Hacksaw Ridge 10 things you need to know about this great war film

This biographical WW2 film was released in 2016 and it's been a remarkable success, because it's a great film. Following the story of American Desmond Doss, who practises non-violence, despite this he joins the Army in World War 2 to do his duty. Find out 10 great facts about this epic World War Two film below. Hacksaw Ridge is currently available on Netflix UK, Amazon video for £3.49 to rent and £5.99 to buy.


1. Desmond Doss the first conscientious objector Medal of Honor winner

President Truman presenting Cpl. Doss with his Medal Of Honor 1/11/45

Well sort of, Doss did indeed get awarded the United States highest military award the Congressional Medal of Honour for his exceptional bravery. However was he a conscientious objector? The United States Army certainly thought so and classified him as such, Desmond himself however did not classify himself this way. He preferred the term conscientious co-operator, as although he practised non-violence he was eager to serve his country and as events would later prove he was as brave, fearless and committed to his comrades in battle as any soldier could be. Desmond Doss was not the only conscientious objector Medal of Honour recipient, later in the Vietnam war another Christian medic by the name of Thomas William Bennett was posthumously awarded the medal after being killed in action. Like Doss he also saved his fellow soldiers under enemy fire but was a non-combatant.

2. Desmond Doss was not a pacifist

As depicted in Hacksaw Ridge, Desmond Doss volunteered to serve in the US Army in World War Two in 1942 William Thomas Doss, he was not drafted. In fact he might not have been drafted because he worked as a carpenter in a shipping yard and would have been doing his service to the war effort there. Following in the footsteps of his father, as depicted in the film, Doss volunteered for service. This presumably meant that he believed in the war and thus was not opposed to the concept of war and not a pacifist.

4. Doss was more of a hero than portrayed in the film; part 1 before Hacksaw Ridge

It's a funny statement to read, I know, how could anyone be more heroic than the lead of Hacksaw Ridge? Well for two reasons omitted from the film, Desmond Doss bravely served in theatre well before the events around the Maeda Escarpment on Okinawa. Starting the great heroic tradition of charging into the battlefield unarmed and rescuing wounded comrades with little thought for his own safety. For his efforts in Guam and Leyte, Desmond Doss was awarded 2 Bronze Stars, this was before he'd even clapped eyes on Hacksaw Ridge.

Desmond Doss pictured on top of the
Maeda Escarpment
quite a bit smaller than on the big screen

5. Doss was more of a hero than portrayed in the film; part 2 wounded by a sniper

Again a funny statement to read, but it's true. During the events on Okinawa, Doss was injured by a grenade and waited for 5 hours for his comrades to come and rescue him. When they did arrive, they tried to rescue him during a Japanese tank attack, sighting a soldier more injured than himself Doss treated him and gave up his place on the stretcher for the more injured soldier. Again Doss waited for rescue in this time a Japanese sniper shot him in the arm, shattering the bone. Already suffering from the grenade blast and with a badly injured arm, Doss used a rifle stock as a splint and crawled 300 yards under fire to safety. This part of the Doss tale was omitted from the movie as it was feared that audiences would not find it believable. Not often a movie underplays heroism and sacrifice!

6. The film is directed by Mel Gibson.

Something of a polarising character over the last decade or so, due to his beliefs and how some of his other films were received, is this a return to grace for the Hollywood icon? In sharp contrast to The Passion of the Christ, Hacksaw Ridge was nowhere near as controversial as Passion of the Christ, despite the fact both movies focus in some part on religion and belief. It was the fact that he had directed the Passion that was appealing to the investors of Hacksaw Ridge. It's also noteworthy that the main protagonists in Gibson's earlier films Braveheart and Apocalypto, were characters defined by violence yet Desmond Doss is the complete opposite.

7. The film is Australian

*Spits out tea* ok this isn't supposed to be a running theme of film facts made in other countries, but like Full Metal Jacket the story behind this one is interesting. It was never meant to be an Australian film, however funding issues would mean that it had to be. The film had initially applied for tax reliefs from the Australian Government but these were denied unless the production was shown to be Australian. Many of the cast and the director himself are Australian and the entirety of filming was done down under.



8. Doss was not beaten up by his fellow recruits Fort Jackson

Interestingly one of the things that stopped Desmond Doss's story being told in a film, was his insistence on accuracy. The film could have been made decades before and names like Audie Murphy were in the frame to star as Doss, but it was never to be due in part to the insistence upon accuracy. With that in mind (looking here at 4,5 and 9) it really is quite puzzling that some details are just not true in Hacksaw Ridge. One of them is the training scene, almost reminiscent of Pvt Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, in many ways Doss's experience was quite similar. Other recruits really did not like him, he was certainly insulted and bullied for his non violence and his Seventh Day Adventist beliefs. However characters and events are sort of fudged together  and he was never beaten up. Can we blame the moviemakers? We could, but these fictional embellishments do help to tell the story in a concise way. Also maybe it would never have been told if perfection to truth was the only objective.



9. Desmond Doss did not face a court martial

There's a completely fictional scene in Hacksaw Ridge where Desmond Doss faces a court martial for refusing to bear arms. However like point 8 above there's a lot of a sort of corrupted purification of the truth. The court martial did not happen at all, it certainly was true that Doss was threatened with a court martial, it is also true that his father a veteran of the Great War did intercede on his behalf. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to imagine that Doss may well have been court martialed for his beliefs and his non violence. He may well have had a similar experience as depicted in Hacksaw Ridge but nevertheless it just didn't happen.

10. Desmond Doss had a hard life after the war

Although his heroism is remembered in the names of institutions and roads across the United States, his heroism in the Pacific Theater did not translate into fortune. The sniper wound in his arm put paid to the idea of a return to carpentry. In addition he had contracted tuberculosis on Leyte which he received treatment for 5 and a half years. Later he would suffer an over dose of antibiotics and lose his hearing entirely. Despite all these trials and tribulations he fathered a son and lived to the age of 87 dying in 2006.

Recommended Reading:

Desmond Doss .com a great source of information about the war hero and a great FAQs around the story

Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero books on Amazon

Wikipedia page on Hacksaw Ridge

Wikipedia page on Desmond Doss

Telegraph Hacksaw Ridge: the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss, the war hero who refused to kill

History vs Hollywood Hacksaw Ridge 

Recommended Watching:

10 Biggest Hacksaw Ridge MOVIE MISTAKES You Didn't See | Hacksaw Ridge Goofs on YouTube