This is the second offering (Flags of Our Fathers, the first) about the battle which raged on Iwo Jima island during WWII.  The movie is done almost entirely in the Japanese language with English subtitles except for the American soldiers on the battlefield and a few flashbacks of visits to America.

This time the Japanese side of the war is shown from the perspective of the ordinary drafted soldier, up to the conflict which raged among the senior offices in command.  A different movie and quite effective.  As one raised in the 50′s on John Wayne war movies, it was entirely different to see the enemy up close and personal as regular folk with lives and families waiting for them back home.

Ken Watanabe does an exceptional job as General Kuribayashi.  The pathos of command is accurately shown here as this leader tries to deal with a losing situation, bad communications (sometimes on purpose), insufficient supplies, and insubordinate junior and senior officers.

Saigo (played by Kazunari Ninomiya) gives us a bleak contrast of life in the Japanese Imperial forces as a drafted and barely willing grunt.  Saigo continues to survive even as many around him take their own lives as a matter of ‘honor’ Japanese style.  The Japanese soldiers understood that they were there to give their lives for the Emperor and they were probably never going home.  Saigo keeps remembering his wife and child and keeps fighting and trying to survive for them till the very end.

A very powerful story and one to be honored.  However, I believe that it goes too far in one scene where an American soldier kills several Japanese who had already surrendered.  One could see it coming and it was a gratuitous offering in the midst of an otherwise unique production.  While such behavior undoubtedly happened during this war, barbaric acts were far more likely to be perpetrated by the Imperial forces of Japan rather than the Americans.  The sheer force of this scene in the movie is unbalanced by similar action on the other side.

A tremendous movie overall, cast in dark almost black and white scenes with only slight color.  This sets a visual tone for the mood of shear hopelessness felt by the Japanese in this battle.  It is an experience that I will remember and I highly recommend.  I expect that this film and the previous one (Flags of Our Fathers) will receive numerous awards.

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This is an excellent movie.  Not at all the usual Oliver Stone movie.  No conspiracy theories, no politics, just the story of regular folks caught in the midst of a huge event and their heroic responses to the situation.  The acting is quite good in this movie.  Nicolas Cage plays Sgt. McLouglin.  This is not your typical Cage role, in fact, soon you do forget the familiar actor and see only the character.  Michael Pena really does steal the show in his portrayal of Officer Will Jimeno.  Michael Shannon is not far behind in his steely characterization of Marine David Karnes.

It is the story of a group of Port Authority Police officers attempting to rescue folks from the World Trade Center on 9/11 who end up getting caught themselves in the rubble when the towers collapse. Of their group, only Sgt. McLoughlin and officer Will Jimeno survive the downing of the two towers but find themselves caught, injured, and buried in the rubble for 10 hours before they get the attention of two marines searching the rubble for survivors.  It takes another 12 hours for rescue crews to free them and get them out.  It is a moment of triumph for everyone involved.

The movie shows the families waiting for word about their loved ones and thinking about their relationships and how it all could be so much better if they only had a second chance. It is thoughts about their families that give Sgt. McLoughlin and Officer Jimeno the reasons to keep on living, and their faith in God that strengthens them.  In their darkest and most discouraging moments they are heard citing Psalms and the Lords Prayer.  At one defining moment when life seems to be slipping away, Officer Jimeno has a vision of Jesus Christ offering him a drink of water.  It encourages Will and brings him back from the brink of death, then he begins to keep  Sgt. McLoughlin awake, and challenges him to keep on hoping.

Faith also plays a role in the story of the rescuers.  Dave Karnes, a former Marine, meets with his pastor and tells him that he believes that God has called him to respond.  The scene shows a Bible turned to the Book of Revelation.  He puts on his old Marine fatigues, heads for New York, and joins another Marine searching the rubble for survivors.  He eventually finds McLoughlin and Jimeno, and sets their rescue in motion.  He shouts down to them:  “No, we are not going to leave ya!, we’re Marines–you are our mission!”  When they are finally pulled out of the rubble by hundreds of rescuers that are risking their own lives to save the two, it is a moment of faith, love, will & American character triumphing over incredible evil.  It is a time of celebration for everyone involved– McLoughlin & Jimeno, their families, the two Marines that found them, and the hundreds of folks involved in their rescue, with the back drop of immense disaster and death, in the middle of the rubble of what was the World Trade Center.

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The picture begins immediately without the usual trailers.  The first scene starts with the terrorists praying in a motel room. There is a window in the background and you can see the Twin Towers touching the New York skyline once more.  Right away it hits you that this it not your usual Friday evening entertainment. You know what happened that day, but this time you are there, and your emotions run the full gamut.

The event is reconstructed and presented by a cast of relative unknowns.  There are actually three stories presented intertwined, the story of what happened on the plane itself, the story of the civilian aircontrollers, & the story of the military response/non-response.  All three stories told in ‘real time’ sequence with on-going scenes of the Twin Towers as a ominous backdrop.

As the events on the plane are coming down to a predictable climax, you find yourself rooting for the passengers to pull it off this time. In the final moments, there is a juxtaposition of passengers praying ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ in English and the terrorists chanting Islamic prayers in Arabic.  At the end, there is blackness on the screen, for what seems forever, & deafening silence in the theater.  As you leave the theater, it hits you how much the world has really changed since 9/11/01.

MGD

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