10 Best War Films NOT About The US Military
7. Letters From Iwo Jima
The Pacific theatre of World War Two may be less represented than the European side, but the films that do reach to the other side of the world are often more brutal in their portrayal of battle.
It's a well known fact that the Japanese were overwhelmingly cruel in their war against the Americans and other nations; believing the most dishonorable act in conflict was to surrender, they fought viciously as the US closed in on their home islands. Iwo Jima, the penultimate strategic point to fall before the end of the war, was the subject of two war films from Clint Eastwood.
Letters from Iwo Jima reveals a humanity, however slight, that lay behind the ferocity of the Japanese defense. The film focuses on General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Wantanabe) and the younger Private First Class As they fight a losing battle against the attacking forces.
It's a grim and nihilistic endeavour as the soldiers charge to their deaths, bicker over their losses and commit suicide with grenades, which ranks one of the most disturbing moments in any war film. Letters from Iwo Jima is an incredibly powerful film, one that conveys both good and evil within an army on its last