At family picnics at my maternal grandparents' house in Fullerton, Whitehall Township, Uncle Tom didn't talk much about his military service in the South Pacific Theater during World War II, or when he tried to, after a beer, he would start sobbing quietly.

See director Mel Gibson's landmark film, "Hacksaw Ridge," and you will get a sense of why many veterans of "The Greatest Generation" have been reluctant to talk about what they did during the war."Hacksaw Ridge" is a horrific film about the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought to secure a cliff of the Maeda Escarpment, nicknamed "Hacksaw Ridge" for the way Japanese weaponry killed United States soldiers on the South Pacific island of Okinawa during World War II.Chief among the brave souls was Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (a magnificent Andrew Garfield, who deserves an Oscar actor nomination), an Army medic who received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for saving the lives of 75 soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa.The heroism of Doss is complicated and made even more impressive because he held to his Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, refusing to carry a gun or even train to use a rifle in boot camp, a decision that led to him being ostracized, according to the movie, by his fellow soldiers, including Capt. Glover (Sam Worthington) and Sgt. Howell (a fine Vince Vaughn, who could receive an Oscar supporting actor nomination) during training only to have them give him the utmost respect on the battlefield for risking his life by heading back into the field of fire to retrieve the wounded after the American soldiers were told to retreat. Doss fired nary a shot, but rather devised an ingenious pulley system, rappelling the wounded on the rope ladder to the beach below."Hacksaw Ridge" is one of the best-ever, if that easy appellation can be used, World War II-themed films, right up there with, among them, "Fury" (2014), "Letters from Iwo Jima" (2006), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), "The Longest Day" (1962) and "Paths of Glory" (1957)."Hacksaw Ridge" is also one of the best films of 2016 so far and should be on your must-see list, along with "Sully," "Deepwater Horizon" and "Denial."While "Hacksaw Ridge" is uber-violent, the violence depicted, which is graphic, relentless, stomach-churning and shocking, is not gratuitous, if it can be said so, because seeing the sheer horror of war is necessary to tell the story. Scenes in "Hacksaw Ridge" are akin to a passage from Dante's "Inferno," part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem, "Divine Comedy," or Pieter Bruegel the Elder's "Triumph of Death" (circa 1562).Gibson is no stranger to violence on screen. Violence is a normative for Gibson movies he's directed, including "Apocalypto" (2006), "The Passion of the Christ" (2004) and "Braveheart" (1995).Gibson, directing from a screenplay by Robert Schenkkan ("The Pacific," 2010 TV miniseries) and Andrew Knight (TV's "Jack Irish," 2016), emphasizes a nuanced back story, through use of flashbacks, about the domestic drama between Doss and his father (excellent Hugo Weaving, who may receive an Oscar supporting actor nomination), said to be an abusive husband toward his wife (excellent Rachel Griffiths) and sons, and the romantic story between Doss and Dorothy, his fiancee and later wife (a charming Teresa Palmer).If Oscar voters can wipe the slate clean, look for multiple Oscar nominations for "Hacksaw Ridge," including director for Gibson, cinematography (Simon Duggan), editing (John Gilbert), score (Rupert Gregson-Williams) and sound design. If not, don't let that keep you from seeing the phenomenal "Hacksaw Ridge.""Hacksaw Ridge,"MPAA Rated R (Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.) for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence including grisly bloody images; Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance, War; Run time: 2 hrs., 11 mins.; Distributed by Summit Entertainment.Credit Readers Anonymous:Clips of the real Desmond T. Doss, interviewed for a 2004 documentary, are included during "Hacksaw Ridge" end credits.Box Office,Nov. 4: "Doctor Strange" ruled the Marvel Universe and the weekend box office, opening at No. 1 with a summer blockbusterlike $85 million, keeping "Trolls" opening at No. 2, with a strong $45.6 million; "Hacksaw Ridge" opening way back at No. 3 with $14.8 million, and scaring "Boo! A Madea Halloween" back to No. 4 after two weeks at No. 1 with $7.8 million, $65 million, three weeks;5. "Inferno," $6.3 million, $26.1 million, two weeks; 6. "The Accountant," $6 million, $70.9 million, four weeks; 7. "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," $5.6 million, $49.2 million, three weeks; 8. "Ouija: Origin of Evil," $4 million, $31.4 million, three weeks; 9. "The Girl on the Train," $2.8 million, $70.7 million, five weeks; 10. "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," $2.1 million, $83.3 million, six weeks.Unreel,Nov. 11:"Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,"R: Ang Lee directs Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Garrett Hedlund and Steve Martin in the war drama about a 19-year-old recounting his service in the War in Iraq."Arrival."PG-13: Denis Villeneuve directs Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg in the sci-fi film about a linguist who assists the military to translate alien communications."Shut In,"PG-13: Farren Blackburn directs Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay and Oliver Platt in the thriller about a widowed child psychologist in rural New England who rescues a boy during a deadly winter storm.Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes