Letters from Iwo Jima Movie Review

Letters from Iwo Jima movie review by star757


This movie was about the Battle of Iwo Jima during WWII, as told from the Japanese side. It is a pretty long movie and all subtitles, so be prepared for that. For a war movie I found it to be pretty calming. The subject is war, but the way they portrayed it was with muted colors and simple music. I thought it was interesting because it gives you the perspective of different Japanese soldiers. One is a newly married young man who has no desire to be in the war. He sees Iwo Jima as a waste of time and something they should just give to Americans. Most of the men around him say it's all about honor and it's the best thing you can do to die for the emperor. When they are losing the battle most even find it better to commit suicide than be killed or captured by the enemy. A new general comes to the island who has spent time in the U.S. He believes in fighting to the end, not dying before the enemy gets you. There is also an interesting character in one of the Japanese officers that was an Olympic horseback riding champion. Throughout the movie we hear the letters that these men are writing back home, although it seems they will never make it there. Also, there are flashbacks to their lives leading up to their involvement in Iwo Jima. All in all, it is an interesting portrayal of the battle from the Japanese point of view. Most of them just believed that Americans were barbaric and inhuman, but in the end they are all very similar men fighting the war.