Andrew Garfield and Sam Worthington have been attached to Mel Gibson’s HACKSAW RIDGE for a while now, but now they have a third, older A-lister joining the fray: Vince Vaughn.
The WWII film is about Desmond Doss, “the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor,” and Vaughn will play a sergeant tasked with whipping Doss and his fellow recruits into shape before they ship out to Japan. Apparently, he’s not the sturdy-as-a-tree hardass that R. Lee Ermey played in FULL METAL JACKET, and Doss’ pacifist leanings eventually get to him and change his perspective.
Like his character on this season of TRUE DETECTIVE, the no-nonsense military C.O. is something Vaughn’s never really tried out before, and it’s clearly part of this effort on his part to expand his horizons (as his lukewarm comedies get more and more unnoticed).
If it wasn’t a Mel movie, thus ensuring that the director doesn’t give fuck all about things like “buzz” or “street cred,” I’d be surprised Vaughn was getting scooped up for a serious role amidst his current run on TRUE DETECTIVE; he’s currently being raked over the coals week after week by critics and audiences alike for his turn as the redemptive, complicated gangster Frank Seymon. I actually think he’s doing a great job selling lines like “It’s like blue balls in your heart,” or “Sometimes your worst self’s your best self, know what I mean?”, and he’s clearly relishing the chance to go outside of his comfort zone. Can’t see him phoning it in here, especially under the guide of Mr. Gibson.
We’ve waited a long time for another bonafide Mel Gibson joint, and I’m excited to see how Vaughn fits into it. That string of bullcrap studio comedies be damned; I want to see that dude I loved from SWINGERS and MADE to make good in a serious drama, and I reckon Mel’s the type of dude to beat that type of performance out of him.
