Letters from Iwo Jima

Plot synopsis:
In 2005, Japanese archaeologists explore tunnels on Iwo Jima, where they find something in the dirt.
The scene changes to Iwo Jima in 1944. Private First Class Saigo and his platoon are grudgingly digging beach trenches on the island. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi arrives to take command of the garrison and immediately begins an inspection of the island defenses. He saves Saigo and his friend Kashiwara from a beating by Captain Tanida for 'unpatriotic speeches', and orders the men to begin tunneling underground defenses into Mount Suribachi. Kuribayashi and Lieutenant Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi, a famous Olympic gold medalist show jumper, clash with some of their seniors, who do not agree with Kuribayashi's defense-in-depth strategy: Kuribayashi believes the US will take the beaches quickly, and only the mountain defenses will have a better chance for holding out.
Poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions take their toll; many die of dysentery, including Kashiwara. The troops begin using the caves. Kashiwara's replacement, Superior Private Shimizu, arrives for duty. Saigo suspects that Shimizu is a spy from Kempeitai to report on disloyal soldiers.
Soon, American aircraft and warships begin to appear and bombard the island, causing significant casualties. A few days later, the U.S. Marines land. The American troops suffer heavily, but the beach defenses are quickly overcome, as Kuribayashi predicted, and the attack turns to the positions on Mount Suribachi. While delivering a request for more machine guns from his commander to the Suribachi garrison, Saigo overhears Kuribayashi radioing orders to retreat. The commander, however, ignores the general and instead orders his company to commit suicide. Saigo runs away with Shimizu, convincing him to continue the fight rather than die. They find two other soldiers, but one gets incinerated by an American flamethrower, and they witness a captured Marine being bayoneted to death.
Saigo and the soldiers in Mount Suribachi try to flee with Lieutenant Oiso at night, but they run into Marines, who wipe out all except Saigo and Shimizu. They flee to friendly lines, but are accused by Lieutenant Ito of desertion. Ito raises his katana to execute them for cowardice, but Kuribayashi arrives and saves Saigo again by confirming his order to retreat.
The Japanese soldiers attack US positions but take heavy losses. The survivors are told to regroup with Colonel Nishi while Ito heads to the US lines with three mines, intending to throw himself under a tank. Nishi converses in English with a captured Marine, Sam, until Sam eventually dies from his wounds. Blinded by shrapnel later, Nishi orders his men to withdraw and asks Lieutenant Okubo to leave him a rifle. Upon leaving, the soldiers hear a gunshot from Nishi's cave.
Saigo plans surrender, and Shimizu reveals that he was dishonorably discharged from the Kempeitai because he disobeyed an order to kill a dog. Shimizu escapes and surrenders to Americans, but is later shot dead. Meanwhile, Ito, desperate and malnourished, breaks down and, when found, surrenders.
Okubo is killed as he and his men arrive at Kuribayashi's position. Saigo meets up with Kuribayashi, and one last attack is planned. Kuribayashi orders Saigo to destroy all the documents and letters, including his own letters, saving Saigo's life a third time.
That night, Kuribayashi launches a final surprise attack. Most of his men are killed, and Kuribayashi is critically wounded, but Kuribayashi's loyal aide Fujita drags him away. The next morning, Kuribayashi orders Fujita to behead him; however, Fujita is shot dead by a Marine sniper before he can do so. Saigo appears, having buried some of the documents and letters instead of burning them all. Kuribayashi asks Saigo to bury him, then draws his pistol, an American M1911 — a gift Kuribayashi was given in the US before the war, and commits suicide. A tearful Saigo then buries him.
Later, a US patrol find Fujita's body. One Marine officer finds Kuribayashi's pistol and tucks it under his belt. They search the area and find Saigo with his shovel. Seeing the pistol in the Marine lieutenant's belt, Saigo becomes furious and attacks the Americans with his shovel. Too weak to fight properly, he is knocked unconscious and taken to the POW beach. Awakening, he glimpses the setting sun and smiles grimly.
Back in 2005, the archeologists complete their digging, revealing the bag of letters that Saigo had buried, and open it.

Tags: boring, murder, dramatic, violence, flashback, claustrophobic, sentimental

Review:
My wife and I both enjoyed "Flags" and were pleased when we learned that Clint Eastwood made a second movie, this time telling the story from the Japanese perspective.
Later during the trip, speaking with Japanese friends and seeing the Japanese news, stories of lost loved ones from the war were common and this movie for the Japanese people has brought many of these memories out in the open.To the Japanese, Iwo jima was a part of their homeland where a foreign invader was going to land and begin its invasion on Japanese soil.
