Letters from Iwo Jima poster & wallpaper

Evan Ellingson, Hiroshi Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya

This is the story of the battle of Iwo Jima, between the United States and Japan, during World War II, as told from the perspective of two good friends serving in the Japanese forces, who watch helple...( read more  read more... )ssly throughout various battles as their comrades are killed.

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194 critics

R, 2 hrs. 21 min.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Release Date: December 20, 2006

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DVD Release Date: May 22, 2007

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Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima Kazunari Nomomiya Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima Letters From Iwo Jima, Ken Watanabe Letters from Iwo Jima Shido Nakamura Japanese Actor Japanese Actor Japanese Actor Japanese Actress Japanese Actor Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima
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Flixster Reviews (12,842)

  • flixsterman
    June 21, 2009
    flixsterman
    Now two years after it's initial release, a rewatch does nothing to lessen my admiration and respect for this film. Inspired by actual events, Letters from Iwo Jima is an emotionally powerful epic from a unique perspective.
  • organgrinder136
    April 17, 2009
    organgrinder136
    very pedestrian, confusing at times, no great cinematography and so slow to start with but if you give it time it grows into an almost great film. it starts off even slower than flags of our fathers did but finishes better. And with regard to someones comments about a war movie f...( read more)inally being shot opposing the U.S. perspective... actually happened years ago. has no one seen the cross of iron by sam peckinpah and starring the one and only james coburn? anyway, solid effort from clint
  • AgentLexi2132
    February 18, 2009
    AgentLexi2132
    ''For our homeland. Until the very last man. Our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Do not expect to return home alive.''

    The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese

    ...( read more) who fought it.

    Ken Watanabe: General Kuribayashi

    A well executed movie with a powerful, historical significance. Told from the side of the Japanese as they prepare to protect Iwo Jima from American invasion.
    Some scenes especially the suicide deaths are quite graphic, and the action in it has a gritty, tense, war-drenched realism to it.
    Fantastic diverse range of Japanese actors, Ken Watanabe always impresses. Would like to watch this again, very powerful, very emotional, very relevant and historical. Lets all take notice of the past for the future.
    In the second half of Letters from Iwo Jima a group of Japanese soldiers find an American who has been badly wounded and take him into their cave. Their general speaks English, so he begins talking to this soldier, whose name we later find out is Sam. Although the two men should be sworn to kill each other, they are able to have a connection in the one conversation they have. A while later, the general comes back into the room only to discover that Sam's wounds have killed him. He searches him for a while and discovers a letter written by his mother. The letter is full of words that truly come from the heart of this kid's mother, and by the time the general finishes reading the letter, every soldier in that cave has realized that Americans aren't these savages; these hate-driven murderers. No, they all realize that Americans are exactly like they are, and that they don't want to be there and want to return home safely just like their enemies. I believe the point that Clint Eastwood is making with his Iwo Jima saga is just this: these two enemies were far more alike than they had imagined and they were both fighting only in hopes of returning home safely to their family.

    ''I don't know anything about the enemy. I thought all Americans were cowards. I was taught they were savages.''

    As for the specific film itself. In just about every way imaginable, this absolutely brilliant film is a step up from Flags of our Fathers (which is not something I say easily, as "Flags" is a terrific film as well). From the acting of the incredible ensemble cast, to the film's delicate but powerful script, to the beautiful imagery of the film (the colour distortion could not be any more brilliant), to Clint Eastwood's absolutely perfect knowledge of film and what works in a film like this.
    The score, written by Kyle Eastwood(Clint's son), captures the feel of the movie better than any score written for any movie this year. It is very quiet music, but listening to it makes you think about all the people that die as casualties of war.
    The acting is truly phenomenal. All of the actors do incredible, extraordinary work, although I must single out two actors in particular who really blew me away. The first is Ken Watanabe. I haven't seen any of his native work, but I can safely say based upon his American studio work (The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha and of course this film) that the man is a force to be reckoned with. I simply hope that he is not reduced to roles in vain of Chow Yun-Fat or Jet Li in their American films. He adds such an atmosphere of wisdom, intelligence and determination, quite the opposite of how the Japanese enemy is usually portrayed in WWII films. His character is entirely human and not reduced to a suicidal, angry general type, which is probably what many people would expect. The second is Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays Saigo. What a heartbreaking performance this actor provides. He is small, scrawny, not built for war. He has trouble fitting in. His expression is that of constant exhaustion. But his determination to live and to honour his general over himself is touching and fascinating to watch. His delivery and performance in general is absolutely stunning.

    ''We can die here, or we can continue fighting. Which would better serve the emperor?''

