Letters from Iwo Jima

Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: R
Genre: War, Drama
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Japanese soldiers fight the Americans during the bloody battle of Iwo Jima.

Review:

Tim: This is certainly an improvement over Flags of Our Fathers, but it is a little hard for me to believe this was one of the best pictures of the year. It is not bad by any means, but I also didn't think it was outstanding, either. Clint Eastwood does a good job of showing us a glimpse into the Japanese side of World War II. This is exceedingly more interesting than the American side, at least in terms of these companion films. Eastwood should get some credit for being brave enough to tell this story.

Ken Watanabe is excellent throughout the film. He is quickly becoming one of the best actors in the movies today. His scenes are among the most enjoyable of the film. The supporting cast are all excellent as well.

Several scenes are just shocking to see. Particularly difficult to see is the scene involving the mass suicide of Japanese soldiers. From an American perspective, this seems horrible and stupid, and it just shows how different these two cultures were in the 1940s.

Eastwood does a good job of remaining objective in his portrayal of this battle. He makes sure the Americans don't appear overly heroic (they were guilty of some morally reprehensible behavior) and he also shows some of the more noble qualities of the Japanese soldiers. There are no "good guys" or "bad guys" here, only individual humans struggling to survive. This is where the movie works the best.

Letters from Iwo Jima isn't the best movie of the year, but it is still good, and offers us a fresh perspective and tells an important story. And, Eastwood should at least be congratulated for that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 4, Maverick