Letters from Iwo Jima

Letters from Iwo Jima Review
Letters from Iwo Jima recounts the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the tide-turning battles in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. The movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, serves as a contrast to the American film, Flags of Our Fathers by providing the story of Iwo Jima as told from the Japanese perspective. The storyline focuses on a general named Kuribayashi, who is facing rebellion from his own troops, and a soldier named Saigo, who is struggling to cope with the pressures of the Japanese military.

Letters From Iwo Jima is an ambitious effort from an American director; it's a film the likes of which hasn't been attempted yet. The movie is very captivating and heartfelt, and it gives American viewers a chance to see the war in the perspective of the Japanese. Needless to say, both sides of battle in World War II had a fair share of atrocities, but it is uncommon for American films to portray sympathy with the opposing side like Eastwood accomplishes in Letters from Iwo Jima. Also unheard of is Eastwood's underlining of some American faults during World War II, including one heart-wrenching scene where an American soldier shoots a Japanese prisoner of war.

Eastwood humanizes the Japanese people without actually opposing the fact that the Japanese military was viciously evil. The director uses a variety of techniques, cliche to most war movies, including the use of letters (hence, Letters from Iwo Jima) to show that the Japanese were people as well. Flashbacks show the Japanese soldiers' family, ordeals, and previous experiences to allow viewers to see that these people also have emotions and feelings. Overall, the film succeeds at striking an emotional chord for the Japanese, who were previously characterized as vicious, unmerciful killing machines.

However, that doesn't mean the movie just tries to glorify the Japanese. Several scenes in the film also demonstrate the brutal Japanese military, including one heartfelt scene where a Japanese soldier orders a subordinate soldier to kill a family dog simply because the dog was barking at him. The clear message that Eastwood wants to convey is that the war was the fault of the corrupt Japanese military rather than the fault of the Japanese in general.

In contrast with other R-rated war movies, Letters from Iwo Jima only shows some mild war violence. Although there are some horrific, gory scenes, the movie doesn't really show anything too over-the-top. The most extreme scenes were probably the suicides, where soldiers killed themselves by hand grenade, and we get to see their disfigured bodies (although briefly and not in great detail).

For fans of war movies, Letters from Iwo Jima is a must-watch. Easily one of the best World War II movies I have ever seen.

Written by Andrew Kao


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Letters from Iwo Jima Cast
Ken Watanabe as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
Kazunari Ninomiya as
Saigo
Tsuyoshi Ihara as Baron Nishi
Ryo Kase as Shimizu
Shido Nakamura as Lieutenant Ito