If Clint Eastwood had never stepped in front of a camera but instead spent his entire career behind it, it is quite possible his legacy as a director would be bigger than that as a screen icon, especially based on "Letters From Iwo Jima,” which may well be Eastwood's filmmaking masterpiece.
Originally conceived as a companion piece to Eastwood's mixed-bag-of-a-film "Flags of Our Fathers,” it was decided to move up the release of "Letters From Iwo Jima” for Oscar consideration. The decision proves particulary savvy because "Letters From Iwo Jima” is one of the most harrowing war films ever. It's even more impressive since it's told from the Japanese perspective and in the Japanese language.
That such a quintessential American filmmaker as Eastwood could render such a moving story from the enemy point of view in World War II is nothing short of extraordinary. Don't misunderstand: He's not selling the idea that the Japanese side of the conflict was right, but he shows how universal the suffering is for soldiers on all sides of war, regardless of what uniform they wear.
Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai,” "Memoirs of a Geisha”) stars as Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a man who spent time in America and has a fascination with its cars but has returned home to fight for his country when World War II erupted. He gets the unenviable assignment of leading the defense of the island of Iwo Jima, a symbolic piece of Japanese territory that Japanese military leaders realize is a lost cause by the time the general arrives but which they have no problem letting their men defend in essentially a suicide mission.
Kuribayashi recognizes he and his men likely will not leave Iwo Jima alive, yet he remains rational and committed to the cause, despite his fondness for America. As other Japanese officers emphasize the duty of dying honorably, Kuribayashi emphasizes compassion and fighting to the end, no matter how doomed the assignment.
Watanabe, who earned an Oscar nomination for "The Last Samurai,” shows even more acting talent since he's able to perform in his native language. He gives the film its solid grounding.
All the actors perform well, despite their relative anonymity to American audiences, but special note must be made of Kazunari Ninomiya as Saigo, a soldier who longs for the wife he had to leave and the child he'll never see. Ninomiya can express more with just a look that many actors can with words. He deserves a supporting actor Oscar nomination.
Still, the real star of "Letters From Iwo Jima” is Eastwood. This is his strongest work as a director. While some of the battle scenes in "Flags of Our Fathers” seem like outtakes from "Saving Private Ryan,” it feels as if he was saving up all he had for this film. With as many depictions of the horrors of wars that have been displayed on film over the years, Eastwood manages to produce some truly haunting images that make you think you've never seen a war film before.
What Eastwood and screenwriter Iris Yamashita (working from her and Paul Haggis' story) have achieved is a film that shows the heroism and patriotism of troops committed to a cause that even they realize is pointless and will likely result in their deaths. Yet, they soldier on. Hopefully Eastwood the director will, as well, if he continues to make films this great.
— Scott Schuldt
