I'm not going to pretend that I'm not a big fan of war films. However, I started watching this film by chance a couple of years ago. I have to confess that I found it uplifting and horrifying in equal measure. When I saw the closing credits and found out that it was a real story, I'm not afraid to afraid to admit that I had a couple of tears in my eyes. He was and incredibly principled, modest and brave man.

I cannot imagine how hard it was for his dad to put that uniform back on.

My favorite telling of this tale come from survivors of that battle… from Japanese soldiers. They gave eyewitness accounts of a lone unarmed soldier dragging wounded to the edge of the escarpment and lowering them down. “We saw this soldier, he was standing at the edge exposed to us that we thought him to be a scout and so we took aim. Every time we had a clear shot… our guns jammed.”

I"m not a Christian, but I admire Dawes' conviction and determination to help others. War is terrible, though it can be made better by the acts of a single person who cares. His dedication and determination saved so many lives, and in turn, so many families. His efforts were admirable and I am thankful that his God gave him the strength he needed to do what he did. Belief can be a powerful drug. ❤

as a non-religious person, i absolutely love how doss' faith inspired him to be such a force of good during such a harrowing time. he is so heroic that it's easy to believe he would even help a wounded enemy soldier. i love this movie. great reaction as always, awesome sir.

I love this move, and really appreciated the end when they had the real people interviewed. The fact that he prayed for God to let him find one more person was so heartwarming

Durring WW2 Japanese soldiers had this outlook where defeat and surrender meant great dishonor, which is why you see the Japanese commander in the movie perform a ritualistic suicide called Seppuku to escape dishonor of defeat and capture (BTW that's also why Japanese treated POWs extremely badly during WW2), overall Japanese had and have different views on suicide compared to the west.

When only 32 men came back, the horror of the number is that the average rifle company was approximately 190-200 men though they could have more than 600. The later comment that they had lost 3 regiments meant roughly between 400 to 1000 dead and wounded. The Shuri line and in particular Kakazu Ridge is what I believe is the actual subject of this movie. Three Army divisions were bled white in this battle. The 383rd suffered more than 300 causalities in the initial assault and were pulled from battle when their effective strength dropped below 50%. The 96th infantry took over until their relief by the 7th. All ran into the same meatgrinder. They were followed by the 27th infantry division. This battle started on April 8th and was finally over (just this area) on April 21st. That was 14 days of battle and three decimated divisions to take that one position in the Shuri line. This was the real precursor to what they could expect from an invasion of the Japanese home islands. Ignoring Macarthur's insanely optimistic estimate of 250,000 US casualties the other military estimates were up to 5 million US and up to 20 million Japanese dead. It was these numbers that were the primary justification for using the Atomic bombs to shock the Japanese into surrendering. I know a bit about this as my great uncle died in the combat over the Shuri line and my father, a Corsair pilot with the Black Jack squadron on the Bunker Hill were both in that battle.

By his comrades accounts he saved and lowered 150 men on this tour but he was a v humble man and asked for 50, they settled at 75. This was his 3rd tour and had saved men on them too for which he recieved the bronze star just like his father. Both truly good men. It actually took 9 hours to find his bible, his company would not stop till they found it. Two other units joined in the search because of the story everyone there knew what he did.

I've been waiting for you to watch this. I was privileged to talk to Mr Doss for a few minutes after he spoke at a Youth Conference in Virginia. What you see is what you got. A very humble man of faith. All these years later his impact still effects the way I conduct my life and relate to others. I suspect he had the same effect on many other young men who had the privilege.

Nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing.

"Waiting for Doss to finish praying for us sir" damn, that hits hard, me being non religious I'd still want his prayer

I’m a Christian too! My dad is a pastor! I love this movie so much! I click on every reaction to it I find! You are one of my favorite reactors so I was so happy to see the notification that you had done this one!

I love this movie so much. Andrew Garfield was spectacular, and Mel Gibson (despite his personal addictions and problems) is a fantastic director. Great reaction James!

