Letters from Iwo Jima

It seems that every now and then Instant Netflix releases a truly well-done movie.  Letters from Iwo Jima, directed by Clint Eastwood, is one of those gems.

The film casts a different light on the well-documented and important WWII battle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima by telling it from the perspective of the Imperial Army forces charged with the suicide mission of defending it to the death.  What made the movie powerful was actually seeing the stories of these Japanese soldiers and hearing the types of letters that they would have sent home.

What is truly saddening is the fact that Japanese strategy called for "no Japanese survivors" and that every Japanese soldier had to kill 10 American soldiers before he could die honorably in the hopes that it would result in such massive American casualties that Washington, D.C. would think twice about setting foot on Japanese soil again.  In the grand scheme of things the 6,000+ American casualties and 22,000 Japanese deaths were not enough to stop the Americans from using Iwo as a bomber/fighter-escort base.

Actor Ken Watanabe

As for the film itself, I was moved by the performance of Ken Watanabe (recently in Inception) in his portrayal of Japanese General Kuribayashi.  Watanabe does an excellent job, as always, of transforming himself into the man charged with the hopeless task of stopping the massive war machine that was the US Marines.  In the movie we see him, along side of friend an tank commander Lt. Ito (played by Shido Nakamura) struggle with the knowledge of their futility and their responsibility towards their men, Japanese honor, and the primal fear of a useless death.

Another emotionally captivating war movie

As far as war movies go, Letters from Iwo Jima isn't as much the shoot 'em flick as it is akin to We Were Soldiers in the sense that it focuses more on the emotional toll and effects on humanity than it does on the action and violence that is war.

It's not a movie that leaves you feeling incredibly good.  But it is definitely worth the watch if only for the greater appreciation and respect for soldiers fighting war, no matter whose side they're on.