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Shelf Beauties
by Willie Waffle
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Flags
Of Our Fathers
Let the debate begin. Is Flags Of Our Fathers an anti-war
movie? A cynical look at the celebrity
meat grinder? A celebration of the men
who fought in World War II? A look at a
bygone era and way people used to conduct themselves? A story about the legend trumping
reality? An Oscar contender? Yes, it’s all of them.
Ryan “Mr. Reese Witherspoon”
Phillippe stars as John “Doc” Bradley – a Navy corpsman celebrated as one of
the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima, and
inspired the nation to believe the war could be won during one of its darkest
hours. As Doc and the other two heroes
of Iwo Jima - Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) and Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) - make
their way across the country to help sell War Bonds, which are vitally needed
to fund the war effort, we flashback to see the experiences each man went
through during those horrific 35 days of battle, how they try to cope with new
found, and possibly misplaced, fame and the conflicting emotions they feel the
entire way as they meet the family members of fallen comrades and an adoring
public.
Back in 1992, director Clint
Eastwood deconstructed the glamorous Hollywood
image of the Western gunslinger by stripping away the veneer to show us the dark,
brooding, shameful, ugly side of it all.
In Flags Of Our Fathers, much like Spielberg did years earlier with
Saving Private Ryan, Eastwood shows the brutality of war and the haunting
images that live on in the combatants’ memories as opposed to the majestic
pictures and nostalgia that marked previous World War II movies. It’s a graphic, shocking, challenging, moving
and thoughtful movie that gives you even more respect for the men and women who
saved the world.
Flags Of Our Fathers has so
many layers to it that it’s hard to figure out where to start when telling you
about the movie. Eastwood shows great
skill capturing and conveying the massiveness of the battle including those imposing
shots of hundreds of ships in the harbor, the enormous movement of thousands of
soldiers taking the beach at Iwo Jima and the
confusion and riotous nature of battle.
However, he also shows the individual fights and moments, including
one-on-one combat with Japanese soldiers, the corpsman desperately working to
save the fallen soldier among the gunshots and explosions, the horrible
quickness of death and the ugly result of the grenades, flame throwers and
bullets.
Eastwood, along with
cinematographer Tom Stern, also makes the film look as interesting as its
subject matter. Battle scenes are shot in a washed out,
almost black and white look with splashes of color to draw your attention to
the important parts of the scene, or just shock you. However, Flags Of Our Fathers is about more
than how it looks.
Writers Paul Haggis and
William Broyles, Jr. (based on the novel by James Bradley and Ron Powers) have
created a story that shows us the heroism of the men involved (based on the
true story of their lives), but also the tragedy some of those lives became,
which is an indictment of the fame machine, and the same system they helped to
save and bankroll by selling War Bonds. It’s also a statement about the fickle
public, who were inspired by them, but forgot them when they were no longer
needed. Even more, Broyles, Jr. and
Haggis make the audience question the idea of what makes a hero and how powerful
legend can be versus reality as the characters struggle with what really
happened on that mountain, and try to tell the truth.
While Phillippe is good,
Beach and Bradford put in the awesome
performances, especially Beach as he shows us how disturbed Hayes is from
battle, from seeing how people died in front of him, and from the guilt he
feels. Also, Broyles, Jr. and Haggis
throw in some details about the racism Hayes faced as an American Indian, which
seems even more disgusting when we realize how he fought for the country. Finally, Bradford
is fantastic as the guy trying to convert it all into a life long fame and
riches, grasping on to fame and not letting go
Make sure you stick around
for the credits, where Eastwood inserts plenty of photos of those people and
places portrayed in the movie. It might
have been the most emotional part of Flags Of Our Fathers.
4 Waffles
(Out Of 4)
Copyright
2006 - WaffleMovies.com
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