Hacksaw Ridge

A closer look at the story

When the United States enters the Second World War, Desmond T. Doss, like many young men, volunteers for the army. A devout Christian and a pacifist, however, Doss refuses to kill or even to carry a weapon; all he wants is to save the wounded on the battlefield as a medic. His stance provokes fierce hostility from his commanders and fellow soldiers and even leads to a court-martial. Still Doss holds to his convictions and serves unarmed in the inferno of the Battle of Okinawa. In real life no conscientious objector before him in the United States had ever received the Medal of Honor. Directed by Mel Gibson and written by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight, the 139-minute 2016 film stars Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington and Teresa Palmer in a war drama.