Review of Flags of Our Fathers (2006) by Harry G — 01 Dec 2013

It is an excellent film, which probably suffered unfairly at the hands of the critics and cinema-goers because it turned out not to be 'Saving Private Ryan in the Pacific'. Instead it is an honest personal attempt to understand the motivations and actions behind not only 'that' photograph, but war as a whole.

It also underlines the darker side of not only the war in the Pacific, but the manufacture of 'heroes', the treatment of veterans, and cynical exploitation of fame and horrific circumstances. Production-wise Phillipe and Beach both deliver incredibly strong performances, equalled by the superb cinematography which gives one an easy understanding of the scale and geography of the combat without breaking jarringly from the story.

Indeed the smoothness of the narrative, even as it jumps in time and space over decades and thousands of miles, is testament to how good this film and Eastwood's direction are. It would be the best film made about the Pacific War in at least the last decade if it weren't for its even better companion piece, Letters from Iwo Jima.