ARASHI's Ninomiya Kazunari announces the birth of his daughter. The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore, the Imperial Japanese Army was desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and provide a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favor the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff. In the lower echelons, a young soldier, Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, all the while knowing that a fierce battle looms. When the American invasion begins, both Kuribayashi and Saigo find strength, honor, courage, and horrors beyond imagination. (Source: IMDb) ~~ This is a U.S.A. production. Edit Translation
- English
- magyar / magyar nyelv
- dansk
- Norsk
- Native Title: Letters From Iwo Jima
- Also Known As: Iwo Jima Kara no Tegami , Red Sun, Black Sand , 硫黄島からの手紙
- Genres: Military, Historical, Drama, War
Cast & Credits
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![Ninomiya Kazunari in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)]( "Ninomiya Kazunari in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)")
Ninomiya KazunariSaigoMain Role -
![Ihara Tsuyoshi in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)]( "Ihara Tsuyoshi in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)")
Ihara Tsuyoshi Main Role -
![Kase Ryo in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)]( "Kase Ryo in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)")
Kase RyoShimizuMain Role -
![Watanabe Ken in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)]( "Watanabe Ken in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)")
Watanabe Ken Main Role -
![Yuki Nae in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)]( "Yuki Nae in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)")
Yuki NaeHanakoSupport Role -
![Nakamura Shido II in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)]( "Nakamura Shido II in Letters from Iwo Jima Japanese Movie (2006)")
Nakamura Shido IILieutenant ItoSupport Role
Reviews
There are no romance, no cuteness, no funny moments to draw a breath. There are no gorgeous sceneries to admire, or beautiful faces to ogle.
This movie is a punch directed at your very stomach. And yet it's so full of heart and intensity it left an indelible trace in my memory.
It's the story of a handful of Japanese soldiers left on guard of the rocky, desolate, deserted but of outmost strategic importance island of Iwo Jima. They are basically left to rotten there and eventually being slaughtered, if not by the Americans, by the obtuseness of high rank Japanese officials.
It's based on a true story, so I have no fear to spoil the plot. Many of you may already know of Iwo Jima, if only for the über-famous picture of the American soldiers planting the stars and stripe flag on a little mountain of dirt. This movie tells the same story, but from the other side of the barricade, in the literal sense of the word.
Western films tend to depict Japanese soldiers during WWII like war machines, ready to die for their country no matter what, cold and determined. Here we see the human side of them, the ultimate meaning of the film being the universality of fear, loneliness, anguish and friendship.
Outstanding acting performances by all the cast, entirely Japanese and terrific direction by acclaimed Clint Eastwood.
This is the kind of film one re-watches sooner or later. A film-library movie. You have been warned as to its content, so I recommend it with a clear conscience.
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To my surprise when I started it Ninomiya's face appeared. Same with Ken Watanabe. (didn't look up the cast, just watched it on netflix lol) Ninomiya is a great actor and meshed well with Ken, who is just one of thee best Japanese actors I know. The supporting cast was also great.
The movie mainly shows the Japanese side of WWll for the battle of Iwo Jima. it also showed the horror of the battle but also some good which is weird to say for a war movie. to some people it can be a little..glory but i didn't think it was too bad.
the reason why I rated music so high is because i absolutely loved the instrumental music that was used for this movie. It puts you into a bittersweet mood.
Obviously this movie isn't for everyone, since I know a lot of people could care less about history, but people should give this movie a try.
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