But with Letters From Iwo Jima, a slightly radical departure from the usual American-directed war picture by showing the action totally from the side of the "other", there's a stronger sense of what it meant for the Japanese to fight this war, and the nature of sacrifice and what it means to oneself in relation to one's society, national pride, and to one's mind-set.
The desperation, as the battle continues and trudges on, becomes almost too crushing for the weakest of the soldiers, and soon all thoughts of cohesion within the ranks breaks apart.It's in many of these scenes that Eastwood garners his most dramatically charged moments in either one of the Iwo Jima movies.
Sometimes we're also provided with flashbacks for some of the characters (some, like a man talking to his unborn child in his wife's womb, are too atypical, but there is one that leaves a very lasting impression involving the murdering of a dog- a scene that left people in the theater gasping even after so much battle carnage already happened).Though mostly we're stuck in these caves and tunnels with these soldiers- one of the exceptions of this, Shimizu, was in said scene with the dog- there are other small vignettes, like the lieutenant who decides to break away to strap some explosives on himself to blow up an enemy cannon, only to fall asleep, and once awakened forgetting the whole act.
And as far as the technical side, Eastwood and his crew have created an appropriately very dark looking picture, with the color desaturated so as to look like it's not really black and white but as if the life has been sucked out so as to look terminally gray (if that makes sense), with the battle footage somehow even more convincing than in 'Flags'.So in the end, the two Iwo Jima movies bring up a lot to ponder about what it is to fight in war, what it means to be akin to the varying degrees of nationalism, and how it affects the psyche of people who were plucked from very normal lives into circumstances of perpetual death and, if one lives, the memories.
The companion film to "Flags of Our Fathers" shows the battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese point of view.
Starting with the building of fortifications, hiding from relentless bombardment, and fending off an equally strong attack as American troops land on the island."Letters from Iwo Jima" just like "Flags of Our Fathers" is a first rate war movie with a relevant message with its critical nature.
Letters from Iwo Jima not only matches Flags of Our Fathers but also surpasses it and went on to tie Saving Private Ryan as the greatest war film I have ever seen.
Not since Akira Kurosawa's "Rashômon" has anyone attained such exquisite insight into the human condition, having read "Flags of our Fathers" and growing up, having veterans tell me of their experiences on Iwo Jima,I would look back at them in awe at the fact that they were here sharing their very own story,and many times they to could not believe they were alive.It is amazing to see the sensitivity that Mr.Eastwood imbued into both tales.
If Flags of our Fathers was a criticism of wartime splendor and heroism, Letters from Iwo Jima is a modest glorification of these elements.In all, with Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood creates a new kind of war film that stands quite apart from its counterparts both because it portrays the side of the enemy but also and especially because it takes extra special care in emphasizing the human aspect of the soldiers it depicts, humanizing and characterizing them to endless extent.
the entertainment aspect.While "Letters from Iwo Jima" is truly a great achievement is several ways, the script is powerful, the production is superb, all the technical departments almost perfected their jobs, there is some really good acting as well, and Eastwood's touch as a director is very visible, and its beautiful, it flaws almost flawlessly in this regard.Well, what's wrong then?
However, just because Eastwood is an American film maker making a Japanese-point-of-view movie, doesn't make the film any better than what it really is, the film's ratings seem to be getting higher just because there is an American film maker behind it and I disagree, it is what it is regardless who the people behind it were.The film was also highly praised as a companion film to "Flags", and while together they form a great duo, on its own, "Letters" does not achieve greatness.Why did Eastwood and Spielberg decide to make "Letters from Iwo Jima" this calm instead of making an adrenaline-pumping film?
The most amoral thing I might have ever seen done on film, and I'm shocked how quickly I thought, "Well war does terrible things to people." If the Japanese had done something comparable (as they do in the companion piece FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, I probably would have thought instead, "What a messed up culture."Why none of these fine actors were nominated for an Academy Award, I don't know..
Unfortunately, due to the monstrous image that we have created of the Axies powers in WWII, I feel that we have overlooked their history as well, Letters from Iwo Jima captured the "in the other person's shoes" perspective perfectly.Japanese soldiers are preparing for a strong battle to come onto the land of Iwo Jima, defending their land that is about to be invaded by the American troops.
Wanting to survive, some feel that they may have to just swallow their pride while watching their best friends and family die in front of their eyes.Clint captured perfectly how every side has a story; I am an American, I have extreme pride for where I come from, just like the Japanese did and still do.
Almost more drama than war - not for those who want the action of a "Saving Private Ryan" war movie.My only criticism is the film portrays the soldiers on Iwo Jima as being untrained and kind of "second rate"..