    In terms of themes, the most intricate and important aspect of the film is its examination of the psyche of the warfare itself. In Flags of our Fathers, like in his earlier films such as Unforgiven, Eastwood portrays an examination and dissection of heroism and what it meant both for those who are labeled heroes and those who did the labeling. With Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood studies the exact opposite of the spectrum; glory. It's almost as if Eastwood is more fascinated with the Japanese comprehension of heroism than the American one. The Japanese soldiers in the film don't have such a thing as heroism to begin with. What they do have is glory and honour. They accept their clear and present defeat with humbleness and modesty, perhaps too much so as they rather take their own lives than fall into the hands of the enemy. 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 essence, 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. As a psychological study of warfare and as a history lesson, Eastwood has crafted a truly masterful and meaningful piece that's riveting and fascinating as it is intricate and complex. One of the best films of the year.
    To sum it all up, Letters from Iwo Jima is one of the greatest war films ever made, and easily does the best job of depicting war as something that harms all involved that I have ever seen. Clint Eastwood has, with this achievement, engraved his name as one of the greatest American directors in film history.

    ''A day will come when they will weep and pray for your souls.''
  • mrpopcorn
    December 28, 2008
    mrpopcorn
    "The battle of Iwo Jima seen through the eyes of the Japanese soldiers."

    After bringing the story of the American soldiers who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima to the screen in his film Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood offers an equally thoughtful portrait of the Ja...( read more)panese forces who held the island for 36 days in this military drama. In 1945, World War II was in its last stages, and U.S. forces were planning to take on the Japanese on a small island known as Iwo Jima. While the island was mostly rock and volcanoes, it was of key strategic value and Japan's leaders saw the island as the final opportunity to prevent an Allied invasion. Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) was put in charge of the forces on Iwo Jima; Kuribayashi had spent time in the United States and was not eager to take on the American army, but he also understood his opponents in a way his superiors did not, and devised an unusual strategy of digging tunnels and deep foxholes that allowed his troops a tactical advantage over the invading soldiers. While Kuribayashi's strategy alienated some older officers, it impressed Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), the son of a wealthy family who had also studied America firsthand as an athlete at the 1932 Olympics. As Kuribayashi and his men dig in for a battle they are not certain they can win -- and most have been told they will not survive -- their story is told both by watching their actions and through the letters they write home to their loved ones, letters that in many cases would not be delivered until long after they were dead. Among the soldiers manning Japan's last line of defense are Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), a baker sent to Iwo Jima only days before his wife was to give birth; Shimizu (Ryo Kase), who was sent to Iwo Jima after washing out in the military police; and Lieutenant Ito (Shidou Nakamura), who has embraced the notion of "Death Before Surrender" with particular ferocity. Filmed in Japanese with a primarily Japanese cast, Letters From Iwo Jima was shot in tandem with Flags of Our Fathers, and the two films were released within two months of one another.

    Review
    The one thing that stood out to me about this movie was the way that it was nearly shot in black in white given the dullness of the color. The setting was an island in the Pacific, yet the only time that only vibrant or dazzling color is present is during the battle scenes. This was useful because it intensified the violence of the air raids and made the moment more spectacular in terms of the fear it was able to create. The sheer power of the bombs was done in a realistic manner that reflected American military dominance without glorifying them into a fictional state.

    In terms of the dullness of the colors throughout the movie, I feel that they more powerfully control the interpretations that the audience gets from the movie itself. The despair and hopelessness of the Japanese on that island was brilliantly displayed with the lack of warm and comforting vibrant colors. The only time that the audience really gets a beautifully use of color is at the end when they show the sunset in the background of the dark island. The symbolism here is powerful and inspiring as it leaves the audience with a sense of hope in the possibilities available, yet with a real depiction of the reality of the situation represented by the dark and dreary island. All in all I felt the cinematography really made this movie a lot more powerful than it would have been with another cinematographer.
  • allan913
    October 7, 2008
    allan913
    A specatcular and extroadinary movie. A brilliant, gripping, epic, compelling, deeply moving and memerising war drama. Truly magnificent and stunning. It's a classic that cant be ignored. A masterpiece. Director, Clint Eastwood has crafted another breathtaking and remarkable poin...( read more)t of view of the Iwo Jima battle. It's astonishing in every way as the equal of Flag's of our fathers. This is a truly riveting, amazing and unforgettable film. It;s simply fasinating and exhilerating. Awsome well-crafted battle scenes, they are graphic, haunting and tremedous. It's sweeping and enormously entertaining. Ken Wantanabe gives an intelligent, fearless, truly dedicated and unforgettable performance. He was perfect in this compelling and outstanding role. Also including an impressive cast of Japanese talents.
  • 339z
    November 15, 2009
    339z
    wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch.....its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie....i think that tsuyoshi ihara, takashi yamaguchi, shido nakamura, ken watanabe, nae yuuki, ryo kase, evan ellingson, hiroshi w...( read more)atanabe, kazunari ninomiya play good roles/parts throughout this movie....i think that the director of this drama/war/action/adventure movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie...i think that the fight scenes n the gun shoot outs were good throughout this movie...i think that this is a good war movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie n its enjoyable movie 2 watch
  • memosworld
    November 11, 2009
    memosworld
    A great companion of Clint's "Flags of Our Fathers". A story of bravery and courage of Japanese soldiers during World War 2 to fight the Americans for their country
  • xantheonix
    November 3, 2009
    xantheonix
    A hard to watch movie,taken from a different perspective in a futile war.Well worth the watch,though it takes time to warm up, its worth the watch in the end.
  • panmac
    November 2, 2009
    panmac
    Was hard to keep attention as was debating weather in the right mood to view at all, though endured and sort of got the culture message enen though I had a anarchist morning.

