Movie Review: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS Author: Jenn Bobbitt Friday, October 20, 2006 U.S. Release Date: October 20, 2006 Distributor: DreamWorks SKG Director: Clint Eastwood Writing Credits: William Broyles, Jr., Paul Haggis Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Breach, John Benjamin Hickey Genre: Historical Drama MPAA Rating: R OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.flagsofourfathers.com TRAILERS: www.apple.com./trailers Warning: I have a confessions before I begin…I am not a history major. Nor do I possess a wide and omniscient knowledge of all things military history. I will simply be presenting to you my honest and unbiased opinion of a film as a view…pure and simple! Now that I have that out of the way… Historical drama is not my normal genre, so when Jett presented me with the opportunity to review this one I was surprised but excited; as a “military brat” I carry with me a deep respect for the armed forces. I was expecting a PRIVATE RYAN style epic, but instead was presented with something very different. FLAGS chronicles the story of the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi at the Battle of Iwo Jima. In contrast to most military films, FLAGS chooses to focus on the inner turmoil and emotionality surrounding soldiers thrust into the spotlight as overnight heroes while following the lives of Jon “Doc” Bradley, Rene Gagnon, and Ira Hayes (played by Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Breach respectively), the three soldiers from the second flag raising at Iwo Jima who made it out alive. What the view is left with is a very compassionate and humanistic representation of the challenges and triumphs of war. More than focusing on the events and actions surrounding the Battle of Iwo Jima (it does do that though, so action movie lovers be not afraid), the film centers itself on more introspective topics, namely heroism. It explores the truly phenomenal concept of everyday heroes. None of the three protagonists saw themselves are “real” heroes, a concept they struggled with while they were paraded across America to create excitement around the war bond effort as their fellow soldiers continued to fight overseas. Each young man handles this in a different way. Ryan Phillippe is clearly a standout in his warm and endearing portrayal of Jon Bradley. The audience is almost immediately drawn to his sense of compassion and boyish charm. Adam Breach presents a compelling performance as Ira Hayes, an American Indian faced with outright racism from those who do not know his face and veiled bigotry from those “celebrating” his heroism. His is justly the most conflicted spirit in regards to understanding what it really means to be a hero. Though Eastwood has probably lined himself up for Oscar contention once again, it is truly the writing and not the directing in this one that deserves applause. James Bradley’s book translates seamlessly into an outstanding screenplay with the laudable efforts of Broyles and Haggis. Despite your feelings of war or the military, you will be moved by the utterly brilliant humanity presented in FLAGS . I cried…in public…and I wasn’t ashamed. This is one to see in the theatres; you will regret it if you miss it on the big screen. PS: Stay for the credits, PLEASE! JENN’S GRADE: A Jenn Bobbitt is a reviewer and writer for ON-FILM.NET. SEND JENN FEEBACK!