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Letters from Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima Image
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Metascore
89 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 37 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 198 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Ken Watanabe
  • Summary: In this companion piece to "Flags of Our Fathers," Clint Eastwood presents the untold story of the Japanese soldiers and their general who 61 years ago defended against the invading American forces on the island of Iwo Jima. (Warner Bros.)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    100
    Eastwood's direction here is a thing of beauty, blending the ferocity of the classic films of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai) with the delicacy and unblinking gaze of Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story).
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    100
    The word masterpiece costs nothing to write and means less than nothing in an age when every third picture and each new Clint Eastwood project is proclaimed as such. After two viewings, however, Letters From Iwo Jima strikes me as the peak achievement in Eastwood's hallowed career.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Rick Kisonak
    60
    Portraying the same 1945 confrontation from the vantage point of the Japanese was an inspired idea. Unfortunately, the movie it inspired is something of a letdown.

See all 37 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 92
  3. Negative: 12 out of 92
  1. Midge115
    10
    Letters from Iwo Jima is a realistic portrayal of the Japanese in WWII. It also shows how in war, there is no definite "good guy" or "bad guy." It's all about perspective and Clint Eastwood directs such in a way that is almost immaculate. It's a film that makes you think, but it is very violent, disturbing, and sad. Although what else would you expect from a war movie in which you know the overall outcome?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. KarenL
    5
    I was loving this movie. It was truly refreshing to see a crucial WWII battle from the Japanese point of view. In this film we see Japanese soldiers behaving both honorably and horribly. We see Japanese soldiers with a love for both honor and life. We also understand that so many suicides happened out of fear of their peers and officers. But then we see two American soldiers murder a pair of the few Japanese soldiers who actually surrendered on Iwo Jima. This is a such a complete lie that it instantly ruined the film's and Eastwood's credibility for me. Read any accurate history about this conflict and you'll discover that Japanese soldiers who actually did surrender were astounded by the compassion of the Americans. They had been taught to expect the worse. Yes that was the Japanese propaganda given to their soldiers. But our very own filmmakers feel compelled to propagandize the brutality of America. It's sadly ironic that a country that provides a director the freedom to combat propaganda chooses his medium to propagandize himself. This was and should have been a great film. It dies, like so many of those who committed suicide on that island, in a lie.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. GaryL.
    0
    Clint Eastwood somehow over looked the fact that From the invasion of China in 1937 to the end of World War II, the Japanese military regime murdered near 3,000,000 to over 10,000,000 people, most probably almost 6,000,000 Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans, Filipinos, and Indochinese, among others, including Western prisoners of war. This democide was due to a morally bankrupt political and military strategy, military expediency and custom, and national culture (such as the view that those enemy soldiers who surrender while still able to resist were criminals). How ridiculous to even make such a movie.… Expand
    • 1 of 2 users said yes

See all 92 User Reviews

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