Flags of Our Fathers

Starring Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, and Jesse Bradford.

Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Summary

This movie deals with the WWII attack of Iwo Jima. It follows a troop of men, and specifically those six men who raised the flag that was the subject of the famous picture seen above. The three flag-raisers who survive the raid on Iwo Jima are pulled out of combat to tour as heroes and inspire people to buy war bonds. The three deal with this fame and responsibility differently. One seems to be opportunistic, one cannot deal with being a hero, and another seems to hold down the fort. The movie is partly combat at Iwo Jima, partly the lives of the three men as they are touring, and partly the son of one of the flagraisers later interviewing survivors ofIwo Jima to learn more about his father.

Review

This movie was excellent. The combat scenes were amazing and terrifying. Much like when I watched Saving Private Ryan, when I watched the combat scenes I was struck with how long they went on. What I mean is that this was not just going in quickly and either winning or losing, dying or killing. It went on and on, constantly avoiding death and trying to help each other. It made me greatful for the men who served our country (and continue to do so) in this way.

The movie wrestled through the issues well, and I found it totally compelling to watch. It was not only the battle scenes, though. I was completely engaged in the lives of the three men who survived and in watching them wrestle through being viewed as heroes when none of them really felt that this was an accurate assessment.

As war movies have more and more realistic and visually stunning battle scenes, I thought Eastwood did an amazing job telling the story. He did not try to do too much. He did not so much try to shock us with extra-gory death or extra-cool explosions. It was meticulously done, but also a bit understated. You see something amazing or heartbreaking and then Eastwood moves on. This has the feel of giving us a picture of battle, in that we cannot sit around and be stunned by the carnage of war.

Question for Thought

This movie dealt with questions surrounding heroes. What is a real hero? How should you respond when you are called a hero? Is it a matter of either capitalizing on it or rejecting it? Or is there a third option? Can it be embraced in some way that is right and good?

Overall

I don't think I will ever see a war movie that is as good as Saving Private Ryan. However, Flags of Our Fathers is now my second-favorite war movie of all time. It was poweful, interesting, and inspiring to me. And there was an amazing father-son scene near the end in which I think Eastwood powerfully dealt with how WWII impacted a generation gap. Even there I saw him bringing hope that, despite generational differences, we can learn to appreciate, admire, and respect each other.

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5 possible.