
Stars:
Ken Watanabe
Director:
Clint Eastwood
Summary:
Clint Eastwood revisits familiar territory with LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, a companion piece to his critically-acclaimed World War II drama FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Where the two films differ is in their version of events; FLAGS... is told from a predominantly American point-of-view, whereas LETTERS� offers the Japanese perspective. With American forces on their way, General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, THE LAST SAMURAI) arrives on the island to find his troops woefully under-trained and hopelessly outnumbered. With no sign of reinforcements, these men have little chance of surviving the imminent onslaught. At one point, Saigo (Japanese pop and television star Kazunari Ninomiya), a young soldier shovelling trenches asks, �Am I digging my own grave?� Indeed, it is he and General Kuribayashi who provide the emotional centre of the film, giving a glimpse into the minds of both drafted novices and seasoned officers. Eastwood doesn�t deal in simple heroes and villains; these characters are sympathetic and real, whether their motives are pride, fear, or loyalty to their country. As you�d expect from Eastwood, the battle scenes are breathtaking and brutal, but it�s the actors who are at the core of the film. Tom Stern�s cinematography is equally impressive; his palette of taupes and greys create a desolate volcanic landscape that�s hell on earth for the stationed soldiers but starkly beautiful for the audience. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA has all the standard tropes found in modern war films-- the abuse of power, gruesome battle scenes, etc.--but Eastwood goes beyond the war-movie boilerplate, delivering a film that finds humanity even in the inhumanity of war.