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Letters from Iwo Jima review

Posted : 2 years ago on 6 March 2022 01:59

The unsung hero, Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), was a baker until the Japanese took all of his baking pots and pans and other cookware; then he gets drafted and sent with little training to a place no one had ever heard of before: Iwo Jima.

There, a hardline Japanese "sergeant' almost kills him for complaining about the heat and such; Intervening, General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) suggests to the sergeant that Saigo go without the (little) rations for the meals rather than kill him. the first day there.

When the battle begins with the Americans, him and his unit on the flank are successful holding the Americans at bay, until their meager ammo and supplies run out. General Kuribayashi orders them to return through enemy fire to the main Japanese defensive area, but the NCO in charge convinces many to kill themselves on the spot.

After only a few of those attempting to return make it through enemy fire, another hardline NCO again tries to kill Saigo and the few men remaining with him.

Enter General Kuribayashi, not believing in the "old-school" discipline, again saves Saigo's life a second time; he reminded the sergeant that he himself had ordered the surviving men to retreat back to the rear lines. General Kuribayashi has planned a final, suicide bayonet attack on the American Marines front line; covered well with heavy machine guns and superior manpower in waiting.

In the end, since vital papers had to be destroyed before the Americans killed the remaining Japanese forces, General Kuribayashi asked Saigo to destroy the vital papers and anything else before being captured, which General Kuribayashi did not plan on doing himself. He commented {paraphrased), "This is the third time I have saved your life recently."

I thought this was the first time that I have seen the brilliant actor Ken Watanabe, but he also played a role in "Tampopo (1987). I loved the style of leadership his character played; he knew Iwo JIma was a suicide mission but went anyway.

A special mention of actor Takumi Bando, who played the Japanese Olympic equestrian and Captain Tanda, who also knew that Iwo JIma was his final military assignment, but also willing obeyed orders from the Japanese military heads. The men admired him and it seemed his presence gave the Japanese troops more hope...

I especially enjoyed Captain Tanda and General Kuribayash's "Last Supper" together, both well-educated and refined gentlemen (characters) serving their country by going on a kamikaze mission and both doing the best they can under the circumstances!

I also saw much info on Clint Eastwood's directing the movie when this first came out, and I was glad that he put humanity into this film.

As I type this, Russia and Ukraine are fighting each other: the soldiers on both sides are not fighting for political gain, but to keep themselves and their fellow soldiers alive.

War is Hell, especially for conscripted soldiers like Saigo, who simply wants to live long enough to return home and hold his wife in his arms again...and possible eek out a living as a baker again as well!!


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Letters from Iwo Jima review

Posted : 10 years, 11 months ago on 22 April 2013 03:18

Letters From Iwo Jima is the companion film to Flags Of Our Fathers: while the latter showed the American side of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the former shows the Japanese side of the same war. Seeing the type of films he's been making for almost a decade tells me he might very well become the Stephen E. Ambrose of Hollywood. I saw Flags a long time ago, and have forgotten much about it, so I won't be doing any comparing between the two. Letters is an impressive film, beautifully executed, has emotional depth, and a different perspective on the battle. The Japanese are portrayed as honest, respectful, sensitive and overall tough, or at least some of them. Their sense of honor and loyalty is impressively detailed here. Unlike most others, who put the war in front and the soldiers in the back, Letters does the opposite. Instead of playing on the theme on how soldiers affect the war, it plays on how the war affects the soldiers. The film gets increasingly violent, with blood and gore you normally wouldn't expect to show up, despite the fact it's a war film. By the time the film ends, you will have new found respect for all the brave soldiers portrayed in the film who stood and fought till their last breath, and (probably) sympathize with those who couldn't.

In the performances, Ken Watanabe was absolutely fearless in his role as General Kuribayashi. A dedicative, almost flawless performance. He was indeed the heart and soul of the movie, provided strong shoulders and bought deep characterization to his role. Simply put, he was perfect. All the rest of the cast were equally superior, had their moments, and bought appropriate understanding and connection to the viewer.

In conclusion, Letters From Iwo Jima is an authentic, superb war film that touches on many topics. It can be said as a modern war masterpiece, and one of the damn greatest war films of all time!

