Flags of Our Fathers

The battle for Iwo Jima in World War II was one of the most brutal, compact fights in the war. The Japanese were dug in deep, there were approximately 11 miles of tunnels, with Mount Suribachi providing a full view of the ocean around the island. This battle was unique in all of the American invasions of Japanese positions in that despite control of the air and sea, American casualties exceeded those of the Japanese. Iwo Jima was also the site of the most famous war photo ever taken, the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi. One of the many reasons that this movie is great is that while it covers the event, it also follows the political consequences, as American leaders exploited the event and those who were involved for domestic political effect. While the movie shows scenes of very graphic war violence, it is to the credit of the creators that it also follows the men credited with raising the flag as they try to live their lives after the war is over. They find that even fame as significant as theirs is fleeting and it is not long before the public forgets their names and those who promised their help in finding jobs will not do so. Even though there is brutal death and injury in war, it is still fundamentally about people and how they react at the time and live afterwards. The battle of Iwo Jima is the backdrop, but in this case the lives of the survivors and those they interact with are an important part of the plot.