Genres

Visitors Review

theslickmover 2012-05-25 01:06:20

Censored

Clint made a big deal in both films about Ralph Ignatowskis story, butwhen it came to giving any insight as to what happened has seeminglydecided it was best not to create any bad feeling. According to thismovie he was simply bayoneted. I don't know what I expected Clint toshow but I was left totally ignorant of what actually happened by thismovie-I had to Google it. Was the other US soldier who was treated forhis wounds when captured by the Japanese but died of them anyway just afictional character to "balance the books" for Ralphs inhuman treatment? This kind of doctoring of true stories to fit the historical picturethe director wants to paint is VERY annoying. For myself it ruins thefilm for watching again as although I know it's not a blow by blowaccount of what actually took place I know the director isn'tinterested in portraying events accurately. This also results inignorance amongst anyone who doesn't look up actual events. Other thanthis doctoring this film would be a 7 or an 8 but as I don't want towatch it again as it winds me up it gets a 5. Stop censoring/modifyinghistorical dramas Hollywood !!!! Clint stick to Dirty Harry orUnforgiven, you can make up what you like then ! Poor Iggy went througha nightmare that can't be imagined but Clint didn't think it was worthrocking the boat or upsetting anyone with it.

Glenn Whipp 2012-05-24 21:00:11

A deeply humane look at the men asked to do something most of us couldn't even begin to understand -- basically, as mentioned at the outset, dig their own graves.

yjv348 2012-05-17 15:35:36

Best War Film of All Time

Yes, I said it.. this is by far the best war film of all time (for me).I never really enjoyed "Saving Private Ryan" or anything else alongthat line, but "Letters From Iwo Jima" is just too marvelous. I have toadmit that I might be a little biased because I have always beeninterested in Japanese history, but a lot of people seem to be enjoyingit and have enjoyed it (and I'm glad). I hope this movie does well atthe Oscars because I'd love to see this movie appreciated like it trulyshould be (although it seems like "Letters From Iwo Jima" is theunderdog). I highly recommend this film to all "history-buffs" andanyone who's just interested in wars and Japanese history. Thank YouClint Eastwood for creating his magnificent film and opening people'seyes to the truth.

altafayejones2 2012-05-17 03:53:34

Not What I Would Call A "Great" Movie

Really wanted to rate this one higher out of respect for the material,but just couldn't. No story. No real "hook" that puts the viewer insidethe minds of the characters. Too many clichés. When the historicalfacts are so vivid there needs to be less predictability in the story.The film is also too long, for no real reason. Nothing was gained bythe additional footage (as far as story is concerned).Top notch technical work and acting all around. I give greatest marksto sound design, but the use of coloring in the battle scenes isextraordinary as well.Watanabe is a treasure, but he is woefully underused in the second halfof the film and again, the underlying charm of the man is lost in thecontext, so why bother? I just didn't feel it, though the script wassure trying to make me. I blame the Haggis factor. He's just too damnedPC for my taste.I'm not ignoring the underlying theme of sacrifice that Eastwood isworking here. The film does resonate when looked at in light of ourcurrent troubles. Ultimately, I just wasn't moved by the plight of theJapanese soldiers (and that may well have been the intention)and foundmyself wondering why the US and the Japanese allowed their governmentsto slaughter so many hundreds of thousands of young men over a fewislands when the Japanese were already defeated. Perhaps the film'sfleeting insight into the indoctrination of the Japanese by theiroverlords will be valuable to some. It is hardly prominent, however. Areal disappointment.

2012-05-12 20:40:02

Do not expect to return home alive.

