Description
Clint Eastwood revisits familiar territory with LETTERS FROM IWO
JIMA, a companion piece to his critically-acclaimed World War II
drama FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Where the two films differ is in their
version of events; FLAGS... is told from a predominantly American
point-of-view, whereas LETTERS' offers the Japanese perspective.
With American forces on their way, General Kuribayashi (Ken
Watanabe, THE LAST SAMURAI) arrives on the island to find his
troops woefully under-trained and hopelessly outnumbered. With no
sign of reinforcements, these men have little chance of surviving
the imminent onslaught. At one point, Saigo (Japanese pop and
television star Kazunari Ninomiya), a young soldier shovelling
trenches asks, 'Am I digging my own grave?' Indeed, it is he and
General Kuribayashi who provide the emotional centre of the film,
giving a glimpse into the minds of both drafted novices and
seasoned officers. Eastwood doesn't deal in simple heroes and
villains; these characters are sympathetic and real, whether their
motives are pride, fear, or loyalty to their country. As you'd
expect from Eastwood, the battle scenes are breathtaking and
brutal, but it's the actors who are at the core of the film. Tom
Stern's cinematography is equally impressive; his palette of taupes
and greys create a desolate volcanic landscape that's hell on earth
for the stationed soldiers but starkly beautiful for the audience.
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA has all the standard tropes found in modern
war films-- the abuse of power, gruesome battle scenes, etc.--but
Eastwood goes beyond the war-movie boilerplate, delivering a film
that finds humanity even in the inhumanity of war.
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