Flags of our Fathers is one of two World War II movies by Clint Eastwood
hitting theaters this year. Fathers
takes a look at the Battle of Iwo
Jima from the perspective of the Americans, whereas his companion piece, Letters
From Iwo Jima , will examine the same battle only through the eyes of the
Japanese. It is an ambitious endeavor to do such a thing, and unfortunately,
from the way Flags of our Fathers turned out, Eastwood will need to
do a bit of editing on Letters From Iwo Jima to make a dent come the
Oscars.
Flags of our Fathers is a well-done movie, as one would expect from
Eastwood. Eastwood, who was only a few years ago seen primarily as an action
and western hero, has done amazing things behind the camera. After a few good
but not necessarily memorable films in the late 90''s, he has taken things to
the next level to the point where an Oscar nomination is all but expected. And
needless to say, with Eastwood delivering two WWII films in a matter of months,
my expectations were through the roof.
The movie succeeds in that it is beautifully-shot and well-acted. The lead
characters are interesting, and the set design revolving around the island of
Iwo Jima is incredible. I had no clue that the island was such a Hell hole of
a place, but Eastwood gives it such beautiful detail. The actors give it their
all, especially Adam Beach (the native American guy). Beach, whose character
not only has to put up with racism but who also struggles the most with the
fact that he is being glorified on false pretenses, gives an Oscar-worthy performance.