Flags Of Our Fathers
War movies have been known for showing the horrors of combat, of making us relate to the men involved, but should always leave no doubt that that all of these men were heroes with a ton of courage. Clint Eastwoodâs 2006 war film, about the Battle Of Iwo Jima, appears to be taking that route at first, showing the preparation leading into the historic confrontation and then the landing at the small Japanese island, and indeed the early scenes of combat exhibit some real power showing traces of Saving Private Ryan and others. But, Eastwood jarringly interrupts the battle in order to show what the REAL movie is about: the trials and tribulations of the men who took part in the famous photograph showing them raising the flag on the island, and the disgusting PR campaign the survivors were forced into in order to raise money to continue the war effort, with the three of them doing cheesy reenactments in front of cheering crowds to enable the American people to âdig a little deeperâ. It doesnât help that the story itself is rather uninvolving, which while it features some good actors here and there like Barry Pepper and Robert Patrick, mostly features a lineup of bland performers that fail to engage the viewer. Ryan Phillippe is the nominal lead, a medical corpsman who suffers from post traumatic syndrome but makes the best of it because he knows itâs the right thing to do; Jesse Bradford is the member of the trio who soaks up the spotlight and manages to enjoy much of the attention; and Adam Beach gives one of the most aggravating self-pitying performances ever, as the Native American soldier who came back a hero yet still had to face racism (âI hear you went in and killed them Japs with a tomahawk!â says one asshole Senator), and ultimately descended into alcoholism and depression, with every other scene of his in the movie turning into a weeping display of melancholy because he considers himself a âcowardâ for having survived the battle. As a matter of fact, that heavy-handed dynamic becomes the theme of the movie that Eastwood repeatedly pounds into our heads, that these soldiers should feel intense guilt and remorse because they were the lucky ones that made it home. Oh yes, occasionally we cut back to the battle in progress, but ultimately does that not only become the b-story of the film, it shows an alarming lack of focus on Eastwoodâs part, especially when a number of the trioâs fallen comrades that they refer to throughout the film wind up having their deaths shown in a snappy montage sequence towards the end. In short, the movie becomes more about that damn photograph and the effect it had on American culture than the bravery and courage of those that fought and died to literally save the world and win the war, as emphasized by a creepy cameo by David Patrick Kelly as Harry Truman and the way the film limps along for the last 30 minutes into the ending, as suddenly weâre introduced to the adult son of Phillippeâs character (who wrote the book the movie is based on) who clumsily assumes the role of narrator and the storyâs message is lost in a sea of empty emotion. Overall, a rather disappointing effort, showing that maybe the true story is not worth telling in an effort to downplay the achievement of those who survived and made it homeâŚ
4/10