Flags Of Our Father Movie Review

DreamWorks, Warner Bros. and Paramount present athe south were approaching. The Americans needed
film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Williamthis base so that they could use it as a staging area
Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis, based on the book byfor their bombers whenever they could afford to
James Bradley with Ron Powers.It's the life stories ofinvade the Japanese mainland. It was actually the first
the six men who raised the flag at the battle of Iwobattle of World War Two that took place on
Jima which was a turning point of World War Two.Japanese soil.
The film opens with interlocking scenes from past andWith no chance for victory the Japanese just wanted
present, showing the battle underway and beingto inflict the most amount of casualties that they
remembered, with voice-overs from survivors. All thecould.They were well dug in with a system of
major themes are being introduced, although we willinterlocking tunnels and their big gun positions were
discover that only later. Then, after a tense prelude atshielded by steel doors that swung shut after every
sea, it focuses on the initial American landing, whichfiring.
was just too quiet; no Japanese fire was encounteredThe battle resulted in 29 Medals of Honor winners, but
and the troops advanced inland easily.Suddenly theat what a terrible price. The marines lost one third of
troops were being ambushed by concealed enemytheir of their whole WWII combat deaths during this
positions. There were over 2,000 dead on the first daybattle and almost all of the 22,000 Japanese died,
and the majority of them were Americans.some by their own hands.The film depicts what the
There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsmantrue motive was in bringing the three remaining
photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi byservicemen home. The Government was in dire straits
Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. "Flags of Ourbecause they had run out of lenders for the war
Fathers" is the story of three of the six survivingeffort and their funds were drying up rather quickly.
servicemen, John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Pvt.The Rosenthal picture that was taken on Iwo Jima
Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and Pvt. Ira Hayessparked the public opinion of the war effort and the
(Adam Beach), who fought in the battle to take Iwomoney that those men raised turned the financial tide.
Jima. It was one of the most bloody battles of the warOf the three servicemen who returned home to a
and the picture became one pf the most famoushero's welcome only one,Doc, seemed to have a
pictures of the entire war and it took another month tohappy life and ended up being a successful undertaker.
take this island. Three of the marines were killed inGagnon ended up with a lot of dead end jobs and
action and the other three serviceman were taken outended up being bitter for the rest of his life. And
of the battle and flown home. These men were usedHaynes returned to his old reservation where he would
to help sell war bonds. It also shows the effect thatend up literally drinking himself to death.
the memories of war would have on these veteransThe film made the top ten list of the National Board of
for the rest of their lives.Review. Eastwood also earned a Golden Globe
Most Americans thought that the flag raising tool placenomination for Directing. The film was nominated for
at the end of the battle when in fact the picture wastwo Academy Awards - for Best Sound and Sound
taken on the fifth day of a 35 day battle. Iwo JimaEditing. I thought that it was a story that had to be told
was one of the most strategic islands of the wholeand Eastwood did a good job of putting this story on
war. It was an airbase for the Japanese and it wasfilm. It seems to me that the older he gets, the better
also a radio station that served an an advancedhe gets.
warning station whenever American bombers from