Rent Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
3.6 of 5 from 304 ratings
2h 14min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- From Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood comes the untold story of the Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in this taut, gripping film.
- Actors:
- Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryô Kase, Shidô Nakamura, Hiroshi Watanabe, Takumi Bando, Yuki Matsuzaki, Takashi Yamaguchi, Eijiro Ozaki, Nae, Nobumasa Sakagami, Lucas Elliot Eberl, Sonny Saito, Steve Santa Sekiyoshi, Hiro Abe, Toshiya Agata, Yoshi Ishii, Toshi Toda, Ken Kensei
- Directors:
- Clint Eastwood
- Producers:
- Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Steven Spielberg
- Writers:
- Iris Yamashita, Paul Haggis, Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Tsuyoko Yoshido
- Others:
- Paul Haggis, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Drama
- Collections:
- Award Winners, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Clint Eastwood, History of US Presidents in Cinema: Part 2, Oscar Nominations Competition 2023, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Spike Lee, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top Films
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 09/07/2007
- Run Time:
- 134 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English, French, Spanish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.40:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of Letters From Iwo Jima
- The Faces of Combat: The Cast of Letters From Iwo Jima
- Images from the Frontlines: The Photography of Letters From Iwo Jima
- November 2006 World Premiere Coverage at Budo-kan in Tokyo
- November 2006 Press Conference
- Theatrical Trailer
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Reviews (5) of Letters from Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood is the god of Film Making - Letters from Iwo Jima review by CP Customer
Anyone who loves Clint Eastwood will love this. Try and watch both his movies in the same day to feel for the films. One dispointment of the film is being in Japanese but it is a great film.
0 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Good but boring - Letters from Iwo Jima review by JD
The other reviewers currently have all scored 4 stars and pointed out the good acting. I agree about the acting. Moreover the conflict between honour and reason is well portrayed. It is however very dull. Surprising for a war action film. The Japanese dialogue with subtitles doesn't bother me. It is more subtle a problem. I think that the act of defending a small island against overwhelming odds would be more dramatic if played by hysterical Americans than by stoic Japanese. I know this sounds corny but it is difficult to keep track of which character is which when they have oriental faces and unfamiliar names.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A Great War film - Letters from Iwo Jima review by GI
Clint Eastwood's companion film to Flags of Our Fathers (2006) both of which tell the story of the bloody battle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Whilst Flags... is a bloodier war film and tells the story from the American perspective Letters... is the arguably superior film and takes it's stance from the Japanese side. This is a tender, moving war film which focuses on General Kuribayashi played with great sensitivity by Ken Watanabe who arrives to take command of the defence of the island. The lack of resources forces him to make difficult and controversial decisions essentially forbidding his men to indulge in suicidal attacks and digging in to force the enemy to root them out bunker by bunker. The narrative also follows a young conscript, Saigo, a reluctant soldier who wants to survive and has to face as much danger from fanatical officers as he does from enemy fire. These stories are told via a narrated series of letters home giving the film a warmth and humanising the Japanese soldier as just young men thrust into the maelstrom of war. This is one of Eastwood's finest directorial efforts. A war film that will sit in the mind for sometime after watching it. It's at its heart a study of cultural difference that forces young men to war where ideology, patriotism, even fanaticism count for little. Presented in a watered down sepia colour this is actually one of the best films about the Second World War for sometime. Highly recommended viewing.
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