movie minute

Raising Of The Flag: "Every jackass thinks they know about war, especially those who have never been in one." A dig at our current President? No, just the opening line of Clint Eastwood's new movie, Flags Of Our Fathers. The film follows three men who fought in Iwo Jima and helped capture the island to reach the peak, Mount Suribachi. And it all started with a photo. The photo in question is the photo that Joe Rosenthal took of six men putting the flag up; three men later died before making it back to the states. Following that photo, the US decides to bring the three remaining men home and take them on a whirlwind publicity tour to help raise more money for the war by having people buy more war bonds. The three men are all affected differently: John (Doc) Bradley played by Mr. Reese Witherspoon, I mean Ryan Phillippe is just content to stay out of the limelight but feels it is his duty to help with the war; Rene Gagnon played by Jesse Bradford eats up the attention whether it's the girls, the autographs, or the photos, he is happy to take center stage; Ira Hayes played by Adam Beach thinks it is all a joke. He is convinced they shouldn't be there; they should be back with their unit. At one point he is told incredulously by an army official that the rest of the unit is dead. He also feels the guilt and pain of not having the other three guys there with them to celebrate in their heroism. Which brings up one of the main themes of the movie: What is a hero and how should a hero be treated? Is it better for the hero to stand out or remain hidden? Is it better for the hero for the public to throw attention at them? And what happens to the hero in question once the photos and publicity have died down? Beach has the meaty role here and the roles that Phillippe and Bradford play are really underwritten. The movie would have been more heartfelt if it had gone deeper into the lives of the men as they bring the war back home with them. Also the fight scenes (which were shot mostly in Iceland with some CG effects) don't have the urgency and were not as well done as Spielberg did them in Saving Private Ryan. The film also brings up another point of contention: What photos should be shown during a war? Should we be fooled by the photos that we are winning the war or should we also be shown the real photos; the pain, the death, the heartbreak? This movie is extremely timely especially with the current administration's claims that we are winning the war. People may not remember a couple of years ago when the administration tried everything to stop people from seeing photos coffins with flags draped over them. The film is graphic at times and Eastwood delivers with his directing. Most of the action comes from the fight scenes which some people may be tired of seeing.

It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you are an Eastwood fan.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

possible oscar noms

Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay

paul