The film Text copyright Filmverdict 2006-2007. Any film stills are copyright of their respective owners. Used without permission, sorry!
The original title of Letters from Iwo Jima was Red Sun, Black Sand, and that pretty much sums up the look of this film. The colours are so washed out that it almost looks black and white, with some of the only specks of strong colour appearing in the red sun symbol of the Japanese flag. Added to the fact that the island itself is covered in dark volcanic soil, and much of it is set at night or in caves, the film's aesthetic is rather gloomy to say the least. The flashes of bright orange that accompany the occasional explosions therefore provide stark contrast. For about an hour the film deals with the build-up to the battle, which was pretty interesting. Ultimately I found this to be the best part of the film, as the actual fighting felt too prolonged and got a little tiresome. It was very well filmed but not hugely involving, other than one particular scene in which one of the Japanese soldiers surrenders. There are a handful of flashbacks interspersed throughout and I would have liked more of these because they developed character and provided the variety that the rest of the film severely lacked. The acting could not be faulted, though, which is made more impressive by the fact that the director does not speak Japanese. Ken Watanabe is fast becoming the go-to man for strong East Asian characters in Hollywood films, and his performance here provides more evidence why. It's extremely unusual for a major studio to finance a foreign language film, and a bold move by Clint Eastwood to make it. Unfortunately, while interesting, Iwo Jima just tends to feel a bit too concerned with its own importance.
The summary
Easy to admire but hard to enjoy, Letters from Iwo Jima is a worthwhile effort that's not as poignant as it aspires to be.