    Definatly well put together as there was little two work with, obviously once seen the battlefield. So...( read more)me relitivity to it`s counterpart, the other story in the chapter. Not a piece without the first film in the two part directors recounts, but so individual of oneanother in so many concepts bar one... the lack of honour in war and living in a bloodthirsty lackies relm of 'to the given order', is the only real sense of order at these times or so it is told, I dont know really, for to keep short.
  • mfou88
    October 31, 2009
    mfou88
    another great movie by Clint Eastwood, i can feel him in every scene.
    but there is a question:
    will the American soldiers give a solider from the enemy water before killing him?
    the answer is no, the even will give him some pain before kill.

View All Letters from Iwo Jima Reviews

Critic Reviews

January 19, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Where Flags heaved its characters through war and psychic trauma without first allowing us all to get acquainted, Letters takes such care with its protagonists that they awaken and descend from the sc... full review

January 13, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Humanizing our old adversaries doesn't erase their war crimes, and Eastwood doesn't whitewash the brutality of Japanese militarism. His point is that the Emperor's infantrymen were as much the victims... full review

January 12, 2007
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com

In both his films, Eastwood empathizes with the 'expendable' soldier on the ground, the 'poor bastard' who is only a pawn in a war conceived by generals and politicians, some of whom have never come a... full review

January 12, 2007
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

In washed-out tones of brown and khaki, mimicking the colors of the troops' uniforms (blood, used sparingly, is startlingly crimson, seeming to sear a hole in the screen), the film plays out in a mood... full review

December 20, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

It takes a filmmaker possessed of a rare, almost alchemic, blend of maturity, wisdom and artistic finesse to create such an intimate, moving and spare war film as Clint Eastwood has done. full review

December 20, 2006
Pete Hammond, Maxim

Another masterpiece from the remarkable Clint Eastwood. A film that stands on its own as a moving testament to the common humanity of the warriors. full review

December 19, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Eastwood is so busy humanizing Japanese soldiers that he ends up rewriting history. full review

December 19, 2006
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Another masterwork from Clint Eastwood's astonishing late period, and one of the best war movies ever.

December 18, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Too old for another Dirty Harry movie, Eastwood embraced the role of brooding, fatalistic American Master -- and, I'm bound to say, is finally beginning to wear it more convincingly. full review

December 15, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Letters is quality from first frame to last, a war film that is almost a tone poem. full review

View more Letters from Iwo Jima reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • mohaaekim
    March 7, 2008
    mohaaekim
    This movie was great for Americans, Japanese, and all other nations to watch together.
  • gabrielhortencio
    July 30, 2007
    gabrielhortencio
    Muito interessante o filme, contando a história da guerra pelos olhos dos japoneses. Demonstra bem os costumes antigos dos soldados e o sofrimento por entrar numa guerra que sabiam que não poderiam vencer. O dez vai pra esperteza de Clint ao contar as duas versões a norte-ameriacana com "A Conquista da Honra" e neste contar a japonesa. As atuações são excelentes sem estrelas norte-americanas. Clint Eastwood se supera a cada ano! E mostra, assim como em "Menina de Ouro", a luta de um homem entre fazer valer seus princípios ou permitir que o outro siga seus instintos. Estupendo!
  • AngelusProwl
    July 10, 2007
    AngelusProwl
    I like that they used Japanese with the subtitles... it showed it in their way, their side, their words and language.
  • kazumarashikuni
    June 24, 2007
    kazumarashikuni
    It makes me cry from beginning to end. I love this movie, it touches my heart
  • peanutgurrrl
    June 24, 2007
    peanutgurrrl
    I liked both Flags of our fathers,and Letters from iwo Jima.Plus both movies have the cutest boys in them.Its a little sad in both about wat they did to Iggy.Doc was upset.My mom saaaid that long ago her dad was fighting there.
  • pettyfull
    May 27, 2007
    pettyfull
    hi am haley should sayin hi
  • amasirak
    December 7, 2006
    amasirak
    A very big movie i think. i want to watch. Can't imagine how far Nino has gone, he is a good actor.
  • JeT0425
    December 6, 2006
    JeT0425
    Just won BEST FILM OF THE YEAR from the NBR (National Board of Review).

    I am surprised..


    This will probably have a strong chance now at the Oscars.
  • mikedarling905
    November 26, 2006
    mikedarling905
    I enjoy the fact that a film maker has gone out of his way to tell a war story that is not one all about the united states. This is the second part to a two part movie series but this one tells the story from the perspective of the japaniese. From the trailer it looks amazing and i recognize so many of the actors and respect them as actors. I can not wait until next month when this movie comes out.
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