The sister movie to Clint Eastwood's Flags Of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima tells the parallel to that story, from the point of view of the Japanese troops.
Instead what we have an incredibly visceral, grimly foreboding but intensely moving film, that depicts the often overlooked "faceless" Japanese.Whilst the movie has several character strands, it focuses mainly on the journey of two soldiers: a grunt called Saigo (Japanese pop star Kazunari Ninomiya) who has been drafted against his will, and General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the honourable leader of the platoon who is given the task of strategising against the impending American forces.
His contemporaries are weary of him, but his soldiers admire him, particularly Saigo, whose life he has to save on more than one occasion.Letters From Iwo Jima works better on a conceptual level then Flags Of Our Fathers because of the protagonists of the film.
I do not think it will strike people as harshly as something like Saving Private Ryan did, but the aura of doom that accompanies the film manages to make Letters From Iwo Jima escape the familiar trappings of war movie déjà vu, and even makes Flags Of Our Fathers feel like a more complete piece of work..
I was not one of those who was really taken with "Flags Of Our Fathers." I thought the story was rather lacklustre and lacking to be honest, and so had little interest in "Letters From Iwo Jima." This is the sort of sequel to "Flags" - or it might be better called a companion to "Flags." Both were directed by Clint Eastwood and "Letters" shows the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective - and much to my surprise I liked this movie very much.
Further, in these two movies, the enemy is nothing but evil and threatening one dimension shadows, using weapons to kill the brave marines.However, "Letters from Iwo Jima" gives a totally different approach of war, unusual in Hollywood: it shows the human side of the enemies.
In this aspect, I liked very much the pacifist perspective given by Clint Eastwood for the same battle, opening the eyes and hearts of viewers that probably were not able to understand this side of the Japanese (and other people) in a war.
If the closing credits didn't identify Clint Eastwood as the director of "Letters from Iwo Jima," you might be forgiven for believing you were watching an actual Japanese film - not merely because the dialogue is in Japanese with English subtitles but because the movie has a starkness of vision and an intimacy of scope uncharacteristic of mainstream American movie-making.
This is Eastwood's flip-side companion piece to the earlier "Flags of Our Fathers," which told the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the American point of view.
Indeed, it is this very air of claustrophobia that makes "Letters from Iwo Jima" a more cohesive, personal and meaningful work than the earlier fine film.As the movie begins, the Japanese army is preparing for an American assault on the island.
The common soldier's eye view is provided by Saigo, a private reluctantly drafted into the army, who would much rather be back at home with his wife and baby daughter than digging trenches on some godforsaken rock in the middle of nowhere, and who feels less eager than his compatriots to sacrifice his life in service of his country.By limiting their scope, Eastwood and screenwriter Iris Yamashita - working from the actual letters Kuribayashi and others sent home from the island - show us the horrors of war on a more personal scale than we generally find in films of this type.
Ninomiya, with his openhearted demeanor and impish expression of boyish innocence, provides the emotional center the film needs to connect with the audience.As with "Flags of Our Fathers," cinematographer Tom Stern has bled so much of the color out of the picture that we seem almost to be watching a black-and-white movie, a technique that greatly enhances the bleakness of both the setting and the situation."Letters from Iwo Jima" is not a film designed to appeal to the yahoos in the audience; it is, rather, a stripped-down, thoughtful and artful consideration of the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of "the enemy.".
Clint Eastwood continues his WWII war drama with Letters from Iwo Jima, the companion film to last year's Flags of our Fathers.
Surprisingly, yes.While Flags spoke about the American point-of-view of the battle in Iwo Jima and the after effects for three soldiers, Letters is about the Japanese side of the battle.
First there was 'Flags of Our Fathers' about the American perspective regarding the World War II battle in the Pacific against Japan known as Iwo Jima.
With 'Letters from Iwo Jima', Clint Eastwood, and writers Paul Haggis and Iris Yamashita, becomes a kind of Japanese Leni Riefenstahl  turning a blind eye to the horrors perpetrated by the Japanese Imperial regime to focus on the humanity and stoic pride of the individual soldiers.Several thousand Japanese were tried, convicted, and executed for war crimes following WW2.
"War is a beastly business, it is true, but one proof we are human is our ability to learn, even from it, how better to exist." M.F.K. FisherGeneral Tommy Franks could not withstand the biographical scrutiny Clint Eastwood gives to General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe), the commander of the 20,000 Japanese soldiers who perished defending Iwo Jima against the invading Allies, who lost some 6000.
