“Flags of
Our Fathers”
Movie
Review
Clint Eastwood directed, co-produced, and composed the
score for the 2006 American military drama Flags of Our Fathers, which was
written by William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis. The 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima,
the five Marines and one Navy corpsman who participated in raising the flag on
Iwo Jima, and the consequences of that event on their life are the subjects of
the 2000 book by James Bradley and Ron Powers with the same title.
The Battle of Iwo Jima is seen from the perspective of the
Americans in the movie, as opposed to the Japanese perspective in its companion
movie, Letters from Iwo Jima, which Eastwood also directed. The movie was a
financial disaster at the box office, barely making $65.9 million against a $90
million budget, but reviewers gave it high marks.
Two months after Flags of Our Fathers' debut on October
20, 2006, the companion movie Letters from Iwo Jima was released in Japan on
December 9 and in the United States on December 20.
John Bradley, the father of the author Bradley, a Navy corpsman,
was mistakenly shown on the bronze statue memorial as one of the five
flag-raisers of the 32-foot monument until June 23, 2016, and he was falsely
labeled as one of the persons who raised the second flag. Up until October 16,
2019, Rene Gagnon's identity was likewise incorrect.
Three US service members—Marine Private First Class Ira
Hayes, Navy Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class John "Doc" Bradley, and
Private First Class Rene Gagnon—reflect on their pasts as they are hailed as
heroes during a war bond campaign.
The 28th Marine Regiment 5th Marine Division sets sail to
attack Iwo Jima after receiving training at Camp Tarawa in Hawaii. Three days
are spent by the Navy bombing alleged Japanese sites. Second Platoon is placed
under the command of Sergeant Mike Strank.
The Marines touch down the following day, February 19,
1945, using LVTs and Higgins boats. Prior to Japanese heavy artillery and
machine guns opening fire on the approaching Marines and Navy ships, the
beaches remain silent, and Private First Class Ralph "lggy"
Ignatowski wonders if the defenders are all already dead. The beaches are
guarded, yet there have been many casualties.
Two days later, while the Navy bombards Mount Suribachi,
the Marines launch an assault on the peak while being bombarded by Japanese
artillery and machine guns. Under fire, Doc saves the lives of a number of
Marines, earning him the Navy Cross in the process. Eventually, the mountain is
protected.
On February 23, to applause from the beaches and the
ships, the squad led by Sergeant Hank Hansen ascends Mount Suribachi and hoists
the American flag. As he landed on the shore, Secretary of the Navy James
Forrestal notices the flag being raised and asks for the flag for himself. The
2nd Battalion, according to Colonel Chandler Johnson, is more deserving of the
flag. To replace the first flag with a second one for Forrestal to grab, Rene
is dispatched up with Second Platoon. Joe Rosenthal captures the second flag
being raised by Mike, Doc, Ira, Rene, and two other Marines.
On March 1, a Japanese machine gun nest ambushes the
Second Platoon. Mike gets wounded by a U.S. Navy shell and perishes as a result
of his injuries during the battle for the nest. Later on that day, Harlon is
killed by machine gun fire, and Hank is wounded in the chest and dies.
Two nights later, Iggy is kidnapped by Japanese soldiers
and taken into a tunnel as Doc is assisting a wounded Marine. A few days later,
Doc discovers his horribly deformed body. On March 21, Franklin is struck by
machine gun fire and passes away while being held by Ira. Only three of the
squad's eight members remain: Doc, Ira, and Rene. Doc gets injured by artillery
fire while attempting to save a fellow corpsman a few days after Franklin's
death. He makes it through and is sent home. The U.S. Marines prevail and the
conflict is over on March 26.
After the conflict, Rosenthal's picture is obtained by the
media. It gains popularity and is a great morale booster. When Rene is asked to
identify the six guys in the picture, he names himself, Mike, Doc, and Franklin
correctly, but he calls Harlon Hank instead. Even though Ira threatens to kill
him for it, Rene ultimately identifies Ira as the sixth person.
As part of the eighth bond tour, Doc, Ira, and Rene are
sent home. Doc observes that Hank's mother is included among the mothers of the
slain flag raisers when they arrive in Washington, DC, where they get a hero's
welcome. Ira vehemently calls the bond drive a joke. Bud Gerber of the Treasury
Department reprimands the troops, telling them that the nation cannot pay the
war and that if the bond campaign fails, the United States would depart the
Pacific and their efforts will be in vain. Hank was not in the picture, and the
three decide not to let anybody know.
Ira feels guilty, encounters prejudice due to his Native
American identity, and slips into alcoholism as the three are transported
throughout the nation to solicit donations and deliver speeches. He pukes in
front of General Alexander Vandegrift, head of the Marine Corps, one night, and
is subsequently ordered back to his battalion, where the bond drive goes on
without him.
The three survivors go back to their homes after the war.
Ira continues to battle drinking and is unable to escape his unwelcome
celebrity. He travels more than 1,300 miles by hitchhiking to Texas the day
after being let out of prison to visit Harlon Block's family. He confirms to
Harlon's father that his son was in fact standing near the flag's base when the
picture was taken. 1954 saw the dedication of the USMC War Memorial and the
final meeting of the three flag raisers. Ira is discovered dead in 1955, and it
is believed that he perished of exposure following a night of drinking. No
autopsy was conducted. While it is indicated that he does not give her the
whole truth, Doc travels to the town where Iggy's mother resides to explain how
Iggy passed away. Rene tries to pursue a career in business but discovers that
the prospects and offers he was given during the bond drive have been
withdrawn. He works as a janitor for the rest of his life after being unable to
get employment as a police officer. Doc, in contrast, makes it big time and
buys a funeral parlor. He narrates his narrative to his son James in 1994 as he
lies dying, and in a last flashback to 1945, the soldiers swim in the sea after
hoisting the flags.
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