Flags of Our Fathers

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Barry Pepper, Paul Walker, Robert Patrick, Jamie Bell, Neal McDonough
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: R
Genre: War, Action, Drama
Box Office: $
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Tells the story of the six men who raised the American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II.

Review:
Tim: After a series of incredible films, I felt confident that with wisdom and experience on his side, Clint Eastwood could do no wrong. This project seemed like a sure bet. I'm sad to report that this film is by no means good, and ends up very, very disappointing.

The main problem I have is that the movie jumps too much from past to present, and back again. This removes any sense of suspense or excitement, and we are left with a boring, dull movie.

The cast is good, but definitely not as good as it needed to be. Ryan Phillippe does a good job, but he's never spectacular. Adam Beach is actually outstanding, by far the best part of the movie. Jesse Bradford is decent, Barry Pepper and Paul Walker are almost pointless, and completely unmemorable.

This is less a war movie and more of the story of what went on behind the scenes involving the famous picture of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. While this story is important and needs to be told, it's not quite good enough to account for an entire movie and 2 hours and 12 minutes of our lives. There is just not enough to hold our attention.

Flags of Our Fathers is an important film, but it just doesn't entertain nearly enough. That is unfortunate, because this could have been an amazing movie. As is, this is only a slightly decent movie, a shell of what could have been. Eastwood is a fine... no, a great director, but this is a lackluster, disappointing film. It definitely has some powerful moments, but not enough to redeem it. Sorry, Clint, but we're not buying this one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Letters From Iwo Jima