In Flags the parade of heroes leaves a blur that takes an entire film to sort out; in Letters the lives of the few soldiers are carefully laid out so that when they are defeated, sorrow and pride are fitting for the characters Eastwood has developed, especially the general.The stark black and white serves both the dark sand of the beaches and the shadowy world of caves the Japanese ingeniously dug.
It doesn't make a claim the two sides were the same, but does well to emphasize the ways they are alike.In all I think Letter From Iwo Jima ranks as one of the 10 best war films I have ever seen.
However, it does not need to be seen with Flags in order to be appreciated for its human look at the sacrifice and tragedy of war.The film has two major story lines, that of General Kuribayashi, the commander of the doomed Japanese forces committed to the island and of Saigo, a baker and reluctant draftee into the combat.This film does something that a film like Pearl Harbor chooses not to: it acknowledges the humanity, flawed and beautiful, of all the combatants, not bedeviling either side, but recognizing that all people are wholly people and dying for reasons that are often beyond their comprehension.
This is best told in a scene where Baron Nishi, a Japanese Lt. Colonel who was a former Olympian and Hollywood partier, reads a letter to the discouraged Japanese soldiers from one US Marine's mother to the dying Marine.But the film isn't fully an anti-war film either--Kuribayashi's story shows that the troops on Iwo Jima had a reason for defending an island, even if they don't have a reason for the entire war.
But never did I imagine that I would see a so great a movie about the fight for the island, especially one told from the Japanese point of view (I as yet have not seen "Flags of Our Fathers").
Clint Eastwood made this the Japanese perspective of the war and I have to say I liked this better than Flags of our Fathers.
At times deathly quiet, almost completely drained of color in the cinematography, and never reaching that emotional crescendo present in most modern day war movies, Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" is sparse and effectively haunting.
Under a watchful eye of grim, bleak cinematography as soldiers initially sit; dig; bicker and wait, Clint Eastwood delivers his-then second war film in as many years in Letters From Iwo Jima, 2007's follow up to the equally as bleak, but more-so by way of the results of warfare from a propagandist driven viewpoint, Flags of Our Fathers.
While the films are not be linked in any form of physicality, such as the case of a bother on one side and a brother on the other in Brotherhood, the American-perspective-Pacific-theatre-set Flags of Our Fathers was produced in such close proximity to Letters From Iwo Jima that it links the two pieces by way of taking something ugly and getting two different viewpoints of it, just without the immediate blood bond.
Flags of Our Fathers sees a group of American troops taken to a propaganda-strewn dystopia in the time it takes to capture a photographic image, while in Gran Torino, the transition of the lead's surroundings has been all of around thirty years in the making, before this equally wired and wonderful world opens up all sorts of new social dangers and delights.Letters From Iwo Jima sees Eastwood rather impressively transfer this technique he has of delivering these somewhat basic, somewhat generic conventions plus familiar character arcs into this film; here rendering certain front-line individuals in the Japanese Army, circa 1944, the central focus.
A almost black and white, 2 hour+ war movie (from the Japanese perspective against the US for the island of Iwo Jima) made in 2006 that grips you till the end.Things of note: - That haunting tune that keeps playing - The Japanese culture of honor in dying for your country, even if it via suicide - Clint Eastwood and the story writer for making this - The movie is very well written..
Arguably Clint Eastwood's best directing job (and that is saying a lot when you consider a list of credits which includes "Unforgiven", "Mystic River" and "Million Dollar Baby") as his 2006 companion piece to the slightly inferior "Flags of Our Fathers" is a heartbreaking and emotionally difficult study of World War II from the eyes of Japanese soldiers who are attempting to protect Iwo Jima during the most vicious time of the international conflict.
Co-written, as was "Flags of Our Fathers", by master screenwriter Paul Haggis, "Letters From Iwo Jima" is a thinking person's production which not only stands tall with other films of the difficult genre but also with the truly moving cinematic pictures of all time.
It is also much better than "Flags of our fathers", the film that Eastwood made prior to this, on the same subject but from the 'American perspective'.It was about time that somebody made a (anti) war movie looking through the eyes of the losers rather than the usual stereotype where "winners write the history books".
This makes the message strong, and especially engaging.What I particularly liked in "Letter's From Iwo Jima's" approach, was the sad undertone that was achieved by bringing the Japanese soldiers and officers forward as more or less ordinary people with their quite ordinary stories, fears, sorrows and joys.This movie is a "must", for anyone interested in history.
Clearly, "Letters from Iowa Jima" is a masterpiece.It is in its way a companion piece to "Flags of our Fathers", Eastwood's account of the Battle of Iowa Jima from the American perspective, only now seen through the eyes of the Japanese.
"Letters From Iwo Jima" tells the story of the Japanese soldiers who fought on that island against the Americans.