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- Letters from Iwo Jima review by CP Customer
watched the 'flags of our fathers' last yr and new about this 'companion' film,made at the same time telling the japaneese side of the
Iwo jima battle,was very reluctant to bother,specialy as the first 'clint eastwood' directed us version was not too good,but this was a great supprise, excellent film, people you can understand and real people, very well acted,and filmed,far better than the usa slant on the battle as that was more about the guys who hoisted the flag in the famous picture!
even with subtitles( that I dont like) this was a sleeper of a film, get it out and watch,wont be dissapointed, cgi also good in the action/battle scenes,best clint eastwood film for yrs,without clint too!!
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
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.
Surprisingly sympathetic
- Letters from Iwo Jima review by Pete W
A good quality film which seeks to get beneath the skin of the Japanese defenders of Iwo Jima, from the perspective of officers and soldiers. The portrayal of the Japanese is sympathetic, showing them as brave soldiers, even if some of them feel that the sacrifice they are being asked to make is pointless. A good cast deliver solid performances. Be prepared however as practically the whole film is in Japanese.
0 out of 1 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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