8.5/10


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A very good movie

Posted : 12 years, 7 months ago on 23 August 2011 11:02

Actually, I still have to see 'Flags of our fathers', but I was quite lucky to catch this one already. First of all, it was quite interesting that this movie was Clint Eastwood's actual first 'attempt' to make a war drama but, eventually, you could say that he was quite successful, once again. Indeed, the movie looked great, the story was completely spellbinding and I loved the fact that it was focusing on the 'bad guys' for once, and, in the process, they gave the enemy a human face, a voice and some emotions. I really wonder what the Japanese audience made of this movie, maybe I should check it out some day. Eventually, this flick was praised while 'Flags of our fathers' was deemed rather disappointing. Indeed, this movie was eventually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and this time, Eastwood lost against Scorsese when 3 years before, it was actually the over way around, when Eastwood won with 'Million Dollar Baby' and Scorsese lost with 'The Aviator'. Anyway, I think it is absolutely a great achievement, a very good war flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Clint Eastwood's work.


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Another Eastwood classic!

Posted : 14 years, 2 months ago on 2 January 2010 01:45

Letters From Iwo Jima an absolutely fantastic war film that is a fantastic example of epic filmmaking. The cinematography of the film is absolutely incredible! It is mostly green but the costumes and visual moments of the film are really dark all the way through. It was absolutely brilliantly filmed! This film is better than Flags Of Our Fathers in every single way. Flags Of Our Fathers was like a piss-take of Saving Private Ryan whereas Letters From Iwo Jima is a new standard of filmmaking in war films. It also brings back the old war films again and how they were filmed and the characters within them.


Clint Eastwood has for the past four films that he has done have had two films in the same year. In 2006: Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima and in 2008: Changeling and Gran Torino. I could see this was great producing from Spielberg. I would have thought this would have a good Spielberg film but I'm still glad that it was Eastwood though. Letters From Iwo Jima is a fantastic film but I don't think it quite deserved a Best Picture nomination. Should have gone to Notes On A Scandal or Blood Diamond instead.


Letters From Iwo Jima is Clint Eastwood's fourth best film after masterpieces Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Changeling. Letters From Iwo Jima is definitely the best action war film of the decade thus far.


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For our homeland.

Posted : 15 years, 1 month ago on 18 February 2009 11:56

''For our homeland. Until the very last man. Our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Do not expect to return home alive.''

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

Ken Watanabe: General Kuribayashi

A film with powerful, historical significance. Told from the side of the Japanese as they prepare to protect Iwo Jima from American invasion.
Some scenes especially the suicide deaths are quite graphic, and the action in it has a gritty, tense, war-drenched realism to it.
Fantastic diverse range of Japanese actors; Ken Watanabe always impresses. Watched this numerous times and always find something new; very powerful, very emotional, very relevant and historical. Lets all take note of our past for the future.



In the second half of Letters from Iwo Jima a group of Japanese soldiers find an American who has been badly wounded and take him into their cave. Their general speaks English, so he begins talking to this soldier, whose name we later find out is Sam. Although the two men should be sworn to kill each other, they are able to have a connection in the one conversation they have. A while later, the general comes back into the room only to discover that Sam's wounds have killed him. He searches him for a while and discovers a letter written by his mother. The letter is full of words that truly come from the heart of this kid's mother, and by the time the general finishes reading the letter, every soldier in that cave has realized that Americans aren't these savages; these hate-driven murderers. No, they all realize that Americans are exactly like they are, and that they don't want to be there and want to return home safely just like their enemies. I believe the point that Clint Eastwood is making with his Iwo Jima saga is just this: these two enemies were far more alike than they had imagined and they were both fighting only in hopes of returning home safely to their family.

''I don't know anything about the enemy. I thought all Americans were cowards. I was taught they were savages.''

As for the specific film itself. In just about every way imaginable, this absolutely masterwork is a step up from Flags of our Fathers (which is not something I say easily, as Flags is a good film). From the acting of the incredible ensemble cast, to the film's delicate but powerful script, to the beautiful imagery of the film (the colour distortion could not be any more brilliant), to Clint Eastwood's absolutely perfect knowledge of film and what works in a film like this.
The score written by Kyle Eastwood Clint's son(Original Music by Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens)captures the feel of the movie better than any score written for this year. It is very quiet, poignant music, but listening to it makes you think about all the people that die as a result of war.
The acting is truly phenomenal. All of the actors do incredible, extraordinary work; although I must single out two actors in particular who really blew me away. The first is Ken Watanabe. I haven't seen any of his native work, but I can safely say based upon his American studio work (The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha. and of course this film)that the man is a force to be reckoned with. I simply hope that he is not reduced to roles in vain of Chow Yun-Fat or Jet Li in their Western cinema roles.
He adds such an atmosphere of wisdom, intelligence and determination โ€“ quite the opposite of how the Japanese enemy is usually portrayed in WWII films. His character is entirely human and not reduced to a suicidal, angry General type, which is probably what many people would expect. The second is Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays Saigo. What a heartbreaking performance this actor provides. He is small, scrawny, not built for war. He has trouble fitting in. His expression is that of constant exhaustion. But his determination to live and to honour his general over himself is touching and fascinating to watch. His delivery and performance in general is absolutely stunning.