General Kuribayashi is sent to Iwo Jima to lead Japanese troops against an American invasion. The General soon realizes that this is a futile task, but he wants to ensure that his men do their utmost to defend the island without a needless waste of life.Recently, I experience a certain amount of trepidation when watching a Clint Eastwood film. I admit that Eastwood has made some great movies; however, I get really annoyed when movies like his Million Dollar Baby are mistaken for great cinema. Movies whose sole purpose is to show how cruel life can be and that let their characters wallow in self- pity from one devastating event to the next are depressing, mediocre cinema... and, I might add, blatant Oscar hunting! But now I will get down off my soap box and consider his latest effort, Letters from Iwo Jima, without prejudice.Letters from Iwo Jima is great cinema: it provides an unflinching depiction of war, does not glorify one side or the other, and implies there are no heroes, just soldiers. In fact, at times it portrays the Americans as cruel invaders with no regard for the rules of war. This movie also hammers home what an unnecessary waste of life war actually is, and how absurd it seems that, after thousands of years of human evolution, governments are still settling their differences with violence.Apart from its moral message, there is much more to be admired in this film. The images of Iwo Jima are stark and colourless, which helps depict the bleak atmosphere that surrounds the soldiers. The use of colour does not stop there: when the soldiers are remembering happier times in their lives, the colours are vibrant and enriching. This technique has been used many times before, but not always with such great affect. The performances are also tremendous. Ken Watanabe is outstanding as the tormented and forward-thinking General, and Kazunari Ninomiya is sublime as the baker whom fate and circumstance made a soldier.Letters from Iwo Jima will no doubt come to be considered a classic war film, and deservedly so.

2012-05-12 03:36:03

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 envelops 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.

andres 2012-05-12 05:46:15

Entertaining but, portrail of Japanese too soft.

Anyone who faced the Japanese either as combatants or as civilian during WWII will tell you that Japanese were very brutal. War crimes committed by Nazi Geramany is often talked about; but, Japanese war crimes are often glanced over. In German schools, WWII crime perpetuated by their Grandparents are taught and discussed. In Japan, however, WWII is often omitted in their history books and sometime it is even discusse as great time of suffering for the Japanese people while ignoring the fact that they caused great amout of suffering to other people they tried to conquer during the war. The movie was very entertaining; but, the to the Japanese audience it may perpetuate the myth that they were the victims during WWII not the aggressors.

elcopy 2012-05-11 20:23:41

Enemy Mine

Make no mistake: This movie stars Japanese actors and it's spoken inJapanese, but it's still an American movie. A Clint Eastwood movie. Youcan see that in the pace, the way the characters are laid out and thestory itself. Unlike war movies made by Americans, with American'spoint of view, there's an emotional detachment palpable in this movie.It's hard to understand, and I know soldier's both sides have similarvalues. It's just the values of the soldiers on this movie seemed tome... American. The straightforward thinking, the subtle cockiness, thelack of comfort with silence of these soldiers is something I've neverseen in any Japanese film. Again, the pace it's pure Eastwood. Thebrutality we're used to see in war films since -this film's producer-Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" is absent. It's less action, morecharacter. Very Eastwood. But in the end, this is how I imagine a warmovie, where the Americans are directed by a foreigner.

fertilecelluloid 2012-05-11 18:06:12

Emotionally and physically graphic war pic

Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" is an emotionally andphysically graphic war pic. It is "Flags Of Our Fathers" from theNippon point of view. Based on the found writings of the General whopresided over Japan's defense of the strategically important island, itfocuses on both the heroism of the soldiers and the in-fighting amongstthem. The decision to concentrate much screen time on the miraculousjourney of a reluctant soldier is a good one for it allows us to seethe folly of so-called "heroic" combat. The battle scenes are bloodyand straightforward. A sequence in which several soldiers commitsuicide with grenades is the visceral stand-out and is deeplydisturbing. Women only appear in a handful of flashbacks and theAmerican forces are kept at an emotional distance (with one exception).A sweeping shot of the sea suddenly filled with American warships ishaunting and powerful. All performances are exceptional and Eastwood'sdirection is, as usual, uncluttered and spare.

