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      The Conscientious Objector

      2004 1h 41m Documentary War List
      Reviews 91% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Filmmaker Terry Benedict interviews Desmond Doss, a World War II veteran who refused to bear arms or take a human life. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (4) Critics Reviews
      Kirk Honeycutt Hollywood Reporter Illustrates how truth can often outdo fiction. Aug 25, 2004 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Benedict's approach is faithful to Doss's own belief in simplicity. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Aug 30, 2020 Full Review Steve Schneider Orlando Weekly A proficient piece of work with a hugely pertinent message. Rated: 3.5/5 May 28, 2004 Full Review Steve Rhodes Internet Reviews Beautiful, powerful and deeply-moving. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 16, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member 11/3/16 Amazon Video A true story of uncommon valor, humility, consistent practice of principles and the ability to overcome the derision of fellow soldiers and the unfair treatment of superior officers who tried to move him out of their units. Doss had the courage and humanity to not only forgive these men but to risk his life to save theirs. It was good to see this documentary before the Hollywood version in Hacksaw Ridge. Hopefully, they will do his story justice. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member What an incredible story, not only of this man's bravery in the face of great danger, but in standing up for what he believed in as well. Though I do not necessarily share his convictions about guns and Saturdays, his consistency was absolutely amazing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review walter m "The Conscientious Objector" is an inspiring documentary about Desmond Doss who was given a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the horrific Battle of Okinawa in 1945. What's especially exceptional in his case is that Desmond, taking the Ten Commandments to heart, vowed never to kill another human being. That did not stop him from wanting to serve in the military during World War II, even refusing a deferment for working in the shipyards at Norfolk.(I'm wondering how much truth there is to the statement about some draftees committing suicide because they were refused due to health reasons.) As a Seventh Day Adventist, he strictly observed the Sabbath in the army while declaring his intention to serve as a medic. He still did not want to carry a gun like other medics, even though the Japanese soldiers were ordered to shoot medics to destroy morale.(Desmond's preferred term for himself is "conscientious cooperator," by the way.) Despite harassment from other soldiers(With no small irony, the documentary points out these were the same soldiers whose lives he would later go on to save.) and almost being kicked out on a Section 8, he persevered to serve his country with pride and extreme courage, as recounted by him and some of his fellow soldiers on an emotional journey of remembrance. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie gets almost no mention on RottenTomatoes or the other big movie sites, and very few professional reviewers have reviewed it. I stumbled across it on streaming Netflix and decided to give it a look. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen, a real-life documentary about Desmond Doss, a World War II soldier who refused to take up arms against others yet wound up earning the Congressional Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's ultimate badge of bravery, heroism and courage. Despite several attempts by his superiors to have him court-martialed or kicked out of the military, Doss persevered and eventually earned the gratitude of his former persecutors, rescuing them and many other soldiers from certain death with no weapon and no regard for his own safety. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Hero-worship is all too common, and this film sadly overindulges to the point of making an otherwise worthy subject instead a 2-Dimensional poster-boy for politically-correct heroism. However praiseworthy Desmond Doss's story, convictions, and actions may have been, the documentary does little to explore any emotion other than diamond-in-the-rough praise, with a requisite prelude of ingratitude and hardship. In the end, little is explored beyond a simple narrative that reads a bit too much like a propaganda film or comic-book reimagining (indeed, the film-maker cites his boyhood facination with a comic-book about Doss.) Doss himself is a bit too vague to provide much insight beyond that of a strange form of directors-commentary... and we are left with a sadly isolated view of an otherwise remarkable story, unable to connect any strings or make any inferences other than a big, blaring neon light leading down a path to hero-worship with as much substance as a Hollywood script-writer could manufacture in a weekend. Truly, the substance must have been there... but its direction and cinematic narrative structure have far too many stars in their eyes to unearth more than a few heartstrings to tug at. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Quite an amazing story of a medic who refused to carry a gun during WWII. It was a bit slow with the bulk of the movie being stories told veterans about their experiences. Was interesting though. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Conscientious Objector

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Filmmaker Terry Benedict interviews Desmond Doss, a World War II veteran who refused to bear arms or take a human life.
      Director
      Terry Benedict
      Producer
      Jonathan Sheinberg, Gabe Videla
      Screenwriter
      Jeff Wood, Terry Benedict
      Production Co
      Chaparral West, D'Artagnan Entertainment
      Genre
      Documentary, War
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jun 18, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 41m