Flags of Our Fathers

Name: Flags of Our Fathers
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Released: October 20, 2006
Duration: 132 min
Rating: 79
Cast: Adam Beach, Barry Pepper, Jesse Bradford, Ryan Phillippe

2006

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 220 Ratings

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7.0

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 220 Ratings

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Flags Of Our Fathers

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: October 20, 2006 | R

Starring: Adam Beach, Barry Pepper, Jesse Bradford, Ryan Phillippe

Summary: Based on the bestselling book, this film chronicles the battle of Iwo Jima and the fates of the flag raisers and some of their brothers in Easy Company. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Genre(s): Action, Drama, History, War

Rating: R

Runtime: 132 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Stanley Kauffmann

The picture is spectacular. Read full review

100

Stephen Hunter

Stands with the best movies of this young century and the old one that preceded it: It's passionate, honest, unflinching, gripping, and it pays respects. The flag raising on Iwo might have indeed become a pseudo-event as it was processed for goals, but there was nothing pseudo about the courage of the men who did it. Read full review

100

Kirk Honeycutt

Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers does a most difficult and brave thing and does it brilliantly. It is a movie about a concept. Not just any concept but the shop-worn and often wrong-headed idea of "heroism." Read full review

Stephanie Zacharek

The flaws in Flags of Our Fathers are at least partly attributable to Eastwood's attempts to do too much. Still, even when he overreaches, he somehow hits the mark. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Character development is of secondary importance to narrative and theme. As a result, we never really get to know any of the film's protagonists. Read full review

Scott Tobias

What begins as a sophisticated meditation on the meaning of heroism gradually slumps into leaden repetition in the second half, as the point gets watered down and belabored. After such provocative beginnings, the film finally, dutifully raises its hand in salute. Read full review

Pete Vonder Haar

What Flags of Our Fathers is not, however, is moving, evocative, or very unique. Read full review

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User Reviews

AlexL

Feb 10, 2009

Very very good movie. i love it. it made me cry.

2 of 6 users found this helpful

FrederickS.

Oct 17, 2006

Outstanding.

0 of 2 users found this helpful

ChrisM.

Feb 11, 2007

An unusual war film that seems far more congruent with reality than any of the other WWII flicks of recent years. Despite not much time spent on the characters, smart viewers will still find time to empathize with them as they're thrown about in a story of unusual structure and scope. An unusual war film that seems far more congruent with reality than any of the other WWII flicks of recent years. Despite not much time spent on the characters, smart viewers will still find time to empathize with them as they're thrown about in a story of unusual structure and scope. For the most part this works. Despite minor narrative flaws, this is for me the most real, affecting and smartest WWII film in modern times. Strangely, it goes against all of the worn out and overbearing themes of the far better received "Letters from Iwo Jima" (an obvious Paul Haggis script where "Crash" meets "Saving Private Ryan" with Japanese actors). This is the better film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

JayC.

Oct 21, 2006

What impressed me most was that the political and social problems during WWII were seemingly the same as today. While we may be trying to treat minorities better (unless you look like an Arab), the political world seems about the same. Vets today are still fighting for fair treatment after What impressed me most was that the political and social problems during WWII were seemingly the same as today. While we may be trying to treat minorities better (unless you look like an Arab), the political world seems about the same. Vets today are still fighting for fair treatment after having given their all in combat.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

[Anonymous]

Oct 18, 2006

I agree almost entirely with Entertainment Weekly's commentary. The film is technically fine with a story that should be enthralling, yet somehow the movie is less than the sum of its parts. The soldier's stories in particular are very thin. The action is fairly well done, but due I agree almost entirely with Entertainment Weekly's commentary. The film is technically fine with a story that should be enthralling, yet somehow the movie is less than the sum of its parts. The soldier's stories in particular are very thin. The action is fairly well done, but due to Eastwood's stylistic choice to use desaturated, and the nature of the uniforms, it's rather difficult to tell who's who. I left without any specific criticisms, but feeling that there really wasn't enough there.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

