Flags of Our Fathers

This film recants the brutal ass battle that happened in 1945 on the Japanese Island known as Iwo Jima that left 6,800 American soldiers dead. Oh yeah, the films central theme is the raising of the American flag a top of Mount Suribachi by 6 faceless soldiers.

Lets clarify a few things here on the 5th day of a battle that went on for over 30 days 6 men climb Suribachi and plant a flag moments later a photographer shouts out who wants to be famous and a second flag is planted but is also staged so a photographer by the name of Joe Rosenthal could capture the most iconic picture of World War II.

This movie is extremely bloody at times as brutal as Saving Private Ryan. You do see the Japanese towards the middle of the picture committing suicide by holding grenades on their stomachs so when their bodies were found their guts were on the outside of their bodies.

By showing the realities of war this film will be a turn off to anyone who sees it. No one will walk out and have a good feeling over the endless carnage you witness throughout the film. Eastwood does a great job portraying it.

You have to keep one thing in mind everyone the picture was staged the 3 surviving members of the staged photo were brought back to the U.S. to raise money for War Bonds. They were used by the government and credited for something they really didn't deserve the credit for. One of survivors of the flag bearing picture Ira Hayes the Native American was so guilt stricken by the picture and whoring himself out afterwards to raise money for war bonds that he drank himself to death and died in 1955. Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan both wrote songs about him. . . “He died drunk one mornin- Alone in the land he fought to save/ Two inches of water in a lonely ditch- Was a grave for Ira Hayes”

To Sum it all Up let me just Say this:

Why was the picture of the raising of this flag so inspiring? Well historians say for a couple of reasons you have 6 faceless soldiers which represent no one soldier and every soldier because they were totally and completely selfless in their mission. As those 6 are lifting the flag we are all lifting the flag with them.

2 quick interesting facts ...

Next February Clint Eastwood will do the bookend to this movie about the Japanese perspective to the war with a movie called Letters from Iwo Jima.

The movie was shot in Iceland.

With that being said I give this movie 3 3/4 Di Nardos - Note it is 2 hrs and 28 minutes long.