I remember my daughter, as a teenager, read Doss’s autobiography and this movie is just a snapshot of some of what he did. Extraordinary movie. The Bible teaches that “There is a time to kill.”and multiple times when God praises those who kill for the right reason. Murder is what breaks the sixth commandment. And though his denomination interprets that incorrectly, it obviously takes absolutely nothing away from his extraordinary bravery and commitment to his convictions. He led an absolutely extraordinary and God honoring life. He firmly believed the reality of the old saying that “Only one Life, it will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Great reaction, thanks.

Sooooo ready for this.... let me grab my tissues. He's buried in my mamma's hometown and a stretch of the highway is named after him in Alabama.

Here's a fun fact, they had to actually downplay the real life events that occurred during the end events in the movie. Because the IRL Desmond did much more then during the end scenes. So much that the producers were worried it seemed TOO fantastical for the audience. Despite the fact they actually happened. From what I remember at least. That said, if I got something wrong here, anyone who does know please correct me.

So glad you went into this movie not knowing it was a true story. Your surprise was priceless.

I'm of the mind that the reason that Hacksaw Ridge wasn't awarded more Oscars is because of the director. Mel Gibson had been one of Hollywood's golden boys, but went through a "tough patch" and made some really bad choices, which put him on Hollywood's s*'t list for a while and was basically "persona non grata". I'm glad to see that he's coming back.

Great reaction! The number 75, by the way, is a compromise. Witnesses claim that Doss brought down over 100 men. Doss claimed he only brought down 50. Amazing humility.

The other cast were the Amazing Spider-Man as Desmond Doss, John Connor from Terminator: Salvation (and Jake Sully in Avatar) as his unit commander, and comedian Vince Vaughn from Dodgeball, The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2, Rudy, and Wedding Crashers as his drill sergeant. His wife was played by Teresa Palmer, whose first hit role was as the love interest in the zombie teen romance Warm Bodies, which I highly recommend. Doss was Seventh-Day Adventist; most are vegetarians who have 10 years longer life expectancy as a result. The Japanese officers committed ritual suicide to atone for the shame of losing. Japan had already held Korea (Chosen) for decades when it invaded and captured Manchuria (Manchukuo), then proceeded farther into the Republic of China. Its goal was to create a "pan-Asian" empire but with ethnic Japanese at the top in all aspects of society. Roughly 10 years later it attacked Pearl Harbor to knock out the U.S. Navy, simultaneously attacking our unwilling colony of the Philippines, because the United States had been interfering with Japanese trade in oil, iron ore, and other essential military supplies for several years, and additionally was seen by Japan as its only serious threat to conquest other than the British Empire. The U.S. did provoke Japan for years on end, but on the other hand, Japan was trying to take over all of East & Southeast Asia, and may not have stopped until conquering Australia, New Zealand, and India, without our involvement. They thought isolationist America, which had refused to even join the League of Nations, would have no stomach for war. Instead, we declared war on the entire Axis (Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany & Fascist Italy) and fought WWII on two fronts, the European Theater and the Pacific Theater. While most of the gains and losses in Europe were Soviet, and the USSR deserves most of the credit for crushing the Nazis, without Western aid supporting their military, it might not have been possible. The Soviets didn't enter the war against Japan until it was almost over, when we obliterated two cities with the world's only first-strike nuclear attacks in history. Hopefully, the only nuclear attacks ever.

First Conscientious Objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. True story. Well cast and acted. 500 out of 800 casualties. 3,000 Japanese casualties.

He actually saved more men but the film makers thought the audience would not believe it!!! Praying for the end of all wars 🙏🇦🇺

@Awesome US Movies Just to let you know, no matter if your job doesn't directly involve combat (ex: my Dad was in the US Navy Band stationed in DC during Korea & Vietnam), you still have to go through bootcamp, be cross trained in a combat position and learn to shoot, pass PT etc. 👍 I know that was a long time ago, but I doubt it has changed. Also, although medics during WWII didn't carry a rifle, they did have a sidearm.

As a Christian, this movie really touched me. It inspired me to be stronger in my convictions.Mainly loving those as God loves me. Mercy and kindness. Thank you for a lovely review. Desmond Doss is a true warrior in Christ. ❤️ First time I saw it, I cried my eyes out. I immediately began to get involved with charitable organizations for our military service members, regardless of their beliefs. They put their life on the line for us.

