Letters from Iwo Jima

Letters from Iwo Jima is a nice film. The Japanese view of the incident is darker, more accomplished and more meditative than the American view depicted in Flags of Our Fathers. And, mainly, it works internally. The spectacular action scenes are all the more impressive due to the fact that there is a minimum of them and we see them only from a distance, thanks to which the film maintains a powerfully intimate nature. The sentiment and simplicity are tastefully balanced with a beautiful visual aspect and the minimalism of Clint Eastwood’s music, whose dominant feature is a fragile piano motif. Another pleasing aspect is the filmmakers’ affection for the Japanese and, in contrast to that, their contempt for the American soldiers in some scenes. It’s a shame that Flags is such an unworthy sibling to Letters and drags this ambitious diptych of films down to the level of a quickly thrown-together Oscar frontrunner. If more work had been put into Flags, these two films could have gone down in history together. (13/03/2007)

I've read the book that Clint and the writers were inspired by, and I have to say that I imagined everything the way it was eventually presented to me in the film. Letters from Iwo Jima is undoubtedly one of the best "modern" war films I have seen.__P.S. Be sure to get the soundtrack - but be warned, it's terribly addictive and you won't be able to get it out of your head! (20/09/2007)

A much more sincere and stronger war film than the tearful and extremely pathetic Flags of Our Fathers. Clint Eastwood really stepped up his game in the second film, which, in contrast, shows the conflict from the other side and tells an excellent story full of Japanese traditions, customs, and tactics. How accurately it reflects reality can only be judged by eyewitnesses and war experts, but I dare say that the film was presented to the audience in a very bearable way. Thank God it doesn't just show the Japanese as suicidal lunatics and heartless killing machines, but also portrays them nicely from the other side right from the beginning. From young boys separated from their families to high-ranking officers with connections to the West, who are willing to proudly sacrifice their lives for their country. Watanabe is excellent, the action is decent and the non-combat scenes are very impressive. This solid film is worth watching if inly for the fact that we may have the opportunity to see a comprehensive view of an event in the war from this different and culturally distinct perspective, despite some minor flaws and a slightly excessive runtime (or rather, some unnecessary scenes). (17/01/2008)

My next encounter with war Eastwood, where the director once again shows that he is much closer to a human story than capturing war. He is not trying to make a great war film, but a great drama. I simply cannot forget some scenes from the movie. The scene with the dog, touching and harsh at the same time, Japanese fanaticism, which ends in mass suicide with a lot of grenades, a bucket of excrement, which means the difference between life and death. Even in war, there is room for happiness. An excellent film that surpassed its doppelgänger "Flags of Our Fathers". I admire Eastwood for not shooting in English, but in the right language, just like Mel Gibson did in "Apocalypto" or "The Passion of the Christ". That's how it should be. And not like the case of the film "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", which is great in the American version, but why the hell is it set in Sweden when the characters speak English anyway? More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/diar-milovnika-filmu-c-0003-eastwood.html (14/02/2013)

Clint Eastwood is an experienced and highly professional craftsman of American film studios and I don't think he has ever disappointed me with any film, but none of his movies have really made me excited, either. He usually represents a safe bet, as he is disciplined but mostly predictable. I'm not saying that Letters from Iwo Jima is a bad war film, I just feel like more could have been extracted from the given material. The most intense battles on the Pacific front took place on this island, where strength crushed strength and determination clashed with determination, and considering how intense that battle was, I didn't really see much of that excitement in the film. The execution scene of two Japanese prisoners was perhaps the only surprising and cinematically enjoyable moment; otherwise, Eastwood's journey into World War II history left me rather indifferent emotionally. Overall impression: 60%. (26/10/2008)