Letters from Iwo Jima (2007)

A different point of view

The most striking thing to me about Clint Eastwood's companion piece to Flags of our Fathers is how quiet it is. Despite the fact that this is a war movie with plenty of graphic violence and intense combat sequences, there is nevertheless an erie calm to the proceedings. Maybe the silence is the calm before the storm....the anticipation and dread that envelopes the Japanese soliders as they wait for the inevitable attack by America.

The stillness also adds a meditative quality to the film, which pays homage to the sacrafices made by the Japanese troops. Unlike Flags of our Fathers which tried to do too many things, Iwo Jima focuses entirely on the days leading up to the battle all the way until its conclusion. Eastwood masterfully examines the gambit of emotions experienced by the young soldiers; fear of war, loyalty to their ountry, the desire to die with honor versus the desire to survive and see their families, the pointlessness of battle and their own interpretations of who and what their enemies truly are.

The movie is elegantly filmed and rewards the patience and intelligence of viewers who understand the movie's ultimate theme: that in the grand scheme of things war is more than just a glorifed game of good vs. evil or cowboys and indians. It is a bloody and unforgiving conflict engaged in by participants who are equally human on both sides, regardless of what flag they are fighting under. December 29, 2008

Not Eastwood's master work

The flip side of "Flag of Our Fathers," this Japanese language film is a little too long for its own good. The tale told from Japan's perspective grows a little tedious, but you do see things from an alternate point of view. The praise is somewhat unwarranted, because, ultimately, there is nothing especially revealing or surprising here, just an expected take on what it must have been like to be a Japanese soldier on Iwo Jima. Worth watching in tandem with the other film, at your leisure. December 27, 2008

The Other Side Of The Fence

To most Eastwoods 'Flags of our Fathers' wasn't that great in telling the story of those soldiers who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. I personally loved that film and was delighted to see that Eastwood had done what rarely is, and told the other side to that story from the perspective of the Japanese army. Iwo Jima takes a very similar approach to telling the story of the main soldiers by zooming back and forth from past to present, explaining how the soldiers got to where they where and what they've left at home. I can certainly see the difference between this and 'Flags' and I would certainly rate this as the better, yet would not be willing to shut down 'Flags' in a hurry.

Iwo Jima gives what seems to be an open view on the side of the Japanese and touches upon the Honour principle as to how the soldiers fought without cowardice or retreated with dishonour. This is a strong film when touching upon the Honour principle that the Japanese live by. It even touches upon the fact that some soldiers were actually killed if they displayed any sort of cowardly behaviour and would sooner kill themselves than surrender. It's an emotional experience to watch these Japanese soldiers who don't really want to fight, but are forced into it for fear of being executed as traitors if they refuse.

The island of Iwo Jima is the last part preventing the USA from taking Japanese mainland. Because of this the Japanese are desperate that American soldiers don't take the island, so the Japanese Imperial Army employ General Kuribayashi to develop a strategy that would defeat the American army. However, the general does not approve of the rigid traditional approach by some of his sub-ordinates. He also begins to resent the resistance from the sub-ordinates to follow his new commands and new ideas which he hopes would help defend the Island. In the lower ranks is a young soldier Saigo who, in his home life is a small town baker now forced with the struggle to overcome the inevitability of his death along with his fellow soldiers.

Eastwood has a way of making films that is unmatched by any other film maker today. He's shockingly brilliant and although I'm not crazy over his acting, his directing is truly superb. He manages to blend large scale CGI with blood and guts and the truly emotional story together perfectly to give the viewer one hell of a movie going experience. If you're not a fan of foreign films then this may not be your kind of film due to it being entirely in Japanese. The acting of Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya is just second to none, and will hopefully introduce the greatness that foreign films even if directed by Americans, can be truly superb without the recognition an English speaking film would gain.

I would strongly recommend this film to anyone put off by the fact that it's Japanese speaking. There are subtitles to aid you in following the story, but it's still something to experience even if you have trouble following the subtitles. December 14, 2008

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

AWESOME DVD. GREAT SHAPE FAST DELIVERY AWESOME MOVIE. CLINT EASTWOOD IS JUST A GREAT DIRECTOR AND ACTOR AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANYONE. November 30, 2008

Top of the line entertainment

Letters from Iwo Jima is an exceptional film. It covers a 40 day period prior to the invasion of US troops on Iwa Jima and the events that occur immediately after. Filmed in sepia tones that are highlighted for fiery explosions, the limited color range made the action more terrible and the drama more heightened.

Two officers lead the Japanese men on Iwo Jima, General Kuribayashi and Baron Nishi. The General is played to perfection by Ken Watanabe and the Baron is played with great zeal by Tshuyoshi Ihara. These two men are very worldly and sophisticated, both having lived in the USA. Whereas they are totally loyal to the Emperor and the cult of militarism that dominated Japan during World War II, they also are keenly aware that the Americans are not cowards and fools and that the fight for Iwa Jima will be a living hell. General Kuribayashi takes over command from Admiral Ohsugi, a conservative by-the-book mediocre military man. When General Kuribayashi's assessments are contrary to Admiral Ohsugi's we begin to see professional jealousies arise, ending with the Admiral leaving the island. General Kuribayashi found a situation where he was originally thought he had bombers and ships only to find he really had none. The island had very little fresh water, an insignificant amount in regard to the needs of a military campaign.

The middle ranking officers were certainly interesting in the film. Many of them regarded General Kuribayashi and Baron Nishi as American sympathizers and in some cases disobeyed orders. However these same fellows were also inclined to shot or behead the front line soldiers under their command when they thought that their orders were ignored or undermined or when they suspected retreat. There were repeated examples of how devotion to military authoritarianism combined with draconian rule enforcement is a dangerous combination for small minds.

The front line soldiers were certainly sympathetic and were the heart of the movie. Kazunari Ninomiya played the baker Saigo perfectly. He is the everyman figure, the lone survivor, the common man that survives despite all the odds against him. The film follows his 40 days as he sees a close friend die of bloody dysentery, as he runs from pillar to post avoiding death as the American's gradually overtake the entire island. He is joined by a young man that he first thinks is a spy for the secret police only to find later that this man has been disgraced for failure to follow an idiotic order from a superior officer.

The Japanese faced amazing odds. Over a 40 day period they suffered over 22,000 casualties until only 216 remained. The empire was crumbling and reinforcements and supplies never came. Hiroshi Wantanabe played the loyal Lieutenant Fujita, aide to the General, who had to repeatedly bear bad news to the General who was plotting how to make the best of an impossible situation.

Clint Eastwood produced a highly entertaining film here. The film is thoughtful and intellectual as it opens our eyes to Japanese culture of the time and the influence on the soldiers and officers. The film also explored empathy as we see several scenes where a top officer, Baron Nishi, converse with a wounded American solder. The Japanese were humanized in the film. They were never made to appear innocent of wartime crimes committed in China and elsewhere. Rather, we were given a balanced vision and insight into the Japanese military culture that fanned the war and the broad range of men and ethics and intelligence levels that interacted in this military-social system. We may not understand fully the authoritarian dictatorial leadership social structure that was the Japanese military norm, but we can see its negative effects on common men with common sense who could not question authority due to rigid social norms.

Overall this is a thoughtful and moving and artistic entertainment experience of a high order.
November 14, 2008

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