Flags of our fathers movie#

It brings the movie to a standstill every time. The horrible 'old man flashback' framing device that Steven Speilberg used to bookend 'Saving Private Ryan' should have been warning enough, but Eastwood plows ahead with several conversations between an actor we can barely see and don't care about and some elderly gentlemen who are not easily identified by their young counterparts in the island scenes. It is when the narrative shoots all the way forward to the present day, showing author James Bradley interviewing the old men who fought beside his father, that 'Flags of our Fathers' starts to lose its footing. Eastwood blends a modern cynicism with the old-fashioned managing of the PR tour seamlessly, forcing us to question the validity of our current government's tastlessly-staged photo ops. During the scenes with the three main soldiers, this is not the case. The battle scenes are so violent and dramatic that when the action skips forward to the war bond tour in the States, the director runs the risk of losing momentum.

The Marines' accomplishment on Iwo Jima was huge, overpowering a force of 22,000 Japanese soldiers, and Eastwood's film does not shy away from the more gruesome aspects of the fight. The story of their bloody battle at Iwo Jima and their psychological struggle with being elevated to hero status at home is told congruently, through a constant barrage of flashbacks that work with varying degrees of success. Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), the runner who took the order to raise the flag, is happy to be home and out of harm's way.

The brotherhood of serving alongside fellow soldiers is explicitly felt in 'Flags of our Fathers.' It is so strong, in fact, that Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) and Navy doctor John Bradley (Ryan Phillippe) feel like they are betraying the men who remain in battle on the island. Still, it is a rousing and even-handed portaryal of real heroism. The filmÂ's flashback structure helps build the drama in two stories at once, but is also its own worst enemy, as it threatens to halt much of the action. Wisely, however, the script primarily sticks with the three men who were brought home early to pose for photos, glad-hand politicians, and make speeches as part of the Seventh War Loan Drive.Ĭlint Eastwood tells the powerful real story of the soldiers who raised the flag in the iconic WWII photograph taken at Iwo Jima. The film, based on the best-selling book 'Flags of Our Fathers' by James Bradley with Ron Powers, deconstructs the myth and shows the real circumstances surrounding the photo and the real men behind the flag.Įastwood, along with screenwriters Paul Haggis (Oscar-winner for 'Crash' and 'Million Dollar Baby') and William Broyles, Jr., offers capsulated characterizations of the Marine fifth division who captured Mt. No faces can be seen clearly in the photo, therefore the soldiers are a perfect stand-in for all who fought in the war. Iwo Jima was the first battle fought on Japanese territory in WWII, and the photograph of six men raising the flag atop its highest peak is one of the enduring images in the history of photography.

By asking citizens for money to support the war back home, the men in the iconic photo were actually supporting their friends and fellow soldiers who were still caught up in the heat of battle overseas. This scene, from Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of our Fathers,' is a powerful condemnation of America's tasteless commercialism and the 'selling of war.' What makes this World War II drama such an even-handed story, though, is that it also asks us to sympathize with the public relations men and the government. As the camera continues upwards, we see that the 'bombs' are fireworks and the men are standing atop a paper mache mountain in a stadium, being cheered on by thousands of Americans. When they make it to the top, the men work together to plant an American flag in the ground. soldiers struggle to climb a sandy hill in the dark as bombs explode around them.

Flags of our fathers