“Flags of our Fathers” is a film that should have been incredible. Clint Eastwood has an uncanny ability to make simple films about human nature. “Mystic River” and “Million Dollar Baby” were poignant character pieces with moving stories and performances. “Flags of our Fathers” fits neatly into this niche. It is a beautifully shot, epic war film that presents powerful characters. It depicts war in a very realistic light, something not done since “Saving Private Ryan.” This may be the best war film since “Saving Private Ryan.” Despite the high quality of “Flags of our Fathers,” the film falls victim to a major pitfall of Eastwood’s movies, his inability to end his films. “Flags of our Fathers” centers on the Battle of Iwo Jima and the American flag that was raised at Mount Suribachi. Based on James Bradley’s bestselling book, the story is told primarily in flashbacks. The now infamous photo is taken as five Marines and a Navy corpsman raise the flag to rally the troops. The film then follows the journey of the three surviving flag raisers, John “Doc” Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), and Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), as the United States government parades the soldiers around the country attempting to rally a nation that is weary of war. Flashbacks are used to show the battle and what happened to the other three flag raisers. The film shows how the government used the soldiers to raise money through war bonds. However, the soldiers do not think of themselves as heroes and they want to return to fighting.
The acting is not particularly stunning, but it is good nonetheless. Eastwood did not cast any A-list celebrities. Instead, he cast character actors, some of whom have been in other war films. Adam Beach delivers a powerful performance as a soldier who experiences racism as a Native American and as a “hero.” His dramatic performance is one of the better performances of the year. The other actors deliver fine performances, but Beach’s depiction of Ira Hayes stands out amongst the rest.
This film is on a much grander scale than anything else Eastwood has directed and one of the most beautifully shot films of the year. The battle scenes are shot marvelously, with stunning special effects. The explosions and gun sounds immerse the viewer in the sights and sounds of war. The fire of the explosions cut through the grey tint of the battle scenes. He shrouds the pre-war atmosphere with fog and darkness showing immanent destruction. Also, the battle scene on the beach is very reminiscent of the opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan” and just as powerful. However, Eastwood falls into the trap of using the “shaky camera” clich, in which directors shake the camera to give the battle a sense of realism. While this does look good, it is something we have seen many times before.
Eastwood also falls into a trap that has compromised his films in the past. In his last two films, he could not figure out how to end them. He drags his films out about 15 to 20 minutes too long. This is a sad and sorry attempt to pull on the heart strings of the audience. Without saying too much, I will say that the ending is simply mundane and trite. It would have been much more powerful if it had not dragged for the extra time.
“Flags of our Fathers” is a beautifully shot and well-acted film. He succeeds on multiple levels, such as providing the audience with a great sense of realism. However, it uses many clichs that we have seen in too many war movies of the past. Despite these pitfalls, “Flags of our Fathers” stands as one of the premiere films of the year. It is not the best, and is certainly not Eastwood’s best, but it is a moving, beautiful story that will indeed be recognized come awards time.