Review: Letters From Iwo Jima

Letters From Iwo Jima opened in limited release on this date in 2006. The Amblin Entertainment film was directed by Clint Eastwood.Synopsis:

Letters From Iwo Jima focuses on the conflict between the United States and Japan during the battle of Iwo Jima. The film looks at the Japanese soldiers and how World War II impacted their lives. Every soldier is changed significantly during the historic Iwo Jima battle.

Positives:

• The film is unique in the way it concentrates on the Japanese soldiers. Rarely does a Hollywood production center on an American antagonist, especially during a historical event like WWII.

• The characters are well written and the script does an excellent job of showing how similar the soldiers are on both sides of the conflict. The Japanese men have the same fears as the American soldiers and the script shows that in powerful ways.
• Clint Eastwood does a fine job of filimg the battle scenes and the absolute chaos of war. Everything in the film looks and feels very authentic.

Negatives:

• Outside of the originality of the WWII story being about the Japanese—the rest of the film is formulaic. Letters From Iwo Jima tells its WWII story from a different perspective, but the way it tells the story is pretty standard when it comes to war films.

In Closing:

Letters From Iwo Jima is an interesting look at WWII from a viewpoint we rarely see. It’s surprising to see a Hollywood war film made from the point of view of the "enemy." The story execution is routine, but the risk Clint Eastwood takes makes the project feel fresh.

Rating: B+