For over sixty years WWII pictures have been a staple for Hollywood. After so many portrayals of America's finest hour it becomes harder and harder to tell the same story in a way that is still entertaining. Saving Private Ryan and it's rescue theme gave us a solid and factual look at D-Day while leading us on a mission to save the life of a soldier who was representative of so many who never came home. It was a story that we had seen and hadn't seen and ended up being a huge success. Why? The new angle that Steven Spielberg applied to a well told story took a new direction and we loved it. It worked and so does his and Clint Eastwood's collaboration on Flags of Our Fathers. They combined the often told story of the valiant victory at Iwo Jima with the seldom told controversy of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi. It's February 19, 1945 and the Marines invade Japanese territory. They know it will be bloody as the Japanese have had hundreds of years to build their fortifications. The ground is all loose volcanic ash and the Marines can't dig foxholes making them sitting ducks for the well dug in enemy. The fighting goes on for days and morale begins to waver. In the mean time, back home, war bond sales have stagnated and money is needed for the final push to end the war. At times like these things happen that change the course of events. Fate? Who knows. We just know that an officer orders his men to climb Suribachi and raise the American flag so all can see that that part of the island is in American hands. They do it and a photographer is there and takes the picture. Well, shortly after that the flag is replaced with a bigger flag and THAT raising is also photographed! The second photo becomes famous and there begins the controversy. Nobody to blame, it just happened, and for the three surviving men of the six in the picture, life will never be the same. War is hell and Eastwood and Spielberg give us a raw look at the purgatory that was Iwo Jima. They also, thoughtfully, show us the conflict that goes on in the minds of men who have seen and done things they can't forget. This picture was more about people than war and focused more on deeds and circumstances than heroism and glory. It was well directed and acted with a stand out performance by Adam Beach as Pima Indian Ira Hayes, whose torment over being called a hero led to his premature death. I did have two problems with this picture. It was longer than it needed to be to tell the story and the constant flashbacks became a huge distraction. They went from before the flag to after the flag to present day and back again over and over and over. It was unnecessary. Having said that, it was a very good picture that I will see again. I liked it's history, it's story and it's characters and that's enough. "None of us are heroes, especially not me!" RECOMMENDATION: An American story that entertains and educates. See it! You may want to leave the kiddies at home. Rated R for graphic war carnage and language. TWO BLOOD CURDLED BUT PROUD THUMBS UP!!! (Semper Fi!) Movie Review © 2006 by Terry Anderson |
