Letters from Iwo Jima

Eastwood tackles WWII from the Japanese perspective and pulls another triumph out of his mighty hat.

Letters from Iwo Jima is director Clint Eastwood's second film in his Iwo Jima saga, this time showing the battle from the Japanese point of view.

Whereas the companion film Flags of our Fathers concentrated more on the aftermath of the battle of Iwo Jima and the propaganda resulting from that photo, Letters from Iwo Jima focuses on the battle itself and the soldiers that fought in it. However, there aren't as many battle scenes as you may expect. Rather, the film follows the journey of one of the Japanese soldiers, Saigo, and the exploits of General Kuribayashi, played brilliantly by Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha), who has been put in charge of defending Iwo Jima.

As soon as Kuribayashi lands on the island, it's obvious that the other commanders don’t approve of him or his methods. The film argues that this is one of the key reasons for the Japanese failure. Kuribayashi’s orders are regularly ignored, which leads to truly horrific and visceral consequences. Conversely, many of the Japanese soldiers see him as a strong and compassionate General, who, unlike their other commanders, considers his soldiers’ lives, rather than explicitly following Japanese law.

Although some scenes show the Japanese to be vicious and relentless, others show their compassionate side. One key moment is when an American solider is gunned down and then brought into the caves for treatment from the Japanese soldiers. This is in stark contrast to another scene where an American soldier is brutally and repeatedly stabbed and beaten.

Eastwood is extremely careful not to portray the brutality as one-sided, also showing that the Americans could be just as unforgiving.

The film shows that war affects people of all walks of life. This is brilliantly highlighted in a scene between Kuribayashi and Saigo. The General compliments Saigo on being "quite a soldier", and Saigo simply replies, "No, I'm just a simple baker". This exchange is handled beautifully and demonstrates the will of the human heart to endure hardship to return to the people they love.

As suggested by the film's title, the principal characters recall memories and letters both written and received to their loved ones. This is done periodically to slowly reveal the past of each soldier and the reasons they are on the island. These scenes never drag though, and the audience is quickly returned to the reality that the characters are in a hellish war zone, fighting for their lives.

Ultimately, this is the more successful of Eastwood's Iwo Jima films and it is refreshing to see a Hollywood director portray World War II from the Japanese perspective with honesty and passion. Eastwood truly is one of the great directors of our time, and he once again shines with Letters from Iwo Jima.