Desmond Doss passed away in 2006 and is buried in Chattanooga, TN.

This movie makes me cry every time. Biloxi Blues (1988), with Matthew Broderick and Christopher Walken, is the humorous side of WWII boot camp, and it's hilarious. Hugo Weaving, who played Doss's father, was also in Cloud Atlas (2012) with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. It's a different kind of movie but it's pretty great great.

Memorial Day, top pick: “Taking Chance”…starring Kevin Bacon…it’s only 90 mins and it’s incredibly moving…I think you will love it. I truly wish every American would see it…it’s a beautiful and powerful film.

James…. I now realize just how many movies I have seen. Wow! I’m so glad you started on this venture. Been watching your reactions since the beginning. So many more great movies ahead for you! Thank you for being so authentic.

One of the best films ever made. Desmond was a Godly man full of conviction and didn’t waiver. We need more men like he was. God bless America and those who serve. 😊

you might also recognize the dad from Lord of the Rings. He played Elrond, the master of Rivendale.

Just to help expand your knowledge about the military, everyone in the army is first trained as an infantryman. From the cooks in the mess hall, the clerk typists, tank drivers, and combat engineers everyone has to pass basic training before they go on to their advanced individual training where they learn how to perform the skills of their specialty. In basic training you all learn the fundamentals of infantry training including basic rifle marksmanship. Not a criticism, I just thought you might like to know.

This man is a true American hero and legend I salute everyone in military. Thank you for your service. Another few good movies that are based on true stories, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots’ Day, Captain Phillips all three are amazing movies.

Filming took place in Australia from September to December 2015. Hacksaw Ridge was released in the United States on November 4, 2016, grossing $180.4 million worldwide, and received critical acclaim, with Gibson's direction and Garfield's performance earning particular praise. Peace out.

Trivia: 1. Of the primary cast, Vince Vaughn (Sergeant Howell) is the only American. Andrew Garfield (Desmond) and Hugo Weaving (his father Tom, and the one James recognized as Agent Smith) are British, and the rest are Australian. Director Mel Gibson (Riggs from Lethal Weapon) was born in New York, but moved to Sydney when he was twelve, then moved back later on. 2. Mel Gibson's son Milo appears as "Lucky" Ford. 3. Nominated for six Oscars in 2016: Best Picture, Best Director (Mel Gibson), Best Actor (Andrew Garfield as Desmond), Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing. It won for Film Editing and Sound Mixing. The two sound categories have now been merged together into one category. 4. The real Desmond Doss became the only conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. 5. Desmond Doss wanted his story to be as accurate as possible; a few minor changes were that his brother was in the Navy in real life instead of the Army in the movie; the scene pulling the gun out of his father's hands never happened; and Smitty was a combination of several soldiers.

While there are many jobs not related to combat, you are a soldier first. When the "you know what" hits the fan, everybody becomes a soldier.

I don't usually like war movies, but this one is really good, even more knowing it's a true story. Andrew Garfield and Mel Gibson did a great job here!

God bless Desmond Doss and his family! God bless all the courageous veterans with nerves of steel who risked everything and sacrificed so much to protect our countries and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today! God bless all the souls - military and civilian - that we have lost in times of war! God bless America! God bless us all and grant us peace!

This movie always gets some tears flowing for me. Great reaction! I am surprised with all your reading that you didn't get more into the history of this at some point, but it's understandable given how much there is to read out there! It is fascinating though if you ever do decide to get into it. So many events from WW1&2 still have profound effects on our lives today, and there's also amazing stories like this in the middle of the horror. The simplest way to put Japan's involvement in the war is a combination of expansion for resources to match what they had seen other world powers doing, and settling some grudges and conflicts that they'd wanted to take care of for a while. While a lot of people in the U.S. are aware of the horrible things Nazi's did, I think less are aware of Japan doing the same things. Very glad both countries have changed, and that we are allied with both Germany and Japan at this point, but also very glad we played a part in stopping what they were doing at the time.

