Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those... we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities - and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history. As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatising the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film Flags of Our Fathers. Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatise one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its traumatic impact on American soldiers, Letters reveals the battle of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and doomed to die in inevitable defeat. While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanise "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honour against insurmountable odds. From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by Oscar-nominated The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe), whose letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing device, Letters from Iwo Jima (which conveys the bleakness of battle through a near-total absence of colour) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff Shannon [show more]
It's a testament to Clint Eastwood's directorial prowess; that the silver-haired septuagenarian has managed to shoot a pair of war movies back-to-back, without compromising on any of the aspects that make for a good film. Focusing on the infamous WWII Pacific theatre battle of Iwo Jima, Japan, 'Flags Of Our Fathers' is told from an American perspective, whilst 'Letters From Iwo Jima' (the better of the two) offers a rare insight from the Japanese side, and features an unforgettable performance from the legend that is Ken Wantanabe ('The Last Samurai'). In 'Flags Of Our Fathers', Eastwood focuses on a platoon of exploited U.S. marine corps veterans immortalised in an iconic photograph of them raising Old Glory in the midst of battle. Adapted by Paul Haggis ('Crash', 'Million Dollar Baby') and William Broyles Jr. ('Jarhead') their screenplay courts expectation before cutting it down in one fell swoop; successfully subverting an American cliché in a stone cold deconstruction of wartime propaganda, hence exposing the clinical banality of the entire episode as handled by the powers that be. And though modern, media savvy, audiences know all too well that their governments, when left unchecked by society & The Forth Estate, will do horrendous things to their own people for personal gain; corruption in the upper echelons of power is a well known fact, but a fact worthy of repetition, especially in today's political climate. A veteran's second war (i.e. readjusting to civilian life) was memorably covered in William Wyler's 'The Best Years of Our Lives' (1946), and here, Eastwood, whose political leanings have always been Republican (some have even citied evidence that he's a member of the 'Bohemian Grove cult) seems to visually reference Alexander Solzhenitsyn; who astutely concluded that "A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny". For such is the nature of our hemisphere's 'Military Industrial Complex' that those who own the means of production will continue their war on human civilisation, until every individual is reduced to the status of victim or slave. A prime example is the manner in which these soldiers are paraded around as war whores, their trauma or guilt pushed aside without a second's remorse or moment to reflect upon the imperial travesty so often misnamed 'the good war'. Adam Beach, probably cast on the strength of his performance in John Woo's WWII picture 'Windtalkers' (2002) plays Native American soldier Ira Hayes, (immortalised in song by Johnny Cash) with dignity and grace, his naivety giving way to a burgeoning sense of anguish / frustration. Fellow troops Paul Walker, Jamie Bell, perennial onscreen soldier Barry Pepper and Jesse Bradford all acquit themselves well, whilst Ryan Philippe puts in an especially good performance as John 'Doc' Bradley. 'Letters From Iwo Jima', adapted by Iris Yamashita from Tadamichi Kuribayashi's 'Picture Letters From Commander in Chief' is an instant classic; one of the finest, most poignant and tragic war films ever made. Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Wantanabe Ken) is given command of the Iwo Jima operation; an intense, contemplative but stoic tactician, he soon establishes an impressive network of trenches & tunnels to combat an imminent U.S. onslaught. Kuribayashi and his troops know all too well that they've been abandoned to their fate amidst Iwo Jima's volcanic sands by the powers that be (a thematic echo from 'Flags Of Our Fathers'), scraping by on meagre rations and minimal supplies, an imperial solder wryly remarks: "We'll be dead before the Americans get here". And yet the General retains his dignity in spite of falling morale; inspiring respect through professionalism, his letters home and brief chats with comrade Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara) managing to stave off collective despair. Eastwood ought to be commended for the manner in which he portrays the Japaneese army as brave men putting forth a Spartan effort to make their last stand. Scenes with an American p.o.w. are reminiscent of Erich von Stroheim and Pierre Fresnay's dynamic in Renoir"s 'La Grande Illusion' (1937) whilst performances by Kazunari Ninomiya, Ryo Kase, Nae, Shidou Nakamura & Tsuyoshi Ihara are uniformly excellent. Kazunari Ninomiya's young baker; Saigo, managing to convey an everyman quality which highlights individual character over nationalist ideology. His distraught wife Hanako (Nae) is also good, and their moment of shared concern pays fitting tribute to an idea once voiced by an understandably biter U.S. Vietnam vet: who accurately stated that "...no one ever gives up their life for their country..." but that "...their life is torn from them piece by piece, until there's nothing left". Eastwood's artistic choices reflect this appropriately Nihilistic outlook; for the colour palate in both films is relentlessly bleak. War, that parasitic entity, seems to have sucked the frame dry; leaving only the charred bone whites, morning blues and greys of battle. For in the words of Earnest Hemmingway: "They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason". There are three sides to every war: their side, our side, and the truth, and though neither picture may be the absolute truth, at least they land somewhere close to it. Recommended.
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Two war dramas directed by Clint Eastwood. 'Flags of Our Fathers' (2006) is based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers. In February 1945, even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory. 'Letters from Iwo Jima' (2006) is based on the book 'Picture Letters from Commander in Chief' by Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favour the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff.
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