Review of Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) by Compi24 — 28 Nov 2012

Clint Eastwood's 2006 film "Letter From Iwo Jima" is a companion piece to his earlier film "Flags Of Our Fathers". It centers around the exact same events in "Flags", but the perspective is switched towards the Japanese army this time.

One of the questions I had going into "Letters" was - is it better than "Flags". In short, yes. I found "Letters From Iwo Jima" to be an unbelievable piece of film that, I feel, every American should get a chance to watch.

One of the greatest aspects of the film itself is the film's screenplay, which is written almost entirely in Japanese. When I initially found this movie to be almost entirely in a different language, I worried that this quality would impair my ability to sympathize with its characters.

I was wrong. I found this film's characters perfectly written and easy to sympathize and care for. The acting also helps with character development in this film. Ken Watanabe plays General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, probably the greatest character in the film.

Watanabe's portrayal of the General is so well-crafted that you just can't help but have an immense amount of compassion for him. In a visual sense, "Letters" utilizes the same sort of bleak and grainy style that was present in "Flags", and this (once again) really helps add to the underlying realistic and grim tone.

Eastwood's expert directorial work also shines throughout this film. Overall, I found "Letters From Iwo Jima" to be an incredibly well-made and poignant war drama.