ChadShiira

Oct 23, 2006

If the filmmaker's intent is to honor our dead, there probably shouldn't be scenes that would emit ooohs and aaahs from the Fangoria jetset. Like Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan", the level of gore is once again, envelope-pushing; and it's my assertion that If the filmmaker's intent is to honor our dead, there probably shouldn't be scenes that would emit ooohs and aaahs from the Fangoria jetset. Like Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan", the level of gore is once again, envelope-pushing; and it's my assertion that nobody needs to see the human flesh mangled in such horrifying detail. Watching the combat scenes in "Flags of our Fathers" is a lot like the truth about auto racing; some spectators are waiting for the carnage. Blood and guts aren't going to upstage Tom Hanks, but it does give a slightly lesser actor like Jesse Bradford (actually, he's pretty good here) a run for his money. But what the decapitated head and movable stomach doesn't upstage in this otherwise noble film is the highlighting of a less-enlightened and hopefully bygone era, in which minorities gave up their lives for a country that championed their institutionalized subjugation. Adam Beach, as the Indian stooge, is the heart and soul of this not wholly organized movie.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

Broyax

Jan 20, 2018

Des fois, on a l'impression de jouer à un mode CTF (Capture The Flag) en regardant le film de Papy Eastwood qui nous parle plus de drapeau(x) que de la guerre -et d'Iwo Jima- à proprement parler... Oui, on a bien compris l'importance de cette photo "héroïque" et le besoin de fonds desDes fois, on a l'impression de jouer à un mode CTF (Capture The Flag) en regardant le film de Papy Eastwood qui nous parle plus de drapeau(x) que de la guerre -et d'Iwo Jima- à proprement parler... Oui, on a bien compris l'importance de cette photo "héroïque" et le besoin de fonds des Etats-Unis à cette période cruciale : c'est d'ailleurs très bien de le mentionner... mais cela aurait dû rester une mention, pas de quoi s'éterniser là-dessus pendant presque les deux tiers du film !

Oui, parce que du coup, on s'emmerde sévèrement dans ces réceptions, ces serrages de paluches et ces séances de photos des héros vétérans en mode VRP dans toute l'Amérique. Papy veut nous faire croire qu'on gagne la guerre avec une putain de photo de gugusses en train de planter un drapeau... et la marmotte, elle emballe le chocolat et elle chie des tanks ?

Nous comprenons certainement la portée symbolique et l'importance de la propagande qu'un personnage du film explique très bien à nos bidasses esseulés mais faudrait pas trop nous prendre pour des cons non plus.

Le reste du film se consacre aux héros qui meurent dans les bras d'autres héros sur le terrible champ de bataille : là encore, Papy nous montre plus de Marines en train de clamser que les combats eux-mêmes : en effet, on ne voit pas seulement les troupiers qui se font dégommer, on voit à chaque fois longuement le brave soldat qui rend l'âme dans les bras de l'infirmier ou de son pote : putain, on a presque envie de poser encore un drapeau à chaque mort. Histoire de baliser le terrain.

Ouais, je sais, on ne doit pas se moquer et on doit le respect aux "mémoires de nos pères" et je les respecte infiniment, croyez-moi, mais cette façon qu'a Eastwood de s'appesantir aussi lourdement et maladroitement sur les drapeaux et les morts n'appelle que sourires polis de façade ou sarcasmes cyniques au choix. Il ne leur rend pas hommage ainsi à se complaire dans la solennité caricaturale à la guimauve qui déborde de partout : il voudrait sans doute qu'on se mette au garde-à-vous et qu'on sonne la trompette à chaque héros tombé au champ d'honneur. Soit ! je mets la pause et je m'y colle, mon général ! mais à ce rythme, j'aurai fini ton foutu film dans une semaine !

En ce qui concerne l'assaut et la bataille proprement dite, puis quelques accrochages sporadiques disséminés en flashbacks tout au long du film, de nombreux plans d'ensemble sont saisissants mais de tout aussi nombreux plans sont foireux avec un montage un peu rapide mais surtout une caméra atteinte d'épilepsie de Parkinson : une manie détestable de Spielberg qui a lancé la "mode".

En outre, les couleurs désaturées souvent à outrance font ressembler le film à plus grand-chose, une sorte de noir et blanc sépia merdique, pour nous faire croire peut-être que tout le monde était daltonien à cette époque ?

Le film de Papy ne vaut donc pas tripette, à part le premier petit quart assez bien agencé qui laissait espérer beaucoup mieux que ce foutoir à drapeaux et héros faussement modestes mais vraiment pleurnichards (même le vieux casse sa pipe dans les bras du fiston, putain ! on dirait un sketch !).… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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38	#38 Best Movie of 2006
65	#65 Most Discussed Movie of 2006