I missed Clint Eastwood’s release of Flags of our Fathers when it was released in October of last year and I’m eagerly anticipating its release on DVD so that I can compare it to Letters from Iwo Jima.

Letters from Iwo Jima was a great war film simply because it was based on the Japanese perspective of World War II rather than the American view. History for the most part is written and remembered from the point of view of the victors of a war, so most people never truly get to understand the perspective from the losing side. This film gives its viewers that opportunity.

The film delivers an honest and accurate portrait of the Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima who were called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice even on the verge of their defeat. As the film progresses, it becomes very hard to think of the Japanese as the enemy, and eventually you will start to sympathize with many of these men in one way or another.

I would definitely rate this as one of the best war films I’ve watched in the last couple years. The casting was perfect for the film, and because it was done completely in Japanese, it really kept the authenticity of the film intact.

Synopsis:

Letters From Iwo Jima is a recreation of the events that transpired during the American invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II, as told from the Japanese perspective. In February of 1945, some 22,000 Japanese troops defended the island against the overwhelming American forces that outnumbered them nearly five to one. Like a memoir, the film will follow the personal stories of two close friends serving in the Japanese army as they fight for survival throughout the battles and are forced to watch helplessly as their closest comrades succumb to unavoidable deaths. The story will also revolve around real-life Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who continued to defend the island with his forces even as the fighting drew close to its inevitable conclusion.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!