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flags of our fathers (2006) ***1/2 |
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Written by Noor Razzak
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The latest epic from Clint Eastwood arrives on DVD and Finger takes a poke at the film that war buffs will probably really enjoy...Ryan Phillippe buffs will also like it.
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
***1/2 out of ***** Reviewed by Finger_of_DOOM 2006
Directed by Clint Eastwood Written by Paul Haggis William Broyles Jr. Cast Ryan Phillipe - John Bradley Jesse Bradford - Rene Gagnon Adam Beach - Ira Hayes Barry Pepper - Mike Strank Jamie Bell - Ralph Ignatowski Paul Walker - Hank Hansen Robert Patrick - Col. Chandler Johnson Melanie Lynskey - Pauline Harnois When word broke that Clint Eastwood would be directing a war epic I got excited, and then I heard he was doing two based on the battle at Iwo Jima. One from the American perspective and one from the Japanese and I got even more excited. The trailers promised grittiness and realism but my expectations sank as I feared that “Flags of Our Fathers” would end up another in a line of over-patriotic glamorization’s of war. But as I sat and watched the film I realized that I should not doubt Eastwood as he delivered exactly the opposite. “Flags of Our Fathers” is as anti-war as they come; it’s also a criticism of how government exploits soldiers off the battlefield for the benefit of the generating positive spin on war. And anyone that’s actually fought in one will tell you that there are no positives.
Based on the best selling book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers the film tells the story of the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima and the soldiers who did it. The famous photograph has become a symbol for heroism but buried behind it is a tangled web of lies all for the good of morale and carrying on that façade are the three of the five soldiers that raised that flag.
Originally optioned by Steven Spielberg in early 2001 the film underwent a series of scripts none of which met Spielberg’s approval and was shelved for a time. After he and Eastwood met in 2004 the film saw life again under the Oscar winner’s helm. Shot back-to-back with its Japanese counterpart “Letters from Iwo Jima” the film not only saw new life but was hailed as a massive achievement despite some not so great reviews.
“Flags of Our Fathers” takes on a different approach than the book, which was told in a linear fashion. The film is broken up with flashbacks, this fractured narrative structure works well for this film as it unfolds and you learn more about these characters as the film progresses.
The film although is based around the battle of Iwo Jima is basically about the three men and the effects of that battle on each of them as they are touted through the United States as propaganda tools to help raise money for the war effort. John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Phillippe) the naval medic plays the middle man, unsure of his ultimate duty he finds purpose in keeping the three together amidst the calamity. Private Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) is a cocky Marine who loves the attention and wants the ride to continue as long as possible and then there’s Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) the Native American who is traumatized by what he saw during that battle and struggles to deal with the attention and being called a hero. The three young cast members all do capable jobs in their roles, Phillippe displaying a maturity I haven’t seen before in his previous films, Bradford plays a character that doesn’t seem to far from what he may actually be like and Beach delivers what can be considered the best performance of the three. The raw range of emotion between quite contemplation to anger can be witnessed in Beach turn that solidifies this young man’s talent. This is quite a feat considering Eastwood is renowned for doing no more than one to two takes per shot. I find it rather astounding that Beach was not recognized by the Academy in the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ category.
The look of the film is rather drab, akin to the style used by Spielberg in “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) which de-saturates the colors from the film stripping it of all vibrancy; the result is an image that is near to black and white. The reason behind this was to give the film a vintage ‘aged’ look that complimented the era and also helps ground the film in reality.
I was also impressed to discover that Eastwood also collaborated on the film’s score, one that stands out as a wonderful companion to the images captured. While the film certainly looks and sounds good and features some fine performances by the young cast, the film does tend to waddle about in the middle, the film’s 132 minute runtime can be a stretch for some audiences but hopefully you’ll be engage in the story from the start and you won’t feel the time tick away. If you haven’t already seen “Flags of Our Fathers” and are a war film buff then there’s no excuse not to check it out and in the meantime you might also want to go check out the Japanese perspective in “Letters from Iwo Jima”. |
