Hacksaw Ridge

Details

Release year: 2016

Storyline

World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.

Top credits

Awards

2 wins & 4 nominations

Did you know

• Private First Class Desmond T. Doss was not wounded and evacuated in a daylight assault at Hacksaw Ridge. He was wounded a couple of weeks later in the Okinawa campaign during a night attack near Shuri. As per his Medal of Honor citation (noted above), he was wounded in the legs by a grenade, but had to wait five hours before stretcher bearers could reach him, during which time he dressed his own wounds. While being carried back to safety by three stretcher bearers, they were attacked by a Japanese tank. Doss crawled off the stretcher to a more seriously wounded man and insisted the others evacuate that soldier and then return for him. While waiting for the stretcher to return, he was shot by a sniper as he was being carried by another soldier. This caused a compound fracture of his arm, for which he improvised a splint using a rifle stock. He then crawled three hundred yards to an aid station for treatment.

• When asked how many lives he saved Desmond T. Doss said about 50. Witnesses said it was closer to 100. A mutual agreement was reached at 75.

• Mel Gibson stated there were aspects of this event that were true, but that he couldn't include in the film because he felt people wouldn't believe they were true: Doss stepped on a grenade to save his buddies and was hit by shrapnel, but as he was being carried away by medics he saw another soldier injured. Since Doss himself was a medic, he jumped off his stretcher and treated that soldier and told the medics to take care of other wounded soldiers. He then crawled back to safety while being shot at by enemy snipers. While lowering men down the ridge, a Japanese soldier had Doss in his sights several times, and every time he did, his gun jammed, preventing him from shooting him. This was also for fear that no one would believe it. In reality, Doss' Bible went missing as he dragged himself to safety. Months after he was shipped home, he found it in the mail; his entire company, which once mocked him for his convictions, searched all over Hacksaw until they found it.

Box Office

Gross (Domestic): $67,209,615

Opening Weekend (Domestic): $15,190,758 (2016-11-06)

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