Christy Lemire 2012-05-11 02:03:02

This second picture is so different from the first, and such a rare, remarkable achievement in itself, it could have stood squarely on its own.

secondtake 2012-05-02 13:13:31

Terrifyingly Beautiful

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)Terrifyingly BeautifulA war film straight and narrow, laced with the irony of fighting a lostcause, and facing death a hundred different ways, but filmed with suchdevastating beauty it rises to some other kind of aesthetic. This is aspecial film, a daring American attempt to see the Japanese side of alegendary and horrible battle. Clint Eastwood is certainly a directorwith grand ideas and completely solid abilities. Shot with Japaneseactors and with subtitles throughout, there is an uneasy believabilityto all the pain and angst.There are times, now and then, more than once, where we feel that maybeEastwood's ideas are a little sentimentalized. He zeroes in onparallels and sympathies between the two sides, and this makes fornatural entry points for the viewer, or at least for the Americanviewer. But this seems to simplify and even water down the actualsentiments of the Japanese fighters. War can be filmed in a beautifulway, but in the end it is still really really awful. I don't mean justsad--this movie makes the sadness so palpable it's draining--but I meanawful, with hatred and filth and irrational violence. All of that ishere, but in a way that doesn't always puncture the moody, dramaticaura of the filming.It sounds like I want it both ways, gorgeous and ugly at the same time.But no, I like this movie as it is. But I think in watching it we haveto remind ourselves that it's a pageantry, a artistic rendering of war.To make it so layered with real emotional conflicts, from devotion toself-preservation, and still keep the overall trajectory on target, isadmirable. The weakest points might be the way the flashbacks areworked in, as smooth as the attempt to be, they appear here and therelike patches. The other conspicuous aspect to question is the length ofthe movie, well over two hours, and here I have to say, if the feelingof the movie works for you, you won't notice its length, and you mighteven be sad to see it end.Oddly, maybe as an act of pure nepotism, the soundtrack sounds likesimplistic Hollywood film music. The good thing is that means it fillsin and isn't conspicuous. But why not use music that a Japanese filmmight use, or actual music from the period, or just anything with aJapanese aspect. It reminds us that the film is made by a Californian,and I guess that's okay, since it's true, but once you notice it you'llkeep noticing it. Like Gran Torino, this movie reveals a little bit ofEastwood's social views and the movies as a result suffer, this oneless than the more recent one set in Michigan, from stereotypes andover simplification. Easy to overlook, but it shouldn't be overlooked,especially when its crucial to understanding the meat of the themes.Surely, one of the remarkable things about the movie, beyond theastonishing visuals (photography, editing, overall staging andlighting, on and on) is the acting. There are great performances by awhole range of characters, including the main two, the general and theyoung soldier. In fact, when the American soldiers appear and speaknear the end, they seem far less intense and realistic.I don't know if it helps to link this movie to Flags of Our Fathersbecause it operates rather differently, and without any realinterweaving of significance. The mere notion that the two films weremade simultaneously (almost) is great stuff, but Flags takes the ideaback to the States and we see suffering of a different sort. Letters isa movie about war, straight, no chaser. And as such, leaving out themore peripheral masterpieces like Deer Hunter, it's one of the best warmovies ever made.

Christopher Smith 2012-05-02 02:44:09

Some will make compelling arguments that Eastwood doesn't give us a complete picture of the Japanese or their atrocities, but the director still is betting that right now, perhaps the world could benefit from another perspective.

2012-04-30 15:59:13

Insightful view through the other side's eyes

This review is from: Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD) This is clearyly Clint Eastwood's greatest work. We all get to see Iwo Jima. We all know the image of the guys hoistng old Glory atop the Japanese Hill. We Americans have seen it in many films like the one with John Wayne but this time we get to see it through eyes of the other side that of the Japanese. From the ordinary grunt to the Japanese Navy officer who goes so gung ho that he tries to find himself an american tank to throw himself under but ultimately gets captured (This is based on a real person who was there in the battle and captured, read about him once in The Rising Sun by John Toland, wish they had shown more with him). To the General in charge. From the first arrival to the final charge, it shows the Japanese soldiers well. And Clint Eastwood serves us well telling us about them through their eyes with this film of his. Just as I respect him for showing what American soldiers were like as well. Since Japanese troops did not take prisoners and mistreatedt hose they took many American units did not take prisoners either. Admittedly, the battle was well fought and due to lack of opprtunity, no major crimes typical of Japanese soldiers such as the rape of Nanking or the butchery of Manilla or the Bataan Death March or the murder and eating of captured American Airmen at near by Chichi Jima, so it is very easy to admire the Japenese here. Certainly I would have liked to know more and see more of Korean Labour units but apparently none were employed on the island. Great film.