Here is a little history lesson on WWII because I find the pacific theater particularly interesting. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was a preemptive one. They had an amalgamation of reasons. 1. They wanted to invade/conquer regions in the Pacific Ocean to bolster their political standing in the world. Bombing the US basically made them look tough.2. They needed more resources, and the US put an embargo on them and then stopped trading oil all together, which kind of screwed them over. 3. If they wanted to conquer the pacific islands, they needed the US to be as weak as possible, which is why they went after their naval fleet. :)

I'm a Mission Crew Commander Air Battle Manager on AWACS and one of my deployments was as the Commander of the largest US radar site in Japan which happened to be on Okinawa. I have been to this site.

Okay, when Hideki Tojo came to power in Japan, he wanted Japan to assert it's "dominance" they ran roughsod over China. We asked them to to stop, they didn't, so we cut of their oil, and Pearl Harbor was their hissy fit about it. They also conquered A LOT of other islands in the Pacific. The day after Pearl Harbor German y DID declare war on us. And the Japanese commander is an ancient Samurai thing called Seppuku or Hara-Kiri. You lose face in defeat, so they believe in death before dishonor. And this is an INCREDIBLE movie. I recommend it to EVERYBODY it has roance, human drama, a little bit of humor and accurately shows all the horror and all the glory that war has to offer.

I love this film. It is hard emotionally to watch. Thank you for reviewing it

To answer your question to why the Japanese were killing themselves, it is called Seppuku and Seppuku was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands and to attenuate shame and avoid possible torture, its kind of a form of ritual suicide

He didn't use the dead body to help him get down. He brought his friend Smitty's body down

When it comes to the commander who committed suicide, the Japanese were living by the bushido code which forbid surrender & failure was better met by dying by your own hand

My father was a 17 year old german soldier fighting in Aachen. He told me that they had an agreement with the Americans that medical personnel would not be fired at nor taken prisoner. One day an american paramedic brought a wounded german to their lines. When they told him, he could return to his side, he refused. He said: "I´m not going back, I surrender. I´ve seen enough for one lifetime!"

Desmond Doss is a true American hero!

The M-3 "grease gun" submachine gun held 30 rounds

There are many military jobs that don’t need a weapon. Any job with “combat” should carry a weapon. It’s a risk to himself and all his squad not to carry. Desmond Doss showed he was exceptional and blessed to exceed, but there are only so many seats on the boat and the truck and the strategically it doesn’t make sense to fill that spot with an unarmed medic when armed medics are obviously better in all generalities. He could have been a warehouse tech or some form of book-keeper not having a guy on the line relying on him. Obviously he was a tremendous hero, but the staff weren’t wrong to want to wash him out either.

The first time I saw this movie, I was like blargh...The second time I watched it, I was like what the hell? This movie is so great! His depth of conviction. I love that it is true and I love the cameo at the end. Thank you for reacting to this. You are wonderful.

They showed at the beginning of the movie it was a TRUE STORY. So much for paying attention.

He specifically wants to serve as a combat medic. Everyone would be more than happy to shove him in some non-combat position, but that's not what he wants. That's the crux of the issue.

I am agnostic but I love this movie. Because even if I don't believe the same thing in a way, but you have to respect someone who has a solid conviction on what it mean to be a good man (for him it was important). I love fact that his boys told everyone we are not doing anything until Desmond finished praying. {this really happened, they downplayed the shit this guy did. Producers thought people would start to believe it was bs} Desmond is one of the few reminders what the true meaning of love is. You give pause to someone like that

There are a pair of films directed by Clint Eastwood that cover the WW II battle on Iwo Jima from both the American and the Japanese sides (The one covering the Japanese side is considered the better of the two by most people). The American point of view is covered in Flags of Our Fathers, and the Japanese side is covered in Letters from Iwo Jima. Another great watch about WW II would be the two 10-part HBO mini series'- Band of Brothers (covering the European theater) and The Pacific (covering, as you would expect from the title, the Pacific theater).

You should definitely watch We Were Soldiers. Its easily my favorite Vietnam movie. And dont forget Black Hawk Down. Its easily the best modern war movie ever made

I saw this movie when it was released on Netflix. I wasn't in the mood that day of a "war film" but I decided to give it a chance and love it because it's not a story of war it's a story of a human beign full of goodness and faith.

I recommend WindTalkers (2002) & The Patriot (2000) for your list.

