Letters From Iwo Jima

Stunning, stunning, stunning. Clint Eastwood's vision of the Japanese side of the Battle of Iwo Jima is stunning and haunting. The quiet exposition of who these soldiers are, how they feel about what is happening to them and then what does happen is astonishing. The screenplay was written by a first time screen writer named Iris Yamashita with guidance from Paul Haggis. The two make a powerful combination. I have found Haggis' prior films tedious but he has found a nice damper in this writing partner. The result is a beautiful character study in the worst conditions. The cinematographer Tom Stern has described the film as "a noble journey to oblivion". His palette for the film is gray. The only color is found during past flashbacks and at present moments of destruction via fire and blood. Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Tsuyoshi Ihara give stand out performances among an amazing cast. This war film has some of the truest moments of horror that I ever seen in film without being exploitive. Eastwood is an exceptional master of the art of film.
Memorable moment: Kuribayashi tells Saigo he is an incredible soldier.