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Letters from Iwo Jima
by Ari
Letters from Iwo Jima is the second installment of Clint Eastwood’s exploration into the horrific battle and experiences that occurred on that fateful island during World War II, this time from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers. His first entry, the disastrous Flags of Our Fathers, was plagued by generic, stilted writing and an overabundance of poor computer generated special effects. His newest feature represents a more ambitious and daring move, switching to the Japanese side to tell the story of the men who fought and died for their country. The idea is an interesting way to explore the moral complexity of war by showing Japanese men who struggle with their own fears and responsibilities during a helpless, confusing time. The Japanese were greatly outnumbered and overpowered at Iwo Jima, using their best possible strategies to make a stand and fight. Eastwood uses this ugly and terrifying setting to weave another dramatic story of men who loyally serve their country so they can be reunited with their families, similar to Flags of Our Fathers or really any war film for that matter. The most important thing about Letters from Iwo Jima is that it’s vastly superior to Flags, a far more engaging and memorable account of that dreadful battle. This is easily Eastwood’s best and most confident film in years, a major improvement over his recent, lesser efforts. Of course, that’s not exactly saying much, since his recent films have been less than underwhelming.
Letters from Iwo Jima is a solid, worthwhile drama, but it still suffers from manipulative emotional arcs and a screenplay that’s just a bit too neat and soft for its own good. While Letters is unquestionably the better performed and involving of the two Iwo Jima stories, the film is still about as routine and standard as a war film can get. It’s only natural for a filmmaker to use the genre’s conventions, since almost every war film deals with the same issues and thematic content. But how the filmmaker presents those conventions, how they build from them and deepen the characters and story is everything. Unfortunately, screenwriter Iris Yamashita never really accomplishes this with Letters from Iwo Jima, leaving little room for deep emotional complexity in a situation that is nothing less than complex. There’s an episodic, uneven quality to this film’s structure, something that greatly affects the immediacy and realism of the events. To put it gently, it’s a bit too Hollywood, never really taking the risks it should with the material.
While I admire Eastwood’s determination to present the Japanese perspective, I wonder what it would’ve been like from a Japanese filmmaker. Most surprising about Letters From Iwo Jima is how little it delves into Japanese culture. As presented in this film, the Japanese are essentially American, except for the fact that they speak Japanese. The two cultures are interchangeable for the most part, which in actuality is anything but true. Japanese culture is significantly different from ours, and exploring that difference in a setting such as this would’ve been particularly fascinating. Instead, Eastwood focuses on exactly the subject matter that will appeal to Americans, the overly sentimental look at the love for family, which is structured more along the lines of a tv movie than actual cinema. This dynamic became a formula for a reason, and it’s because family and love are a strong thematic basis for bleak stories about warfare and death. Eastwood and Yamashita, however, follow the formula a little too closely.
The first half focuses on General Tadamachi Kuribayashi (the always excellent Ken Watanabe) landing on the island and organizing his soldiers and strategies for impending combat. Kuribayashi is sent to Iwo Jima because the military believes he understands the American mind from the time he spent in the US. His idea is to dig enormous caves and plot an attack from below, catching the enemy off guard. Kuribayashi realizes the odds are against him and that victory is next to impossible, so his plan seems more concerned with protecting the men instead of launching a full, desperate attack. His ideas conflict with many of his men, especially those who believe he should mount a defense on the beach. As one of his Captains says, “Kuribayashi belongs behind a desk, not commanding war”. Meanwhile young soldier Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) is dealing with the harsh conditions of the war, sending letters to his pregnant wife waiting for him at home. He and his friends are tired of working on the island, with little hope to keep them going. The film uses flashbacks pretty frequently, none of which are really necessary. The most obvious and excessive flashback involves Kuribayashi in America, dining with his American friends who of course bring up the topic of Japan and America going to war. A woman asks him, “what would you do if America and Japan went to war?”. Kuribayashi responds by expressing his loyalty to his family and country. Other flashbacks are meant to increase your emotional attachment to the characters, with the sappy score telling you when exactly you’re supposed the cry.
The second half shifts to the battle, which is darker and more intense than anything seen in Flags of Our Fathers. Eastwood still uses poor visual effects to enhance the combat, but the direction is still stronger overall. The ugly, washed-out cinematography returns from Flags, but the imagery is more powerful and elegant this time around. The one sequence that shows the discipline of Japanese soldiers is the most interesting and intense. Instead of surrendering, a group of soldiers commits honorable suicide by grenade. The fake CG explosions don’t look good, but the disturbing nature of the sequence makes it the most memorable. The actors greatly help a lot of the material, especially Ken Watanabe in the lead. Watanabe is a great actor having a great year, with his role as Kuribayashi following his incredible performance in Memories of Tomorrow. His depth gives Letters From Iwo Jima its dramatic edge. This is a worthy inclusion to Eastwood’s enormous filmography, an interesting idea with the right ambitions. Now if only Eastwood could find a really great screenplay....