MovieRob’s Birthday Bash of Favorites 2022 (#36 of 49) – Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) – Encore Review

January is my birthday month, so I decided that I would try and do something quite unique and special for this milestone in my life. I will be turning 48, so I decided to watch 49 (48+1 for good luck) of my all time favorite movies in a random order over the course of this month. I have reviewed every one of these films already, but I will now give new perspectives on them all. Every one of these films received a 10/10 scoring from me. Some of these reviews will contain spoilers so if you have never seen them before, I recommend that you read some of my previous reviews of the film that are spoiler free before reading on…

Hope you enjoy!

This is film #36 of the 49.

Let’s continue with…

“I don’t know anything about the enemy. I thought all Americans were cowards. I was taught they were savages.” – Shimizu

Initial Viewing Memories – Ran to see this in theater before Oscar night because I wanted to fill out my Oscar challenge card and was amazed at what Eastwood was able to give us even if it’s all being told in a foreign language.

Number of Times Seen – 4 (22 Feb 2007, Mar 2010, 4 Jan 2017 and 22 Jan 2022)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – A look at the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers fighting for their country and their honor.

My Take on it – This is a movie that I went into with low expectations and was blow away with how amazing it was.

This movie shows that Clint Eastwood is such an amazing director since he is able to direct a film in a foreign language and show the perspective of the ‘enemy’ in a heartfelt way that doesn’t discriminate at all.

Most movies about the battles fought in the Pacific theater during World War Two show the brutality of the unnamed Japanese soldier and this film is able to let the audience get a better understanding of the how and why they act that way during battle.

The fact that this was chosen as one of the five Oscar Best Picture nominees that year also says so much about how powerful the story is even in a foreign language.

The film is able to show the various kinds of soldiers and personalities on the Japanese sides which helps make things seem so much more human when looking at it.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Director Spike Lee publicly criticized Clint Eastwood for the lack of African-American actors in this movie and Flags of Our Fathers (2006). Eastwood countered with the historical fact that the US military was segregated at the time, and black soldiers were generally kept away from the front lines. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)