Yes Hugo Weaving is Mr Smith from Matrix and Doss' father in this one. Very accomplished actor from Down Under

GREAT FILM, GREAT REACTIONS.......the movie had some great comedy in it also which was nice.

There was so much abuse of conscientious objectors during WWI that rules were established to give non-combatants freedom of conscience. Early in WWII a lot of people were unaware of these and CO’s still get hate from some folks.

One of my favorites. Always shed many tears.

I loved this movie…truly a moving story…I have such respect for him!

Hacksaw Ridge is arguably the greatest WW2 movie ever made. This isnt fictional propaganda like Saving Private Ryan. Its about a real person doing extraordinary things. Andrew Garfield gives his best performance as Desmond Doss. This is also Vince Vaughns best performance. Teresa Palmer has never been better, playing Desmonds beloved wife, Dorothy. I grew to know and care about everyone in Desmonds life. Mel Gibson gives us a great, raw and gritty vision of Christianity in warfare that is thoroughly entertaining.

Such a fantastic story about a soldier, it’s so rare to hear one

Instead of having to explain your background every time, perhaps you can make a little intro or visual graphic and pop that in front of every reaction you do from now on.

This is one of my favorite war movies

Mel Gibson makes great war movies, this one's my favorite but check out the Patriot and braveheart!

Your reaction when you found out this was true was priceless. I had to come back and watch it again.

It may interest you to know that at the time of hacksaw ridge Desmond Doss had tuberculosis to which he later lost a lung to, as u saw he was a vegetarian but due to the food mainly consisting of meat he was surviving on crackers and water so he was extremely weak. What he did is nothing short of a miracle. If there is one autobiography to read as i know u love books its his. There is so much of what he did left out of this movie as even mel Gibson who is a v religious man said nobody would believe any of itif we put it in. He was a true angel.

Everybody goes through basic everybody Must qualify.

One of the best movies I've seen

Just to clarify, I am not a gun "nut", at the moment I do not even own a firearm, but I am a military history buff, especially concerning equipment. The Garand M1 was a 30-06, not a 30 cal. The m1 carbine however, was a 30 cal. The reason Doss went back up was not just for morale, at this time in the battle he was one of the few medics left in his sector.

38:50 The Japanese had been trying to expand for years. They wanted to rule the entire Pacific, and had already been in a couple of major wars with the Chinese prior to WWII. They saw the U.S. expansion in the Pacific in Hawaii and the Philippines as a threat, and attacked Pearl Harbor because they thought the U.S. wouldn't have the stomach for war, especially after much of the U.S. Pacific fleet was sunk. They were wrong. The Japanese culture of death before dishonor meant that they would fight until the last man. It's also why the Japanese officers would kill themselves instead of surrendering. Since the Japanese would fight until the last man, the "island hopping" campaigns of WWII became very bloody. Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. There were tank battles on other parts of the island, naval and aerial bombardments, Kamikaze attacks against U.S. ships, and fierce fighting all over the island. Hacksaw Ridge was just one small part of the battle. If you look up the wikipedia article about this movie, you can see a picture of the real Hacksaw Ridge. While it was a cliff face, it wasn't the straight vertical cliff like the movie portrayed it. As for Desmond, they aren't actually sure how many people he saved. They gave him a medal for 75 because that was a number that they were confident of, but the actual number was probably higher. The real Desmond Doss also kept treating other wounded soldiers from his stretcher after Desmond had been wounded. They kept that part out of the movie because it seemed so over-the-top that they thought people would find it unbelievable, even though it actually happened.

"Even God sent his Angels into battle" - what a profound statement. And I'm not even religious.

38:50 the US didn't enter the War at this point (still had Isolationist views on things after WW1) but still was very involved. the embargo on oil became heavier when Japanese didn't stop advancing towards her neighboring countries, that's when Japanese became desperate and hoping the US would back off by attacking the Pearl Harbor.

Loving good movies and appreciating good actors, writers, and directors is a whole different universe from caring about celebrity gossip. I don't care about that, either.

