences ultimately celebrate violence more than condemn it. It singles out the heavy-handed treatment of combat and the enemy as a major flaw. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/opinion/hacksaw-ridge-war-porn-mel-gibson) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 31 October 2016. The critic calls the film remarkable and inspiring, highlighting Mel Gibson's best directing work since Braveheart and Andrew Garfield's moving performance as the heroic medic. The realistic, unflinching combat sequences are singled out as astonishing and unforgettable. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/10/hacksaw-ridge-review-mel-gibsons-andrew-garfield-desmond-doss-video-1201845607/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5 out of 5. 28 October 2016. The critic calls the film a transcendent achievement for Gibson and Garfield, praising its portrayal of a man of deep faith and grace amid horrific war violence. They highlight the contrast between the earnest character study and the extreme battle carnage as particularly effective. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/hacksaw-ridge-review/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray 26 January 2017. The critic finds the film clichéd and overly reliant on heavy-handed melodrama and excessive gore in its battle sequences. He acknowledges the real-life story's power but criticizes the artificial passions and over-the-top violence. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hacksaw-ridge-2016-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## The Wrap 3 November 2016. The critic observes that the film extols pacifism while making war brutally exciting, praising the kinetic and architecturally clear battle sequences as some of the most breathtaking wartime footage in recent memory. The over-the-top ultra-violence and the inherent difficulty of making a truly anti-war film are noted as drawbacks. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/hacksaw-ridge-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/hacksaw-ridge.md