Paul Walker: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Sergeant Hank Hansen €“ Flags Of Our Fathers (2006)

Clint Eastwood's politics have gotten ever more messy, between that time he spoke to a chair about Obama being naff at a Republican convention to directing American Sniper, one of the most vile and jingoistic pieces of cinematic propaganda since Leni Riefenstahl broke cinematic ground with nice films about the Nazis. Before that, however, he produced a couple of complimenting, even-handed World War II dramas. The second, Letters From Iwo Jima, was taken from the perspective of Japanese soldiers fighting against American forces, whilst making each side sympathetic. Flags Of Our Fathers, meanwhile, chronicled the same battle, only from the side of the American soldiers. It was a brave and commendable filmmaking experiment and necessary balm to partisan history. For the most part Eastwood cast lesser-known faces for the soldiers who, eventually, were the subjects of that iconic image of American soldiers raising the US flag on the battlefield. But in that ensemble there was Paul Walker, in a supporting role as Sergeant Hank Hansen, who commands the platoon. For many, it was the first time Walker was seen in a non-action role, and he did it beautifully.