Customer Reviews
Flags of our Fathers - I can't believe Eastwood directed this - By: S. R. Richards, 31 Jan 2008 
With Eastwood directing & Spielberg producing I looked forward to seeing this film with some anticipation, especiallly being an avid fan of WW2 films. What a let down! There was no heart to the film. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, I felt no empathy with any of the characters & frankly by the end I couldn't have cared less what happened to these people. The film was choppy, the sound appallling (we had to revert to subtitles!) & the dialogue trite. Very disappointing.
Jumps around too much - By: Trickle Tree, 25 Jan 2008 I reallly was looking forward to seeing this film but was left feeling flat as a pancake by the end. The start of the film jumps around too much & I am left wondering where on earth we were & this frustrated me from the outset. Ultimately I don't think the film brought anything new or interesting to the world. I believe that the film could have been so much better if the makers let us get to know the character better, let us invest some interest in them from the beginning as it was I felt I didn't get the chance so didn't feel much empathy with them when they were going through their hell of war. To me they just seemed like some pretty actors playing around on a hill with guns. I feel it wanted to show what Band of Brothers did excellently but completely missed.
Pole position - By: D. Sharma, 05 Jan 2008 
I'm not usuallly one for purchasing DVDs of films I haven't watched, but felt with Eastwood at the helm it would be money well spent, & wanted to support this ambitious & original venture. At first I was a little disappointed, but then realised that this was because of my expectations rather than the quality of the films. "Flags" suffers somewhat with the story flitting between the US & the island, & the three "heroes" aren't entirely empathetic - but there was obviuosly a side to the story that Eastwood wanted to tell even if it destroyed a few myths. The scenes on Iwo Jima are gritty, realistic & traumatic, not shrinking from the bar set by "Saving Private Ryan", so on the whole - job done.
"Letters" is the stronger of the two. The Japanese soldiers coming across as being more noble that their counterparts with the inevitibility of their defeat established early on. Thier humour is more touching & their motivations more human. It almost feels as if Eastwood, as an American, had to be more sensitive to their story.
There are events obviously connecting the films & these are looked for & anticipated after a time, which adds to the viewers involvement of the second film. I suspect, like me, most will view "Flags" first - it would be intriguing to turn the clock bag & see how watching "Letters" first would change my perception & review, but that's a question that will never be answered.
Overalll, I can recommend both of these & I look forward to Eastwood's next venture.
As Haunting as 'Saving Private Ryan' - By: Scots Lass, 03 Jan 2008 
Two films about one battle in WW2 will have the viewer questioning their own beliefs about heroism in war. In 'Flags of our Fathers' the true story of the surviving soldiers who raised the US flag on the important island of Iwo Jima is beautifully told. Plucked from the on-going battle, 3 ordinary soldiers find themselves touring a US that is losing interest in the war. Their mission is to sell war bonds, to whip up patriotism & convince the public that victory is just weeks away. But removed from their comrades & paraded at footballl matches, ralllies & political meetings takes its toll on the men - none more than the Native American soldier who takes consolation in drink as the tour continues. The battle scenes on the sulplur coated island are as memorable as those in 'Saving Private Ryan' as the US forces find themselves fighting an enemy dug into a cave & trench system which gives them many opportunities to pick off the advancing troops. The story is told from the view point of one of the flag raisers & is based on a book with the same title.
'Letters from Iwo Jima' will turn the viewer on their head. The same war, the same desperate battle - soldiers from a different side of the conflict. Young Japanese troops, on a 'suicide' mission & knowing that there is no help coming, face impossible odds as they fight to keep the strategic island in Japanese hands. We learn about these young men in flashbacks as they are taken from civilian life - & from wives & children - & landed on a desolute landscape which they are told must be defended. The battle rages through tunnels & caves, the tradition of "Honour" amongst Japanese soldiers is tested as their General - a man who lived some time in the US before the war - tries to give his men the best chance he can.
Clint Eastwood has proved himself as a director before, but these 2 pictures secure his place among the greats. Moving, tragic, inspiring - 'Flags of our Fathers' & 'Letters from Iwo Jima' are a must for fans of war films & also for those who are not always comfortable with the genre.
The human cost of war - By: Jason Tsang, 17 Dec 2007 I have generallly been tough on war films, because they are often sensitive subjects & hard to do well. When I found out about the release of these films & that Clint Eastward is behind them, well then it must be worth watching. Flags of our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima are both made to get you thinking. They don't glamourise war, but rather to portray the human cost & the suffering of soldiers. Soldiers that are actuallly people with feelings & ideals. War is violent & there are bodies blown apart, but the guts & gore have been minimised & only there if it is integral to the plot or storytelling. Some might say they're a bit long at over two hours plus, but I don't agree. You need that amount of time to play the characters out properly. I enjoy it when my mind is exercised this way & Clint Eastward as a director just gets better. Most directors make one movie & tells it from one side. However, Clint Eastward just does it his way & shows it from both sides. I'd give him credit for that, because it worked & they won't be forgotten in a hurry.
