Watch Letters from Iwo Jima on 123movies: The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. Letter From Iwo Jima (2006). Download From OP Download From Own Cloud. Director Clint Eastwood. Stars Kazunari Ninomiya Ken Watanabe Ryo Kase Tsuyoshi Ihara.
Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima tells the untold story of the Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in the taut, gripping film Rolling Stone calls 'unique and unforgettable.' It is the powerful companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers.
The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favor the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff.
In the lower echelons, a young soldier, Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, all the while knowing that a fierce battle looms. When the American invasion begins, both Kuribayashi and Saigo find strength, honor, courage, and horrors beyond imagination.
Trivia While there was a lack of respect for General Kuribayashi's leadership among some of his senior subordinates his wise leadership dashed the American's hopes of a quick five-day campaign and turned it into a thirty-six day confrontation. The dissatisfaction among these officers was largely due to their outdated methods and histrionic attitudes. Kuribayashi forbade banzai attacks as a needless waste of manpower and, rather than fighting a pitched and brief battle on the beaches, his choice of digging in and making the Americans work to dislodge his men resulted in greater American casualties and tied down a significant amount of American military resources for weeks longer than expected. Did it really last two and a half hours? It felt felt a lot shorter than that.
No, this is not an action war film with nonstop blood baths. It is a film that pulls the humanity out of the monster that is war.
This is one of, if not the best, movie ever directed by Clint Eastwood. I usually have a hard time following plots with many characters because they make me lose focus on the general story, but this one is done well. Not only am I engaged, I also become attached to every character and feel and understand their conflicts. It does not matter who fights on the right or wrong side of WWII. This film goes beyond that. It is about what is right or wrong for the individual human being. It excels as a story about the human heart.