Hacksaw Ridge and the Red Cross of Death?

As soon as I saw the poster for this movie with the red cross on the chest of the medic that this movie is based on I had to see it, because having visited Tasmania this last winter the red cross really has come to be associated with death in my mind, even though I know the red cross is meant to be a medical association to save lives.
MONA: Sex X and Death +

The MONA "logo" X+ represents sex X and death +

The Hobart Cenotaph with a "red cross"on it

"The Hobart Cenotaph is an Art Deco reinterpretation of a traditional Egyptian Obelisk. 
The Cenotaph was originally erected to commemorate the war dead of Tasmania from World War I, but has had subsequent additions made for all conflicts since then in which Tasmanian soldiers have served. 
The original inscription reads: "Lest We Forget", and "1914-1919". 
Although World War I ended on 11 November 1918, the inscription is dated '1919' in commemoration of the Treaty of Versailles which was signed on 28 June 1919. 
There are no names recorded upon the Cenotaph itself.
An Anzac Day commemoration was held there in 1925 during construction. 
During the ceremony, a casket of solid zinc which bore the names of the 522 Tasmanians who were killed in World War I was set into the base of the shaft. 
It was unveiled on 13 December 1925 and replaced a previous wooden structure. 
Directly beneath the cap on each side are back-lit red opaque glass Latin crosses that are illuminated constantly in remembrance of the dead."

The Cenotaph lit up for Dark Mofo a few years ago

Representation of a Knight Templar and the red cross

Didn't the Knight's Templar wear a red cross, as well?

Warning sign on a
Tasmanian poppy farm fence

Tasmania is also the biggest grower of poppies in Australia for making medicinal morphine and there was plenty of this injected into injured soldiers in this movie, I can tell you.

But I'm not knocking Mel's movie, in fact I liked it quite a lot on many levels and I have a feeling this movie just might net Mel another 'Best Director''s Oscar next year, I liked it that much ... if "like" is the right word, as the graphic scenes in this movie make 'The Passion of the Christ' look like a Walt Disney movie.

Of course, being an Australian myself I could be a bit biased.
And that's an Australian with Jewish blood in his veins, as well.
But I've never stopped loving Mel's work, even after his drunken rants.
Not like I haven't heard it all before, but he might want to do a bit more homework before going off on that tangent again, not to say there aren't bad Jews in high places, but as for running the world ... ha! 
If you grew up in Australia you would know that we all take drunken rants with a pinch of salt over here, I remember one guy in a bar over here that was too drunk to get off his stool accusing me of being a f#ckin Irish terrorist just because I ordered a Guinness stout to drink.
This guy went on for ages about the Irish and how he hated me and my kind and I'm not even Irish.
The closest I've come to being Irish is having an Irish step-grandfather that I never met and inheriting his surname ... and maybe a past life memory of living there once;-)

UPDATE: I have since found out I have 18% Irish genes after doing one of those '23 and Me' type genetic tests.

UPDATE AGAIN: Now they say I have 3% Irish genes?!

UPDATE YET AGAIN: Now they tell me that I have 0% Irish genes!?!!

Andrew Garfield the star of the film has Jewish blood in his Spidey veins as well.
And on a synchronistic personal note Andrew played a guy named Desmond and that was my late father's "Christian" name, as well, and dad would never stop telling us as kids how he admired the American soldiers who he considered his heroes when he saw them walking around Brisbane as he sold newspapers as a teenager in the city during the war.
He would always tell me that if it wasn't for them, you would be speaking Japanese now.
I always used to think to myself, wouldn't I be dead like the Jews in Germany?

"Though most of the film's characters are Americans, only one American actor was cast: Vince Vaughn. 
Excepting him and star Andrew Garfield, a British native, the entire cast is comprised of Australian actors speaking with American accents." 

"Vince Vaughn says the line "well Dorothy, looks like we're not in Kansas anymore" - A reference to The Wizard of Oz."

The poppies of Oz?!

"One aspect that appealed to Gibson in making this movie was that it contained a "real" superhero without spandex." 
Of course the main star of the movie played Spider-man in the latest re-boot of the franchise. 

Spider-man?!

"Producer Hal B Wallis had previously tried to buy this story from Desmond Doss in the 50's, and hoped that Audie Murphy would star but Doss had no interest in motion pictures and didn't want his story turned into a typical Hollywood movie."
Audie Murphy? 
Why does that name ring a bell?-)
23/7:7/23 and Oswald

Monument at the site of the plane crash in which Audie Murphy died

Airport Connections?

All that aside though, this is one of the best films I have seen all year and my advice is to go and see it if you have a strong stomach and can handle body parts hanging out all over the screen, because this film is on track for 'Best Picture/Best Director' come Oscar night.

Matt Nable

And I was surprised to see Matt Nable in this film playing Lt Colonel Cooney.

I met Matt at the Byron Bay Writers Festival this year when he was signing a copy of his book for me and we had a big chat about a few movie projects he was involved with, but not 'Hacksaw Ridge'.
The Shadow Side and True Colours of Liam Pieper?

I'm yet to read Matt's book, but it's not far from the top of my 'to read' list. 

Everybody who worked on this film should be as proud as punch and I'd be surprised if the film's producers ... and director walk away from Oscar night empty handed.
It would have to be something very special that I'm yet to see that could top this movie.