Title: Letters From Iwo Jima Director: Clint Eastwood Starring: Ken Watanabe, Shido Nakamura Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Studio: Warner Bros. Genre(s): Drama Rated:       (For strong violence and language)   Buy From Amazon.com: COMING SOON

CONSUMER ADVICE

Parents, the film is very violent (as most WWII films are). There is no language or sex though. Recommended for ages 16 and up.

There have been more movies about World War II than any other subject I can think of. Seriously, I think that if it weren't for Shakespear, WWII would be the favorite topic in Hollywood to make a film about. These movies are about a popular topic, feature lots of violence, and usually walk away with a truckload of Oscars. "Letter From Iwo Jima" is one of these movies but with one very crucial twist: It takes place from the point of view of the Japanese army. It's a few days before the famous battle at Iwo Jima and the Japanese army, led by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe), are tasted with the unfavorable task of having to defend Iwo Jima from the American's. They know the American's will attempt to take over the island, but no one wants to fight them.

After all the Japanese are outnumbered, have weapons that pale to America's technology, and no reinforcements are coming. This is a battle to the death. If they die, they die with honor. The soldiers dig trenches and prepare for the upcoming battle, all while they write letters to their loved ones, who many know they most likely will never see again. The character we follow the most is Saigo, who was a humble baker who was forced into joining the army while he left his wife, Hanako, alone to give birth to their child. When he digs a trench, he writes to his wife "I feel like I am digging my own grave." The letters prove to be the most emotionally gripping scenes in the movie, as the character narrate the letters they are writing. The letters explain their feelings, thoughts, and regrets in life.

Since the movie takes place from the Japanese point of view, you'd expect the movie to be very slanted and biased towards American's. This could not be farther from the truth. While a couple of American's are shown as brutes, all the soldiers in this movie are seen as young men who are simply doing their duty. After one American soldier gets shot by a Japanese general, the general has his wounds treated and forms a bond with the American, who is named Sam. General Kuribayashi serves his country with honor, but having been deemed a friend of the American's (with a custom made pistol to boot), Kuribayashi is conflicted about having to kill his friends. When the battle actually starts it's everything you expect it to be: Bloody, violent, and so fast paced it's hard to see what's going on sometimes.

But the movie also takes time to share quiet moments with the Japanese soldiers, including one soldier who gains respect for the American's after he has had to kill some. Seeing 2006's "other" Iwo Jima movie, "Flags of Our Fathers," helped me with my enjoyment of this movie greatly. Keep in mind, I didn't particularly like "Flags of Our Fathers" very much (I gave it two and a half stars). I thought it was too long, there was too much focus on the battle of Iwo Jima (the story about the flag propaganda was far more interesting), and I felt that the movie just didn't have the sort of "heart" that's required to make a great war film. This movie does have the heart that "Flags of Our Fathers" lacked, and in a couple of pivotal scenes, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" become one whole film with one uniting message. Watching both films heighten my appreciation not only for this film, but for "Flags of Our Fathers."

As I watched this film I couldn't help but find myself respecting the Japanese soldiers who fought at Iwo Jima. Oh sure, I can't say I was rooting for them. They were on Hitler's side during this battle, and they certainly killed many of my fellow American's during this time period. But they had honor, bravery, and they were doing exactly what we were doing, which was serving their country. I may not ever understand the whole suicide thing they did when things went wrong, but I commend that they were brave soldiers in this war. I hope people don't skip this film just because the thought of reading subtitles scare them. This is a stupid reason to not see a movie, and it's particularly a stupid reason not to see this film. "Letters From Iwo Jima" is one of the best films of the year. In fact, it's one of the few perfect films I've ever seen.