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Movie: Letters from Iwo Jima
Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura, Hiroshi Watanabe, Nae Yuuki
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After Flags of our Fathers comes the other side of the coin. Letters from Iwo Jima tells the story from the Japanese's point of view. Director Clint Eastwood uses a great cast with Japanese actors, including Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai). Eastwood also made the wise decision to use Japanese dialogs, which brings a lot more realism to the film. First the story.
The story in a nutshell:
General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is sent to the Island of Iwo Jima to prepare the troops for the big invasion of the American army. General Kuribayashi has been living in The States for a while and has to make the tough choice to fight an enemy that he considers to be a friend. His time in the U.S. also gives him an advantage, he can predict the strategy of the American army. The general prepares his troops in a pretty unorthodox way but will offer a lot more resistance than the Americans will expect.
Letters from Iwo Jima doesn't focus on the political aspect of the war but tells the story through the eyes of a few soldiers and a general, all with a different motivation to survive the war. Letters from Iwo Jima also is a lot better than its mirror-movie Flags of our Fathers. I found it really fascinating to finally see the story from the "enemy's" perspective, that all revolves around respect, honor and discipline. The story of a Japanese soldier who faces a much more powerful enemy, knowing that he won't survive the battle. Eastwood doesn't bring the full scale of the epic battle but visualizes it from within the tunnels and caves where the soldiers are positioned. The film contains a lot of intense scenes, like the mass suicide of a platoon and the struggle between the soldiers and officers who make the decision to turn against the Empire in order to save themselves.
The story of Iwo Jima is now complete. Clint Eastwoods' tribute to Iwo Jima is impressive and made with love and a lot of respect. Banzai, Eastwood, Banzai!
Written by Reggy 04/02/07
© wb 2006
© wb 2006
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