MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

CameronWalker01 When I learnt that this film was a companion movie to Flags of our fathers and was told from the perspective of the Japanese I was intrigued and set out to watch it as soon as possible. From the get go the film ticked all the boxes, great direction, cast, acting, script, soundtrack and beautiful cinematography. But as the movie progressed something struck me as being wrong with it and the feeling grew and became apparent as it went. The battle of Iwo Jima saw some of the most savage, intense combat of the pacific theatre which saw the Americans hard pressed to capture the beach and turn the tide of the battle to their favour. Clint Eastwood for whatever reason decided to make it look like a relatively easy feat and a battle in which the American military steam rolled the Japanese army. The battle scenes and depiction of the battle were a huge let down, considering I had only just finished watching The Pacific the day before which did a brilliant job of portraying the brutality and intensity of the fighting. The basis of the film is to tell the story of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese and it does just that, but the problem is its an Americanised Hollywood version of the Japanese perspective, which leaves it feeling somewhat lacking and unrealistic. For example the die-hard Japanese loyalists who want to fight to the death are portrayed as being the bad guys of sorts and are sadistic bullies. While those who're more rational, have lost the will to fight and want to surrender are given the good guy angle. It seems Clint Eastwood just couldn't provide an accurate perspective without it being tainted by an American ego driven point of view or ditch the Hollywood "good guy" vs "bad guy" routine. While I was watching it I couldn't help but cringe or groan in some parts and find myself wishing a Japanese director who been placed in charge.For its flaws it was still a good movie, but it had the potential to be an excellent film (a 9/10), but for what it is it stands at a solid 7.

Wuchak RELEASED IN 2006 and directed by Clint Eastwood, "Letters from Iwo Jima" chronicles The Battle of Iwo Jima, which took place February 19–March 26, 1945. Of the approximately 21,000 Japanese entrenched on the island about 18,000 died either from fighting or by ritual suicide. Only 216 were captured during the battle, but close to 3,000 were later found hiding in the caves & tunnels.While this is an American-Japanese co-production, it was written by Japanese and the main cast is entirely Japanese (e.g. Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, etc.). Bitter critics complained that the movie is sympathetic toward the Japanese and their stubborn emperor worship. While it's true that the movie does humanize them despite their renowned brutality during the war, it potently shows the folly of worshipping the martial state and the inevitable ramifications (doom).In theory, Japan's government was a constitutional monarchy during WWII but, in fact, it was a military junta (dictatorship) and therefore totalitarian in nature. The movie effectively shows the harebrained ideology of government-worship and the corresponding misguided "honor" of sacrificing oneself for the malevolent goals of said government. What a waste! "Letters from Iwo Jima" also powerfully details the American threat to the remote isle and its militants. Put simply, these boys came to kick total axx. Their aim was to bomb/shoot/whatever first and ask questions later. If I were there I would've done the same because the Japanese made it clear that this was a fight to the death. I'm actually surprised at how many Japanese POWs were taken (216 but, like I said, almost 3000 were eventually found in the caves & tunnels). By contrast, only 2 Marines were captured by the Japanese, but they died of their wounds while captive.The first 44 minutes are a set-up wherein the characters and their desperate situation on the isle are established before the action starts. From there it gets seriously brutal and increasingly dismal till the climax. For balance, be sure to see Eastwood's companion piece "Flags of Our Fathers," which debuted two months prior.THE MOVIE RUNS 141 minutes and was shot in Barstow & Bakersfield, California, with establishing shots of Iwo Jima. WRITERS: Iris Yamashita (and Paul Haggis) from the books by Tadamichi Kuribayashi & Tsuyoko Yoshido.GRADE: B+/A-

denis888 What didn't work for Clint Eastwood in his Flags Of Our Fathers, was a tremendous success in this decent sequel, Letters Form Iwo Jima. Absolutely impeccable, precise, laconic and correctly shot in a darker color scheme, this epic movie delivers an awesome array of characters, both Japanese and some American, along with superb camera work and unquestionable masterstroke. Ken Watanabe is one of the real huge star here, his character, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is a deeply complex and very touching person, who is not a one-dimensional military cruel, but a decent man with sorrows and joys. All others Japanese soldiers and officers are depicted so well and so endearingly honest that we can not resist but like them, even if they served a wrong cause. This is a true touch of genius, and Mr. Eastwood is at his best, top form that is evident all trough 2 quick hours. This is a huge improvement of a first film, and its pristine, perfect quality is a real blast that holds you attentive all the film through. Highly recommended

rolfesam War is something that we've all grown up knowing about. It's a subject that movies, television, books, comics, video games, and every other form of entertainment has used, and that's for those of us who are lucky enough not to know war first hand. But so rarely do we ever think of the opposing side of a war as something that bleeds like we do and has the fear that our soldiers have in the heat of battle. That is something that makes this film so impactful. Letters from Iwo Jima follows Japanese troops during the naval invasion by the United States on the titular island. It is shot, acted, and directed in the professional and uncompromising style that Clint Eastwood is well known for. Eastwood doesn't take the camera away from the moments that other directors would flinch away from, the horrible ways that men in uniform on both sides died during the famous battle. Those moments have stuck with me for years after first seeing this film. I'd recommend this movie, but I would like to warn that this movie is not for the young and its not for the faint-of-heart. It's an important film non the less though, its important to think of people as people, no matter who they are.