Alireza Asary 2012-04-30 05:55:37

It needs to be in a war to understand

Have you ever been experiencing a war before to see what these scenesreally mean?The window through which one looks at events is so important that youfind some comments criticizing the characters, plots, crafts and so onwhile some appreciate the brilliant aspects. As someone who hasexperienced a war, I should say the way they have created thecharacters, with all their loyalty, stupidity, genius, emotion, fear,courage, faithfulness and bravery feels so genuine to me that remindsme of the war I had partially experienced in my childhood. The sequenceof events are so impressing that regardless of goofs, it is capable ofinfluencing the audience with its very intention that HOW UNIMAGINABLYDESTRUCTIVE A WAR COULD BE. Those who have been fortunate enough not having been touched by any warmay not benefit from the real emotional situations like "when Saigo issummoned for war," and how miserable and fearful his wife feelsafterward, and how bravery and patriotism is ended to death under thename of valorous suicide.The people are dying and so is along with them all the supreme humanevalues. Children are born without their father parenting them. The mostvaluable resources of a country, the human resources, are being lostunworthily. Highly educated genii (in this film military genii) arebeing lost for nothing and all the potential brutality that human kindbears -without manifesting it in its regular daily life- is emerged,and they are all happening under the name of WAR. I believe, through "my window" that this film has been created with themere intention to touch the emotions so that it show "WHY A WAR ISBAD." It has tried its best to depict the brutality and homicide a warcould create. No matter what a war is lit for, it inevitably killspeople through the most unimaginable violence.Although those who have died in this film are actors, they representthe real individuals at the time of war. It means there have certainlybeen soldiers, in fact human beings, being killed the way shown. Besure, wherever there is a war, the incidents are not much differentfrom what you were shown to here. The scenes of this film are currentlyhappening in the wars throughout the world, and would happen in futurewars also. By watching this film, through the splendid talent they spend to renderthe scenes genuine, you had the chance to perceive what a real warwould taste. What you can do now is just preventing any war. Try yourbest for peace and prevent any war with whatever means available toyou, for THE WAR KILLS THROUGH THE MOST UNIMAGINABLE VIOLENCE AVAILABLETO MAN.

James Christopher 2012-04-24 22:26:39

The moral is hardly original. The scale certainly is. Only a director of Eastwood's standing could possibly terrify enough producers into financing this decidedly foreign, but impressively chunky, white elephant.

Philip French 2012-04-24 13:15:30

The battle scenes are brilliantly handled, and what we best remember are moments of horror.

James Berardinelli 2012-04-18 03:26:21

Although Eastwood does an adequate job of developing the characters into more than paper-thin soldiers, this isn't a character-based piece, and that limits its effectiveness.

2012-04-17 12:28:03

wow

wow.. it's such a good movie. it really has got to win some oscars.The storyline is good but the portrayal of the characters really sets it off. It makes you have a lot of sympathy for the main characters. This movie does make you care who dies or not. This will grab your haert and not let go.

Phil Villarreal 2012-04-08 01:57:06

"Letters From Iwo Jima" is just like every other war film and nothing like any other war film.

Howaaard 2012-04-07 13:52:24

Eastwood's best work to date.

This is not a war film that will be accessible to every viewer,especially those who are only used to soaking up the typical Americanpropaganda war films of the past half century. Of course there aregoing to be those right winged/ 'wannabe pushovers' who willautomatically be persuaded to call out this film as: "rewritinghistory," when, in reality, they have NO clue/ concept of what actuallyoccurred during this part of history from the POV of the Japanesesoldiers, (and still consider any "enemy" to the US as nothing morethan "savages.") The fact of the matter is, the film is a truemasterpiece of artistic cinema. Many people seem to forget the notionthat film = art. "Letters" is NOT a documentary film; it is a filmicportrait of a generally unknown/misunderstood piece of modern history.I would say this subtle masterpiece is Eastwood's best work to date.