I have not yet seen any comments about Letters from Iwo Jima, so I am assuming nobody else has seen it yet. I went to this movie with mixed feelings about a movie from the Japanese perspective in WWII, but came away from the theater feeling glad that I saw it, since it made me realize that not all Japanese were ruthless fanatics who were happy to die for the emperor as I had always believed. Some were, perhaps many...but there were also soldiers that were conscripted, but really wanted nothing more than to survive the war and return to their wives and family, just like our boys. The more I study this war, the more I begin to see the similarities rather than the differences. I also understand the need to dehumanize the enemy through propaganda, in order to motivate men to kill each other, because killing another human being goes against our own natural instincts.
This movie is well made and thought provoking, but jam packed with realistic battle scenes for those who require plenty of action...We already know who wins this one. If you missed it at the theaters, it is due for release on DVD on May 22nd. I thought it was great!
Dogdaddy