Movies Like Hacksaw Ridge

Frequently asked about Hacksaw Ridge

Common questions people search for, with answers written by us at MoviesPack.

• Is the Hacksaw Ridge movie a true story?▾

  Yes, Hacksaw Ridge is based on the true story of Desmond T. Doss, a U.S. Army medic and Seventh-day Adventist who refused to carry a weapon during World War II. He saved approximately 75 wounded soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 and became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor.

• Is Desmond Doss still alive today?▾

  No, Desmond Doss is not alive. He died on March 23, 2006, at the age of 87 in Piedmont, Alabama.

• Why was Hacksaw Ridge so hard to take?▾

  Hacksaw Ridge, a steep escarpment on the Maeda Plateau in Okinawa, was difficult to take because it featured a sheer 350-400 foot cliff that Allied troops had to scale using cargo nets while under heavy fire. Japanese forces had fortified the position with an extensive network of tunnels, caves, and hidden bunkers, allowing them to ambush attackers and quickly disappear, leading to extremely heavy American casualties.

• Did Clint Eastwood have anything to do with the movie Hacksaw Ridge?▾

  No, Clint Eastwood was not involved with Hacksaw Ridge. The film was directed by Mel Gibson and produced by Bill Mechanic, David Permut, and others.

• Why does Desmond Doss refuse to carry a weapon into combat?▾

  Desmond's refusal is rooted in his devout Seventh-day Adventist faith, which forbids killing. His conviction was also shaped by a childhood incident in which he nearly killed his brother during a fight, and later aimed a loaded pistol at his abusive, drunken father — moments that cemented his vow never to touch a weapon again. He enlists to serve his country as a combat medic specifically because it lets him save lives without violating his conscience.

• How many men did Desmond Doss rescue at Hacksaw Ridge during the night after the unit retreated?▾

  After the U.S. forces were driven back and ordered to withdraw from the escarpment, Desmond stayed behind alone on the ridge throughout the night. He repeatedly lowered wounded soldiers — both Americans and, in some accounts, even Japanese combatants — down the cliff face using a rope and a bowline knot. The film depicts him rescuing approximately 75 men, a figure consistent with historical accounts and the number cited in his Medal of Honor citation.

• What is the significance of the rope-lowering technique Desmond uses to get the wounded off the ridge?▾

  Desmond uses a double-looped bowline-on-a-bight knot — a technique he had learned and practiced — to fashion a harness and lower each casualty down the sheer cliff face to safety. The rope becomes a recurring symbol in the film: it connects the brutal battlefield above to survival below, and Desmond's repeated, exhausted prayer 'Lord, help me get one more' punctuates each descent, framing the act as both physical endurance and spiritual calling.

• What happens to the Japanese soldier Desmond treats and hides in the film's battle sequences?▾

  During his lone night on the ridge, Desmond treats any wounded man he can find regardless of nationality, reflecting his belief that every life is sacred. While the film does not dwell on a single named Japanese soldier as a narrative focal point, it shows him dragging and tending to enemy wounded as well, underscoring that his pacifist conviction extends beyond allegiance — he is a healer first, a soldier second.

• Why does Desmond's father Tom, himself a broken World War I veteran, ultimately help Desmond avoid a court martial?▾

  Tom Doss carries deep survivor's guilt and trauma from WWI, having lost close friends whose names are inscribed on a local memorial — losses that turned him into an alcoholic. When Desmond faces a military tribunal for refusing to handle a rifle, Tom leverages his old war connections and personally appeals to a general using a written order from the Judge Advocate General granting conscientious objectors the right to serve without bearing arms. It is an act of redemption for Tom: he uses the remnants of his military standing to protect the son he nearly destroyed.