Many family is very religious, however over the years: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself " turned into "God wants us to punish them." " Treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself" turned into "BUILD THE WALL" As a former Christian, now atheist. Desmond Doss represented a TRUE Christian. It's just so sad that many believers now follow a path of exclusion, instead of love.

The interviews at the end made this movie. Flags of Our Fathers is a good companion movie to this. So also: Emperor.

Doss was an Adventist, adventist church is vegetarian as one of their principles. I have to say that Mel Gibson is too gory, saving private Ryan was literally surgically precise without being exaggerated in any way. But given said that, I thank Gibson for telling the story, to me Doss is the greatest hero in history, facing a war without having killed no one. I recommend you to watch the comment of a historian that runs a channel named Reel history, you'll find it interesting. Thanks so much for sharing this

The story had to be reduced in factual content. The studio convinced themselves that the REAL exploits would have been to hard for audiences to believe.

why you gotta make an atheist cry at the end there.. dang it! BIG hug to you man.. big one. LOVE

Great movie

Brother have you ever read the WW2 Biggles books ? I still have a bound copy of Gimlet : King Of The Commandos from my dad. In which there is a cool crossover moment with Biggles and his crew. Gimlet is based on those British incursion teams who would link up with French resistance fighters & go around occupied France ambushing, blowing things up & Assassinating top level Nazi brass. He received it from his father, who was a legit Australian commando in Borneo.

Jacob's Ladder. Not a war movie exactly, but has to do with war. That's all I'll say (no spoilers)

This is such an awesome movie! There’s so many stories of heroism that will never be told 😢

You are so engaging in your reactions. Such a breath of fresh air. Not in a position to do Patreon right now. But I will asap. Loving these reactions tho. You do a great job without being too chatty. 😊

Hey James, I really like your reactions but have you seen Jojo Rabbit? Have you Only The Brave with Josh Brolin? Have you seen 12 Strong? You should check them out. All great movies.

Good and humorous overviews on history including WW2 can be found on the Oversimplified channel on YT. “WW2 Oversimplified,” is well worth a watch for you to get the basics in an entertaining way. It takes humility to admit you don’t know about something as recent and consequential and I respect that. Though I must confess I about fell off the couch when you asked who were we fighting…in Okinawa in 45. 😅 Oversimplfied has excellent videos on other topics like the American revolution, the US Civil War, WWI, etc. Also entertaining and well done: “The History Of the World, I Guess.”

Great reaction! I was hoping you would recognize vince vaughn (Sarge) since u watched Dodgeball...imo, this movie demonstrates his acting arch...1st time I ever saw him in a dramatic role and he nailed it.

Thank you for sharing your faith with us James.

Desmond Doss does not need a psychiatrist his mind is free of any guilt and remorse also they kept alot of his accomplishments out of the movie because the audience might think it was over the top marvel hero make belief.

You got my attention with this one..true story

Can’t say I’m a fan of Mel Gibson the person, given his racist outbursts, but I won’t argue that the man makes good movies and he’s a good actor. Braveheart is also excellent. The actor here is probably best known to Zoomers as Spider-Man, terrific English actor Andrew Garfield. I’m actually surprised Gibson made a movie about a guy who for religious reasons wouldn’t shoot a gun, because most of Mad Mel’s movies thrive on violence. The best part of this movie for me is when he saves enemy soldiers from death. He didn’t have to do that, but he put his faith and beliefs where his mouth was, unlike so many people and he saved them because it was the right thing to do. Even in war, you can still do the right thing. You don’t have to become as awful as the people you’re fighting to beat them. Gandhi proved that. Sometimes you win because you’re the better person. Their Achilles heel can be that they have no sense of humanity or a soul.

I love the end of this movie when they show the real guy...amazing stuff

12000 men died on that island and 37000 were wounded for us to live free now Remember them this day , July 4 2023

My dude! I just watched this movie last saturday! Uh-oh, you’re catching up to me! Enjoy.

I WAS THERE IN 2016. OKINAWA.

If you enjoy reading and can find this book...read it, its hard to find and expensive if you do find it. It's better than the movie. THE UNLIKELIEST HERO, The Story of Pfc Desmond T. Doss The Soldier Who Wouldn't Touch a Gun Conscientious Objector.

Hey James! Great movie, great reaction!