Desmond Doss was a medic at the Battle of Okinawa who singlehandedly saved the lives of 75 men without firing a shot or even carrying a gun. He was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. Mel Gibson’s faith-based crowd-pleaser about him is a moving character study, and Andrew Garfield puts in a mesmerizing personal best. Now the gripes. I realize the ferocity of the battle is kind of the point, but the unrelenting carnage, like in The Passion of the Christ, approaches being off-putting. And isn’t glorifying the violence the hero morally opposed a tad exploitative? Just sayin’. (139 min)
Don Morton
Don Morton has viewed some 6,000 movies, frequently awake. A bachelor and avid cyclist, he currently divides his time between Tokyo and a high-tech 4WD super-camper somewhere in North America.You may also like

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