“Letters From Iwo Jima”
“Letters From Iwo Jima” proceeds at a consistent pace, marching slowly and surely towards it’s inevitable horror. Here is a film in which American soldiers are the other; the bad guy so to speak. Our point of view is firmly with the Japanese, and with a few specific soldiers; The head general of Iwo Jima, Tadamichi Kuribayashi. American educated, proud, dutiful, kind, and an effective leader, he is played by Ken Watanabe, who accepts his death assignment with a straight face. Then we have a famous horse rider, an Olympic gold medalist who dined in LA with movie stars and speaks English. He brings his horse to Iwo Jima, comes knowing it means his death, but comes to instill moral in the men. Our last main character is a simple young man, a baker before wartime restrictions shut down his business. He has left a pregnant wife behind and despite our preconceived notions of Japanese honor and duty, this young man is an individualist who wants to live. He will avoid the suicide that many of his superiors anticipate and savor the chance to fulfill.
And so it is that Clint Eastwood, at 76, while making the big budget war time epic “Flags of Our Fathers” decided to make a smaller film, sometimes on the weekends, telling the Japanese side of the battle of iwo jima. The film is almost entirely subtitled, yet Eastwood speaks no Japanese. But he speaks the language of cinema, of images, and like most Eastwood films, this one is Spartan and direct, to the point. The tragedy of death the brutality and horror of war is conceived here in grim terms. One does not get an overview, historical feeling. We are trapped on the island, and then in the trenches, with these Japanese soldiers. We glimpse the massive American fleet thru the eyes of our baker as he empties the excrement bucket. We are terrified as he is.
Watanabe’s general will not let his armor crack. He writes his wife, in one of the many effective and heartbreaking voice over letters that we hear during the film, that he wasn’t able to attend to the kitchen before he left. He disagrees with the generals over strategy, conceding the beach of Iwo Jima and digging huge trenches that resulted in a much longer battle than the lopsided troop and resources should have allowed.
Watanabe’s general was American educated. In flashbacks we see he was quite friendly with American generals, loved it there in fact, now he must die against these people for his country. He proceeds always forward, never wavering.
But the heart of the film lies with our baker grunt. He does not go for the propaganda, and watching friend after friend die, he attempts to surrender. He isn’t able, his companion is, but is ruthlessly murdered by two American troops.
“Letters From Iwo Jima” attempts to be very fair in it’s portrayal of both sides. On both American and Japanese sides we witness gross brutality, gentle sympathy, abuse of power, and both hopeful and vain struggles to live at any cost. While one group of Japanese soldiers brutalizes an American soldier, another, at the lead of our Olympic Equestrian, treats one with kindness, though both end up dead.
It has been said that a few shots, a few battle scenes, are shared between “Letters From Iwo Jima” and “Flags of our Fathers.” It has also been said, that “Letters…” the afterthought companion piece, is the superior film. I have not seen “Flags…” “Letters…” is very good, but not great. Perhaps critics would jump to congratulate such a risky and interesting undertaking as a war film from the other side, completely subtitled, pioneered by that Maverick aging artist, Clint Eastwood. And why not? But “Letters” is only very good. Often hard to watch, it proceeds directly, not overstating its importance and reality, but getting it across simply by observing with a close eye it’s chosen characters.
Story: B
The story of Iwo Jima. Small heartbreaking flashbacks, and only a small glimmer of hope.
Acting: Very good all around. B
Visuals: B
Interesting look, Spartan images, classic Eastwood.
Originality/Innovation: B
The American as other? Claustrophobic destiny?
Enjoyability Grade: B
Hard to enjoy death, but a courageous film.
Overall Grade: B
good film. Sober and important, but not virtuosic, and not the poetic masterpiece it has been heralded to be.
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