Flags of Our Fathers by Clint Eastwood (2006)
6 November 2006Certainly another directorial nomination for Clint Eastwood, and it should be quite a few other awards, including screenplay adaption, special fx and editing and cinematography and at least a nomination for Adam Beach in the role of Ira Hayes. This is a really incredible film any way you look at it. So well done in every aspect. This easily tops the best of the year list for films. Honestly I had tears in my eyes many many times. It really feels like you are watching these events happen. Eastwood really is one of the best directors Hollywood has ever known, and I hope he is aroudn for a long time making more films. Honestly I can’t wait to see his next film which is LETTERS FROM JAPAN and is about Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective,and is already complete and comes out shortly in Japan, but not until next year for the US.
This is an adaption of the best selling novel by Ron Powers and James Bradley (the son of the character John “Doc” Bradley [Ryan Phillipe in the film] about his father and some of his friends who raised the second flag at Iwo Jima and were in the iconic photograph that was a turning point in the war, and helped create the War Bond tour that enable the financing of the end of the war. Of the 7 flag raisers, only 3 survived, Doc, the Native American Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) who never got over Iwo Jima or the War Bond tour where he was labeled a hero and the company runner Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) who reveled in the glory and attention, but never got anything for it and spent the rest of his life as a janitor. It is a tale of people that were labeled as heroes, but were really fighting for the man beside them, and who were all changed by their experiences in Iwo Jima.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
The story is told jumping back and forth through time from modern days, and interviews with James Bradley (Thomas McCarthy) and survivors of Iwo Jima as well as the story of the men who rose the flag, and their story, and the story of the parents left behind the aforementioned 3 survivors as well as Keyes Beech (John Benjamin Hickey), Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker) who was not identified as one of the raisers, and Hank Hansen (Paul Walker) who was identified, but was actually one of the first flag raisers and not the second, Sergeant Mike Strank (Barry Pepper) who stayed with his men, Doc’s friend Ralph “Iggy” Ignatowski (Jamie bell) who was taken by the Japanese. It is about the assault, and the air bombardment that was cut short, and the raising of the flag, which was on the 5th of 35 days of assault on the island.
The photo was taken, and it changed the nations opinion of the war and gave them hope, and the 3 survivors were taken back to the states to help the war bond effort, Ira being taken against his will, and started drinking because of his guilt over leaving his friends, and over what he did and the horrors he saw. He can’t handle it and hates Rene for naming him, and it is Doc that tries to keep him up, but when the generals find out he is sent back to his unit, not even allowed to see his mother. Ira’s life decayed but he did tell Harlon’s family it was him in the photo and not Hank, and saw his friends once more at the dedication of the war memorial before he died. As I said Rene did not do much with his life, and Doc bought the mortuary he worked and never talked about the war until he was dyeing and got his son interested in what happened to his father during the war, and caused the book to be written.
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This is an incredible film from every angle. Not the least of which are the FX which are phenomenal and really bring you there, and are even more impressive knowing the beach scenes were shot hand held with no green screen. WOW!
This is an amazing and staggering war film. It is sad and powerful and makes you think about our brave soldiers in Iraq who are serving at the whim of the worst President in united states history, and dyeing for lies, but serving to help their buddies.
Eastwood really is one of the best director’s of all time. How does he come in under budget and under schedule on every film. He is amazing.
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