Is Hacksaw Ridge A True Story?

"Hacksaw Ridge," the Mel Gibson-directed war epic, is one of Andrew Garfield's best movie roles to date. The historical drama sees the "Amazing Spider-Man" star play Desmond Doss, a World War II United States Army medic who refuses to carry a weapon due to his religious beliefs and pacifist nature. However, that doesn't stop him from entering war zones, as he's willing to run through explosions and gunfire to aid fallen soldiers who need medical assistance.

The movie is a tale of heroism, humanity, and faith, albeit one that contains heaps of blood-soaked carnage and action-packed mayhem. "Hacksaw Ridge" doesn't skimp out when it comes to portraying the horrors of war, which makes Doss' daring escapades even more admirable. The action, coupled with the human drama, is why the movie is regarded by many as one of the best war movies of all time.

Furthermore, the story told in "Hacksaw Ridge" is more realistic than some viewers might think. With that in mind, let's look at the story that inspired the critically acclaimed battlefield drama and find out if the movie takes any creative liberties.

Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge" is based on a true story, and the general premise of the movie is accurate. Desmond Doss was a real-life military medic who refused to carry a rifle due to his devout religious beliefs. He was a Seventh-day Adventist who was raised to oppose violence, yet his heroics on the battlefield didn't go unnoticed.

As is told in the movie, Doss was part of the American squadron tasked with securing the Maeda Escarpment during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Rather than rack up a body count, Doss chose to save 75 lives, earning the Medal of Honor as a result of his actions. That's a significant accolade, and it isn't one that's typically associated with conscientious objectors — but that's what makes Doss' story so inspirational and adaptation-worthy.

Doss' story was good enough to get Gibson back into the director's chair for the first time in ten years, though Gibson's well-documented controversies might have contributed to his hiatus. That said, is the movie a thoroughly accurate retelling of Doss' tale of heroism?

Most true story movies lie to us to some degree, and "Hacksaw Ridge" is no different. The film depicts Desmond Doss' beliefs, accolades, and general war heroics in an honest light, but it takes some liberties in its portrayal of his romantic life.

In the movie, the heroic medic meets his wife, Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer), while she's working as a nurse. Desmond shows up to give blood, and it's love at first sight between the pair. In real life, Dorothy met Desmond at a church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and she became a nurse later on. Mel Gibson's movie doesn't completely fabricate her nursing backstory, but it does get the dates wrong. Still, the movie does a good job of conveying the couple's genuine love and affection for each other.

That said, "Hacksaw Ridge" didn't have to take many liberties to be entertaining, emotional, and inspirational. Doss' story naturally lends itself to the type of Hollywood cinema that wins awards, and the overwhelmingly positive response to the war epic suggests that Gibson and his team did a good job bringing the real-life war hero's tale to the screen.