Review of Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) by Daniel P — 23 Sep 2012
Poetic, pretty and powerful. Classic Eastwood. It was strange to see some of the footage (not a ton, just some) from Flags of Our Fathers recycled in this one, but to see the same invasion from the other side was fabuolous. Two quotes this movie made me think of:
"I miss new wave, and movies about losing." --Matthew Good.
"In the Soviet army it takes more courage to retreat than advance."--Joseph Stalin.
A great film about losing that tells the story of what it's like to be expected - not just asked, like Americans, but EXPECTED - to die for your country, and how it feels to see yourself losing. Eastwood does a wonderful job of humanizing the "enemy", and delivers a film that despite being slow-moving, is one in which every shot, every line, every scene counts. Not ground-breaking, but definitely another capable film from a more than capable director. Best of all, it leaves me with a feeling of hope. Films of the 2000s will forever be associated with the Iraq (and Afghanistan) war(s). Will American cinema be humanizing those victims on celluloid in 50 years? Less? If future directors do it as well as Eastwood, all I can say is "I hope so!".
This review of Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) was written by Daniel P on 23 Sep 2012.
Letters from Iwo Jima has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
