FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

"Did you get the picture?"

In February 1945, US forces headed to the Japanese stronghold, the island of Iwo Jima. The island holds the key to the Pacific campaign and the American Armed Forces are about to throw everything they can muster the entrenched Japanese army. After thousands of marines storm the beaches and one of the bloodiest battles of the war wages, six men climb to the top of Mount Suribachi and a picture is taken of them raising the American flag. The picture instantly grabs the attention of the people back home and becomes the symbol of the war effort, leading the government to bring the three surviving soldiers back to the US to promote to war and raise the funds needed to fight it.

Oscar winning director Clint Eastwood returns to the battlefront for the first time in twenty-years to tell a story that changed the shape of the Pacific campaign in World War II.

After taking us to 'Heartbreak Ridge' in 1986, Clint Eastwood directs another military drama but this time he tells a story of war that shaped a generation and created one of the most iconic images of warfare. With Steven Spielberg as the executive producer, the veteran screen icon and acclaimed director recreates the battle of Iwo Jima with as much detail as his collaborator with the Normandy landings in 'Saving Private Ryan'. This only serves as the backdrop to main story and theme of the movie, the effects of war.

The story follows the three surviving members of the six men team that raised the flag at the top of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, as they are transported back to the United States and paraded as the heroes of the battle. Asked by the US government to travel the country to raise money for an almost bankrupt war effort, John "Doc" Bradley, Rene Gagnon and Ira Hayes became celebrities overnight, selling millions war bonds to the public in the process. Both Doc and Rene found it easy to cope with all this newfound fame but for Native American soldier Hayes it was extremely difficult. He never saw himself as a hero, just someone who was lucky enough to have helped raise a flag and have his picture taken doing so. He is riddled with guilt of surviving and plagued by the nightmare of battle and his fallen comrades, so he escapes by drinking.

The gravity of war and how it affects the soldiers that fight them has been the structure of many a modern war movie. Visual effects have given the filmmaker the scope to recreate any historical battle with the utmost accuracy and all the power and resonance that they deserve. Eastwood and his creative team recreate the battle for Iwo Jima and show the gravity of war, in all the detail possible. As with 'Saving Private Ryan', this is not easy to watch but it is important that everyone sees it because this is history and we need to learn from it.

The performances from the relatively young cast are a little mixed however. Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford and Adam Beach as John "Doc" Bradley, Rene Gagnon and Ira Hayes are good and carry the film well. It is the supporting cast that you struggle to make a connection with however. This could be because of the structure of the film. The narrative jumps all over the place, taking place during the battle, during the promotional tour and during modern times as Doc's son gathers research for a novel. The structure means that you don't spend enough time with any of the squadron and with their impact limited, it makes it hard to share the three men's pain as much as you should be doing. Barry Pepper, Jamie Bell and Paul Walker try their hardest but they are fighting a loosing battle.

'Flags of our Fathers' should have been an accompliment to 'Saving Private Ryan' and another war movie classic but because of the jumpy narrative structure of the movie, the emphasis and impact of the film is lost. The battle scenes alone make this well worth your time however and the story of those brave men who fought on Iwo Jima is one worth telling.

Saving Private Ryan

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2006