Mad Mel - - Hacksaw Ridge (2016, Australia/USA Color, 139 min) - - 9 March 2017

Recommended. It’s musty Hollywood lore that Elia Kazan filmed On The Waterfront as a middle-finger salute to those angry at his cooperation in the McCarthy Hearings. But vengeance is not only cold . . . it’s a bit thin, too. These days such self-indulgence seems quaint, a ritual of the last century; yet, enter Mel Gibson (Braveheart) and Hacksaw Ridge, a story of a young man’s suffering for his religious conviction. I hope that the critical admiration for the film - - here shared - - isn’t a counter to Mel’s suffering at the hands of ExtraTV. Regardless, Hacksaw Ridge is an impressive bit of film-making, attested by its Editing (John Gilbert, Lord Of The Rings) and Sound (Kevin O’Connell, Top Gun) Oscars. Although the hyper-gore of the battle scenes may put some off, the generous acting of Andrew Garfield (Silence) rises above the torturous past of his director. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) is also superb.