Letters From Iwo Jima

When I saw "Flags of Our Fathers" last October, I had praise for Clint Eastwood's exploration into personal principles versus duty to your country. I was dissapointed with the lack of direction when it came to battle sequences and the unfolding of the plot. There were too many characters and too much Saving Private Ryan, when the focus should have been on the three main characters. I'm not sure if Eastwood filmed both of these movies at the same time, or what his editing process was, but "Letters From Iwo Jima" is a completely different, and better movie. The thread that is meant to tie the movie together is letters that are being written and sent from Iwo Jima. These are primarily letters written by Japanese soldiers and sailors as they await the impending attack by U.S. forces. This is more than just a gimmick, the letters allow us to know what these men are thinking. Considering that controlling emotions and placing honor and county above all else is predominant in their culture, reading their personal letters seems to be the only way to know how they truly feel. Now, the whole letter aspect would have made for a good movie, what makes this movie great is that Eastwood focuses on one man to personify the Japanese soldier. Ken Watanabe is the new General in charge of the forces on Iwo Jima. He has been to America and has American friends. He has a wife and children who he loves, living in Japan. He has a great tactical mind, and has a gift for leading men in battle. He cares deeply for the men he is responsible for, and does not make decisions without putting them first. He loves his country, and desires to protect and honor it. You can probably see that if all these things are true of one man, there are bound to be some struggles in a battle like the one for Iwo Jima. This is not an anti-war film, nor is it an anti-Amrican film. The conclusions drawn about the Japanese soldiers do not translate to the present day terrorists in the Middle East. This is a film designed to make us think about who we are, and who the man on the other side is. From a Christian perspective I feel that this is something we should all think about. Did God make (fill in the blank)? Obviously durring World War II, the Japanese attacked our country. Germans invaded our allies countries. Then Communists tried to spread their influence, and even more recently our country has been attacked again. Should we just passively take all attacks, and try just to understand the enemy? I don't believe so, but to dehumanize, or to make blanket judgements, or to put our trust in a government that... well you get my point. Go see "Letters From Iwo Jima".