I feel that there are not many great actors who can double as great directors here in America. George Clooney has very recently sat in the director’s chair for Good Night, and Good Luck, however I believe no one at this point is both a skilled actor and great director as Hollywood cowboy Clint Eastwood. Dubbing Eastwood as a cowboy actually derives two possible meanings. We are familiar with is cowboy career, but he has also burst in on his steed of acting and saved the day from villains such as young directors yielding first-rate flops and has been helping to restore Hollywood to its former glory. At the age of seventy-six, Eastwood only two years ago won Best Director (again) for his dedication to Million Dollar Baby.

In Eastwood’s new film Flags of our Fathers, based on Ron Powers’ novel, the story centers around the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, a true turning point in World War II. The story begins as an elderly John “Doc” Bradley (George Grizzard) is sharing his story as a veteran serving in World War II and how he and four others raised a flagpole that would give America the hope we needed during our time of despair. During the raising of the second flag, after the first was taken by some VIP politician, a picture was taken as five men raised it, again, on Iwo Jima. The four remaining men, one died a horrible death, “Iggy” (Jamie Bell), so John Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), and American Indian Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) are shipped back to America to be praised, raise morale, but also be spokespersons for the all-important war bonds. Back home, the “heroes” are faced with obstacles as telling the newspapers the true happenings of Iwo Jima, shaking off skeptical journalists, and declaring to mothers of their fellow men that their sons may not have been in that picture.

Eastwood’s direction brings the true horrors of war, memories, and the American way out of William Broyles Jr.’s (Jarhead, one of my personal favorite war films) screenplay. The scenes of despair back in America are very emotional as they face what is really happening to them and also recall flashbacks to instances at the Battle of Iwo Jima which appears to have shaken the men forever. The battle scenes are epic, but traumatic and gruesome, the horrors of war come alive with aggression and patriotism. Performances by the soldiers in the film are powerful and meaningful, but the film has also spawned some controversy over the support of our troops in the current situation in the Middle East.

The cinematography by Tom Stern and Clint Eastwood reflects the director’s interest in the topic, but also passion for the topic. America is colorful and rich with culture and celebration, but the battle in Iwo Jima is a black and white purgatory of death and carnage in which the only colors that really exhibit themselves are the colors of the American flag. The Japanese are barely seen, but we are only exposed to their weapons and shots of them attacking, limiting the perspective to that of the Americans. One may believe this to be a biased perspective, however Eastwood is currently finishing a film on the battle of Iwo Jima focusing on the Japanese forces during the battle with America.

William Broyles Jr.’s screenplay tells the interesting story following the men on their trip back to America and facing the cultural in which they were raised and even find it hard to discuss war matters with anyone who hadn’t experienced it with them. The film doesn’t flow in a smooth chronological sequence, but rather flashes back to important events in the war as the audience or character becomes aware of things that happened over there that have affected the character or may be of significance.

After seeing this film, I am even more interested in seeing Letters from Iwo Jima to see experience the perspective of the Japanese and witness how our victory really became desperation for them, sometimes to truly understand something you have to view the events or topic from both sides. There are not many solutions that benefit everyone and most decisions have a positive effect on some and a negative effect on others as if to say you can’t please everyone, to see what the Japanese went through would be something Americans have never been exposed to and could even be more significant that this film.

Rated R for sequences of graphic war violence and carnage, and for language.

Running time 132 minutes.