The premises: this is a war movie through and through. 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.