''We can die here, or we can continue fighting. Which would better serve the emperor?''

In terms of themes, the most intricate and important aspect of the film is its examination of the psyche of the warfare itself. In Flags of our Fathers; like in his earlier films such as Unforgiven, Eastwood portrays an examination and dissection of heroism and what it meant both for those who are labeled heroes and those who did the labeling.
With Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood studies the exact opposite of the spectrum; Glory. It's almost as if Eastwood is more fascinated with the Japanese comprehension of heroism than the American one. The Japanese soldiers in the film don't have such a thing as heroism to begin with. What they do have is glory and honour. They accept their clear and present defeat with humbleness and modesty, perhaps too much so as they would rather take their own lives than fall into the hands of the enemy. If Flags of our Fathers was a criticism of wartime splendor and heroism, Letters from Iwo Jima is a modest glorification of these elements.

In all, with Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood creates a new kind of war film that stands quite apart from its counterparts both because it portrays the side of the enemy but also and especially because it takes extra special care in emphasizing the human aspect of the soldiers it depicts, humanizing and characterizing them to endless extent. As a psychological study of warfare and as a history lesson; Eastwood has crafted a truly masterful and meaningful piece that's riveting and fascinating as it is intricate and complex. One of the best films of the year.
To sum it all up; Letters from Iwo Jima is one of the greatest war films ever made, and is easily does the best job of depicting war as something that harms all involved that I have ever seen. Clint Eastwood has, with this achievement, engraved his name as one of the greatest American directors in film history.

''A day will come when they will weep and pray for your souls.''


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Eastwood is GOD

Posted : 17 years ago on 26 March 2007 11:57

Incredibly beautiful, powerful, brutal and emotional movie. Just saw it this weekend, and unless its a shell-shock effect, I'll go on record now to say it is the best World War 2 movie ever filmed. Spielberg needs to take a cue from Eastwood to see how to properly make a war film. There is no better way to show the true horrors of war than by showing BOTH sides of the conflict. In Saving Private Ryan, the only bit of interaction there was with the Nazis was when they let one go, and that same one re-appeared later and got his revenge. Moral of that movie: never trust a Nazi. Pure propaganda crap. I mean, The Pianist even showed the good side of one Nazi officer, and it was a Holocaust movie filmed by a Jewish director.

After seeing Iwo Jima (I didn't see Flags of Fathers yet), you get to see Japanese soldiers that are full of rage and suicidal as well as ones that had compassion and were hoping for survival. And you even saw the American soldiers who were fair and just, as well as one who were arrogant and murderous. There is no 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in this movie. Its about the millions of men who were thrown into the path of an unstoppable conflict and just did the best they could to cope with it.

I hope to see Flags of Our Fathers soon, and I hope they stuck to a similar formula used in Iwo Jima.


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Oscar worthy

Posted : 17 years, 2 months ago on 25 January 2007 07:07

I watched the first Iwo Jima film by Clint and was very moved by the movie. I heard about the second and couln't wait for it to open up in my town. I'm glad the wait is over. This was an extremely powerful movie and was done in a way that will leave a lasting impression on your memory. I heard that the second film was better and I think I would have to agree. I was left drained and mad after watching Flags of our Fathers, but in this one I just felt drained.

Speilberg's Amblin division coproduced this movie and it kind of had a Saving Private Ryan feel to it. You still get the message that war is hell, but now you get to see that the enemy also feels this way. You see the courage and loyalty to one's country that the soldiers have even when the battle is hopelessly lost.

The story revolves around a few soldiers and follows letters that they are writing home to their loved ones. You see them as they prepare for the on coming US forces digging trenches and caves. You get to see their planning and strategies. You follow them through the battles as the leaders vow to fight until the last man. In the end you will go wow that was quite a ride.

This movie is subtitled so you will have to read. Clint has really aged like a fine wine. It seems like he just gets better and better with each film that he makes. You won't feel cheated out of your money after watching this one. It will be one to watch at Oscar time.

Flash


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